CH workers get P10T bonus

CEBU, Philippines -  Each of the almost 5,000 employees of Cebu City government has received P10,000 bonus during their Christmas party last Friday.

City treasurer Diwa Cuevas said the money was released through the respective department heads.   Caren Mae Sueman, one of the 4,948 City Hall employees, said she is very thankful for the Christmas bonus granted by Ma-yor Michael Rama.

“Merry gyud kaayo ang Christmas,” she said happily.

According to her, she will spend the money for her family needs.

“I-spend sa akong family. Ayuhonon ang among balay,” she said.

Cuevas said the city government allotted almost P50 million for the bonus of the employees.

This year’s bonus, however, is lesser compared to the P20,000 that each city government workers received last year as calamity assistance. The city government granted calamity assistance in 2013 because of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake and the super typhoon Yolanda even if most city hall workers were not really affected.

For this year, Cuevas said the P10,000 bonus is not anymore calamity assistance but employees’ Performance Enhancement Incentive.  But even if the amount is lesser compared to last year, Sueman said “Okay ra kaayo uy basta naa lang kaysa wala.”

Meanwhile, all regular employees of the City of Naga also received P24,000 each as bonus. They would have gotten P30,000 each but they agreed to share their blessings to 400 job order employees of the city.

Mayor Valdemar Chiong said the 200 regular employees agreed to share their bonus to the job order workers who will get P3,000 each plus 25 kilos of rice.

Chiong said that under the latest Department of Budget and Management the JOs are not entitled to Christmas bonus because there is no employer-employee relationship between them and the local government unit.

This prompted Chiong to request the regular employees to share part of their bonus to the JOs.

This is the first year that the City of Naga has given a P30,000 bonus across the board because in the past years, employees enjoyed a bonus equivalent to their monthly wage.

This is advantageous to those receiving more like the mayor who gets P70,000 as monthly salary. But Chiong said he found it “too much” to receive such huge sum while others, especially those who are paid the minimum wage are getting minimal, hence he implemented a uniform amount regardless of the position.

 “Para ni fair sa tanan,” Chiong said.  (FREEMAN)