Garcia hints at election ‘influence’ for bonus

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia subtly pointed to the upcoming elections when asked about the City Council’s decision to increase the Charter Day bonuses for Cebu City Hall employees from P25,000 to P35,000.

"We thank the elections, that's one," Garcia candidly said during his press conference yesterday (Monday), which he later on tackled on a more serious note as he expressed his gratitude to the legislative body for approving the increase from his original proposal of P25,000 for regular and casual employees.

He commended the council for recognizing the contributions of City Hall workers and noted that the next step would be to complete the necessary requirements to facilitate the distribution of the increased P35,000 bonuses.

However, he noted that this kind of decision-making should continue even outside of an election year.

“Ug hinaut pa unta nga og dili election year, ingon ana ang pag treat sa atong mga employees,” said Garcia.

On the other hand, when asked if he thinks the election influenced the council’s decision to increase the budget, Garcia declined to comment directly, saying he would leave that judgment to the people.

According to Garcia, they are aiming to distribute the bonuses within the first week of March, as the budget is included in the proposed Supplemental Budget 1 (SB 1), which is still under discussion in the city council.

He added that he remains hopeful the council can fast-track the approval of SB 1, as it will serve as the basis for the distribution.

“Mag-agad gyud mi sa city council, when they can deliberate and approve Supplemental Budget 1, everything now hinges on SB 1,” said Garcia.

In previous council decisions, reports indicated that the body was divided, leading to a vote instead of a consensus.

In the most recent deliberation on the annual budget, the majority voted to trim the funding, with the final tally at eight votes against seven in favor of the budget cut.

Regarding the increase in bonuses, Garcia said the decision was likely a collective one, as the council shares the same values of giving “what is best for the employees.”

He expressed gratitude that he and the council were on the same page in this regard and commended them.

The proposed P635 million SB 1 includes the Charter Day bonuses, which apart from the P35,000 for casual and regular employees, also includes P5,000 for each Job Order (JO) employee. The proposal also includes an additional P140 million allocation for road repairs through asphalting.

Another major item in SB 1 is the continuation of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) construction, with P210 million allocated to complete the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors. These floors were initially intended to be funded by a donation drive organized by the Cebu Medical Society (CMS).

Additionally, SB 1 includes funding to support the distribution of livelihood programs. According to Garcia, this was prompted by his assessment that many small-scale vendors still need seed capital to grow their businesses.

He added that he was “inspired” by the success of Sinulog 2025, where vendors were given a platform and earned income without interference from security forces. — (FREEMAN)