PAYMENTS for more than 300 individuals who claim to have worked as job order (JO) workers under the previous administration are not guaranteed, as their appointments and documents are still being checked.
Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival, in a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, said around 300 to 400 individuals went to his office in July, informing him they have yet to receive their four-month pay, which covers the months of January to April.
Archival said the City Hall has been strict on the “no appointment, no work” policy, which means an individual must have an official, signed appointment document before they will be paid for their service.
Archival said the city is now reviewing the workers’ claims in coordination with the council and auditors, but he warned that without supporting documents, it would be difficult for the JOs to get paid.
“If there are documents, they will definitely be paid. But if there’s no appointment, it will really be difficult. That’s the problem,” Archival said.
Why do JOs have yet to get paid?
Two of the five JO workers, who requested anonymity, spoke to the media on behalf of the group on Aug. 20, saying the City Government owed them P40,000 each.
The employees first worked under the Coastal Management Board in 2024 from October to December. They were paid in December.
The JO workers said lawyer Jose Daluz III, who was former mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia’s running mate during the May 2025 elections, endorsed them.
By January, the workers said the CMB focal person no longer processed their appointments and asked them to secure a new endorsement. They were later transferred to the Bantay Dagat office from January to April.
The workers then complied with the requirements and submitted to the CMB focal person multiple times, only to learn that some of their endorsements had been misplaced.
What happens next?
He said he already asked Councilor Sisinio Andales, a member of the committee on labor and employment, about possible remedies to address the plight of the unpaid JOs.
Archival also consulted the city auditors himself and told him it would be “very difficult” to process their payments since he cannot also sign on behalf of Garcia, who was the mayor of the unpaid months.
“If there are records, then we will make sure they get paid, especially since former mayor Garcia mentioned there could be a budget allocation set aside for them,” Archival said.
Daluz, Garcia’s defense
The JOs assignment, according to them, includes aid distribution and barangay events.
Some admitted that their tasks overlapped with election-related activities, which was earlier denied by Garcia.
Garcia also said his administration followed a strict “no appointment, no work” policy and questioned why some JOs continued working without signed appointments.
Daluz, meanwhile, acknowledged endorsing some JOs at Garcia’s request but said his role was only recommendatory. He denied that workers were exploited for campaign activities, stressing their involvement during the elections was voluntary. / CAV