Castro allowance now up to City Council

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Michael Rama has turned the tables on the City Council to decide whether Cebu City Assistant Prosecutor Mary Ann Castro would be allowed to collect the P132,500 City Hall allowance that was suspended by the former mayor in 2007.

Rama included the amount for the payment of Castro’s allowance in the P276 million proposed Supplemental Budget No. 2 but Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña, who chairs the committee on budget and finance, said she will first evaluate the documents.

When he was still city mayor, Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas R. Osmeña suspended Castro’s monthly allowance from City Hall after the lady prosecutor was accused of several cases.

The City Legal Office already issued their legal opinion on the matter favoring the payment of Castro’s allowance after the cases that were filed against Castro never prospered.

The city lawyers said the law provides that in case the ruling of the court is favorable to the accused, all the salary, backwages and other emoluments will be paid back to the time it was withheld.

Records show that Castro used to receive P5,000 monthly allowance from the city like what the other government prosecutors were receiving, when it was ordered suspended.

Castro wants to claim her allowances from the period it was suspended from April 16, 2005 to June 30, 2007, which has an accumulated amount of P132,500.00.

Councilor Osmeña, wife of the south district lawmaker, said the matter will be deliberated by the members of the City Council when they tackle the proposed supplemental budget.

City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete earlier explained that the city’s cash assistance to prosecutors is not obligatory on the part of the city government and can be withdrawn any time.

The city prosecutors are now receiving P18,000 monthly cash allowance from the city. —/MIT (FREEMAN)