City Hall workers slam council over P2.8B supplemental budget suspension

CEBU, Philippines - Wearing black and white armbands, at least a thousand Cebu City government employees and barangay workers gathered in front of the City Hall yesterday morning to protest the decision of the City Council to defer the approval of the P2.8 billion Supplemental Budget-1, which includes the budget for their Productivity Enhancement Incentive (PEI). 

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice but there must never be a time that we fail to protest. Karong adlawa, ipakita nato ang atong hiniusa  og maka-angayon na pagbangotan sa pagbabag sa SB-1 sa mayoriya sa konseho,” reads the text message received by some City Hall employees.

No less than Mayor Michael Rama walked to the Plaza Sugbo where the employees gathered.

“First and foremost, kani nga issue, this is not an individual issue. It has to be taken as a collective issue. That is the reason why I am appreciative that they joined. I am respecting employees because this is not an ordinary issue, this will affect health, mobility, peace and order because the coverage of the supplemental budget clearly states that it will have to respond to those especially garbage,” Rama said.

SB-1 also includes the P87 million garbage tipping fee, and P2.3 billion prepayment of the South Road Properties loan.

City Administrator Lucelle Mercado said the employees themselves initiated the activity and the work at City Hall was not necessarily disrupted.

“Wala man ta mag-ingon nga no work. We are still working. Not a protest. Dili maka-hamper sa services sa city government,” she said.

Lawyer Mary Ann Suson, head of the Human Resource Development Office (HRDO), said the activity was not a protest, as claimed by opposition councilors.

“It’s not a rally. Is this a rally? Services are still ongoing. Walay na-hamper nga services because of this,” she said.

Sanctions?

According to the Civil Service Commission - 7, those who participated may face administrative sanctions for abandoning their posts.

Proline Daclan, public assistance division chief, said the CSC has issued Resolution 02-1316 or the Prohibited Mass Actions, which states that “government officials and employees are not allowed to go on concerted mass action during office hours.”

CSC defines “prohibited concerted mass action” as used in the Omnibus Rules as “shall be understood to refer to any collective activity undertaken by government employees, by themselves of through their employees’ organizations, with the intent of effecting work stoppage or service disruption in order to realize their demands or force concessions, economic or otherwise, from their respective agencies or the government. It shall include mass leaves, walkouts, pickets and acts of similar nature.”

However, a concerted activity or mass action may not be deemed prohibited if it has not resulted to disruption of work or service.

Section 7 of the CSC resolution states that “government employees who join, participate or take part in any prohibited concerted activity or mass action as defined in the preceding section, shall be held administratively liable for the offense of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and such other administrative offenses as may be warranted under the circumstances.”

Those who will be found liable for violating the rule may be suspended for up to one year.

She cited Section 9 of the said resolution states that “it is the primary responsibility of the government agencies to file or institute the necessary charges against their employees who join, participate or take part in a prohibited concerted activity or mass action. It is likewise the obligation of these agencies to gather, collect and prepare evidence in support of these charges. Failure to comply with these duties shall open the responsible officials to administrative sanctions.

Daclan said the CSC is yet to get the full information about yesterday’s event.

“Wala pay action nga buhaton ang CSC as of the moment because we don’t have the full information of the situation yet… If there is an evidence for the CSC to look into that, puwede pud ang CSC mo-initiate,” she said.

City Councilor Sisinio Andales said he will look into the matter.   “I have to look into that. Of course we can file the case, but we will not do that. We will let somebody do, as a taxpayer,” he said.

Councilor Lea Japson said this should not be the work of City Hall employees, saying that these employees and barangay workers may get the instruction from the mayor to hold such “protest.”

“Para nako, dili gyud ni mao ang gibuhat sa City Government nga gamiton nato ang empleyado because of that. Politics man gud ang giduwa, dili man gud sakto. Dili man gyud ko moapil-apil og gubot, pero kani mura’g dili naman gyud ni mao,” she said.

“Naa silay reason kay sugo man sa mayor. Dili man gyud mahitabo nga ang empleyado manggawas kun dili sugo sa mayor,” she added.

 Councilor Margarita Osmeña said she hopes that the people would listen to the plight of the members of the council.

“I hope maminaw lang sad. Kun duna tay baba, naa sad unta ‘tay dunggan. Ug dili lang siyagit siyagit. Ngano man mobabag mi sa Supplemental Budget para sila tanan masuko namo? Unsa among makuha ana? Pero kinahanglan, mo-agi ta sa proseso. Unta, mao na ilang masabtan,” she said.

The Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan-allied councilors deferred the approval of SB-1 until the court rules on the civil case filed against the body, which asked the court to stop the city government from using the proceeds of the sale of 45.2-hectare property at the SRP, which the city collected P8.5 billion.

The council “strongly requested” the executive department to look for other sources to fund the items in the SB-1 that are deemed as “urgent and necessary;” the PEI or the bonus of the employees; and the P87 million garbage tipping fee.

Labra inhibits

Also yesterday, Regional Trial Court Judge Generosa Labra voluntarily inhibited herself from the case, saying that the complainant, Romulo Torres, is her close friend.

"Considering the petitioner Romulo T. Torres is a close friend of the undersigned Presiding Judge, the undersigned voluntarily inhibits herself from sitting on this case pursuant to Paragraph 2 of Section 1, Rule 137 of the Revised Rules of Court," Labra's order reads.

The case would be raffled off to another branch of the RTC. — with Mylen Manto/JMO (FREEMAN)