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Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Budget told to clarify issuance of gov’t allowances, benefits
THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) was asked to issue a circular allowing the City Government to pay its employees their cost of living allowances (Cola) and other benefits.
Councilor Leandro Yangot Jr., chairman of the City Council committee on ethics, government affairs and personnel, said government employees are entitled to receive their Cola, amelioration and equity allowances following a Supreme Court ruling which said that pending the publication of DBM circular 10, employees should still be entitled to these benefits.
Prior to the passage of the Salary Standardization Law, government employees received these allowances, but these were stopped after the passage of this law. The DBM said the allowances are already incorporated in the standardized salary of every employee.
But on August 1998, the SC ruled that this ruling of DBM is void because it failed to publish the circular.
In the case filed by employees of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), the SC further declared that the Cola, amelioration and equity allowances were not actually integrated in the salaries of the PPA employees as of July 1989. The integration only became effective on March 1999, when the circular was already published.
As such, Yangot argued that in between July 1989 to March 1999, the allowances should have been given to all government employees.
The alderman pointed out that this even resulted to the issuance of a memorandum to former budget secretary Emilia Boncodin and outgoing Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas dated September 2005 by Secretary Ricardo Saludo for the release of funds, which would cover these unpaid allowances. The payments were supposed to come on a staggered basis.
But even with this memorandum, Yangot noted that "to date, thousands of government workers are still to be paid their promised allowances."
(June 6, 2006 issue)
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