THE Cebu City Council has granted a P35,000 bonus for each regular and casual employee of City Hall to be given in time for the city’s Charter Day celebration on Feb. 24, 2025.
Instead of the P25,000 bonus for each employee proposed by Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, the council unanimously agreed to increase the cash incentive to P35,000.
This, after Councilor Noel Wenceslao, head of the finance committee, asked during the council’s regular session on Wednesday, Feb. 12, if the council can grant more than P25,000 as cash incentives to employees.
Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera then explained a resolution sent to the council by April Jane Orquiza, chairperson of the City’s Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence.
“As stated in the resolution, it stated not in the definitive amount because it used the term ‘at least P25,000.’ So it means (they are) requesting the City Council that if ever we grant this particular cash incentive, it should not be less than P25,000,” said Pesquera.
“If the members of the body would want to be generous and kind to all our employees, instead of P25,000, maybe we can increase to P35,000 or even P40,000 or even P50,000,” added Pesquera.
No objections
Councilor Phillip Zafra moved to increase the cash incentives to P35,000. There were no objections.
“If there is a basis for us to increase the Charter Day bonus, I move that we increase this to P35,000,” said Zafra.
The City has 1,300 regular employees and 2,900 casual workers. The bonuses for the City’s 3,000 job order personnel will remain at P5,000 each.
Earlier, Mayor Garcia asked for an additional budget of P635 million from the City Council to cover Charter Day bonuses for City Hall employees (P150 million), road asphalting (P140 million), the construction of the eighth to 10th floors of the Cebu City Medical Center (P210 million), City Hall maintenance and operating expenses (P35 million) and livelihood programs (P100 million).
It was on Feb. 24, 1937, when the City of Cebu was born by virtue of Commonwealth Act 58, authored by Vicente Rama, grandfather of dismissed mayor Michael Rama.
What was then a municipality under the Cebu Provincial Government became an independent chartered city. The occasion is marked by a special non-working holiday in Cebu City. / JPS