Release of salary for nurses, doctors moved

CEBU, Philippines —  The release of the salaries of medical personnel working on a job order (JO) basis for the Cebu City government was rescheduled for next week.

The nurses and doctors assigned at the Cebu City Medical Center and the Cebu City Quarantine Center remain unpaid for four months now.

City Administrator Floro Casas, Jr. said it was moved to Tuesday, May 1, because the payroll documents are still being finalized.

“Tuesday next week. Sure na,” he said in a phone conference yesterday.

He said City Treasurer Ivy Fernandez vowed to prioritize the salary disbursement of healthcare workers.

The disbursement was initially set for the first week of May as announced by Cases on April 30.

Mayor Edgardo Labella, in a separate interview, also assured that the salary will be released by next week.

“Ma-release na. It’s just a matter of reconciling documents because JOs, di man gud ni sila casual and regular, they are like emergency employees in view of this pandemic. That’s why we just ask them to be patient for a little while,” he said.

The mayor said he already directed the city accountant and city treasurer to facilitate, stating that “any delay in their salary is something that is not tolerable because they are working hard for the city.”

Moreover, Casas said he already met with the administrative officers and instructed them to start processing the salaries for the succeeding months to avoid delays.

He said the release of salaries also undergo processes.

With this, he urged employees to also do their part by complying with the requirements and submitting them on time.

He said the administrative officers cannot process the payroll with incomplete documents, resulting in the delay of salary.

“Naa man ta’y checklist kun unsay document para makasweldo sila. Tan-awon lang nato unsay mga documents nga kinahanglanon unya hopefully makumpleto lang pud nila ang ila i-submit on time kay rest assured nga sa amoa sad sa admin, amo sad gyud na paspason,” he said.

“Kung naay usa ka empleyado nga mo-fail, malangay-langay gyud ‘nya mostly raba kung naay usa ka empleyado, mura’g madamay ang tanan,” he added.

The P4.3 million budget for the salaries of 98 medical personnel will be charged from the city’s disaster fund.

The JO personnel were hired last January when the city started experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases following the holidays. — KQD (FREEMAN)