Budget docs now with Council

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Michael Rama has submitted to the Cebu City Council the documents needed to support his proposed Supplemental Budget No.1 amounting to P76.1 million that includes the budget for the “Charter Day bonus” for all City Hall officials and employees.

Of the total P76,158,296 proposed Supplemental Budget No. 1, a budget of P22,862,000 is being allotted for personal services. It is indicated that the budget is for cash incentives of employees.

Although Rama did not say how much would go to each employee, it may be safe to say that each of the 5,000 officials and employees may be getting not more than P5,000.

Rama also allotted P52,285,896 for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and P1,010,400 for the Capital Outlay or for the purchase of garbage bins. Another P500,000 is being allotted for the city-sponsored activities.

The other budgets are intended for the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) worth P3.7 million, Division for the Welfare of Urban Poor (DWUP) worth P434,000, Market worth P917,000 and City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) worth P4,046,000.

Some other offices of City Hall also got their share of the budget.

City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva certified that the city has the needed funds to support the total amount of proposed supplemental budget.

She said the P51,158,296 will be taken from the unexpended budget last year while P25 million comes from the reversion or realignment of funds that was allotted for the financial assistance to Barangay Apas for infrastructure projects that was never implemented.

Even if the City Council will grant the Charter Day bonus to all city officials and employees, the same may not be released before the Charter Day celebration on February 24 because the next session of the city legislators will be on February 22 yet.

Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young earlier said that Rama should just spend the budget for bonus for his priority projects. But Rama said the vice mayor simply cannot feel the sentiments of City Hall employees who are expecting to receive the benefits because Young was never an employee.

Young reacted and showed to the media his personal data sheet issued by the Social Security System (SSS) that showed he was already an SSS member since 1975 when he worked for only P250 a month. — (FREEMAN)