Year-end bonuses of CH workers out next week

CEBU, Philippines — Christmas will come early for Cebu City Hall’s 4,500 casual and regular employees, including all elective officials, as they will receive their year-end bonuses and cash gifts on November 15 the earliest.

An employee’s bonus will be equivalent to his or her one-month basic pay.

On top of the bonuses, employees will get a cash gift of P5,000 each, according to a budget circular issued by the Department of Budget and Management.

City Treasurer Tessie Camarillo said her office is now working for the release of the bonuses and cash gifts.

“We will try to release it on November 15 or 16,” she said.

Camarillo said job order workers of the City Hall are not entitled to receive year-end bonuses or cash gifts.

The city government will spend at least P35 million for the year-end bonuses and at least P12 million for the cash gifts.

Last November 7, the Cebu City Council approved a resolution penned by Councilor Margarita Osmeña requesting the City Treasurer’s Office to release the bonuses and cash gifts not earlier than November 15.

Osmeña, in her resolution, cited Section 6 of the DBM Circular No 2016-4 dated April 28, 2016. The section provides that “the year-end bonus equivalent to one month basic pay as of October 31 and cash gift of P5,000 shall be given to entitled government personnel not earlier than November 15 of the current year.”

The money to be used for the distribution of the bonuses and cash gifts will be taken from this year’s P7.2 billion annual budget of the city. —/JMD (FREEMAN)