Daluz: Bonus possible if Council cooperates

CEBU, Philippines - City Councilor Jose Daluz III said yesterday that the extra bonus Mayor Michael Rama is eyeing for City Hall employees come December is possible if majority of the city councilors would be cooperative.

Daluz who formerly held the Council’s committee on budget and finance said the executive department may propose another supplemental budget before the year ends even if the proposed P267 million Supplemental Budget No. 2 hasn’t been approved yet.

He also said that there may no longer be a need to pass another supplemental budget if they can source the needed fund from the city’s savings.

Mayor Michael Rama said recently that he is willing to provide extra bonus to City Hall employees if funds allow.

Last year, the city government gave out P10,000 cash bonus to each regular and casual employees. There are approximately 5,000 regular and casual employees, which means the city would need P50 million if a bonus will be given this year.

Daluz said the executive department, which is headed by the mayor, only needs to identify the balances or if the 10 percent reserve fund for every funded project will suffice.

He said that if the balances will be insufficient, the local finance committee may be able to look for other sources.

“In the first place, when we started drafting the SB 2, we have originally identified P600 million in source. SB 2 is only P267 million so maybe we can check this other P300 million,” Daluz said.

In a related issue, the city’s fuel supply is almost depleted and may last only in a few days yet the SB 2 is yet to be approved by the council.

“God will solve the problem,” was the only thing Mayor Rama could say at what he said as the continuous defiance of the city council. – (FREEMAN)