Gift certificate, sack of rice await fired BIN members
CEBU, Philippines - The 150 members of the Barangay Intelligence Network whose services were terminated by the city government effective this month will each receive P1,000 worth of gift certificate and a sack of rice from Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas Osmeña.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama ordered the BIN members to cease from reporting for work saying that the city government could no longer afford to pay their P4,000 monthly honoraria after the City Council slashed his budget for security in the 2012 Annual Budget.
“Nalooy g’yud ko nila nga mawad-an na og panginabuhian tungod lang kay matud sa mayor wala nay budget para ihatag kanila isip honorarium. Ang ilang honorarium gamay ra kaayo nga katuloon sa sweldo sa gwardiya,” Osmeña said.
Osmeña criticized Rama for saying that he is changing the guards at the City Hall with agency guards who assured to answer for the negligence of its personnel that might result in the loss of properties.
“Ngano sa akong panahon nga mga BIN ang gigamit nako nga gwardya sa City Hall daghan pa ang nangawala? Karon nga security guards na ang gi-hire sa mayor, wala bay kawat sa City Hall? Nakabayad ba ang security agency?” Osmeña asked.
City Hall General Service Office (GSO) chief Rolly Ardoza said that the P10,481,802 budget for security that was approved by the Council is only good for 72 private security guards.
Ardoza said that the contract price for 72 private guards is P12,105 every month or P10,459,445. He explained that they were able to pay the honoraria of the BIN members last year because the budget for security then was P20 million.
But Osmeña argued that even during his term in 2010 that the security budget was only P8,921,426 he was able to hire BIN members because there were only few private security guards hired by the city. (FREEMAN)