CEBU City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia will again travel to Manila to follow up on the City’s request for exemption from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to allow the release of the P35,000 Charter Day bonus.
During the flag-raising ceremony on Monday, April 7, 2025, Garcia said the Comelec had not yet responded to the City’s request for the disbursement of the bonus.
“I have not-so-good news ninyo (for you). As of last week, we have not received a response yet... Stand by lang mo. Relax. It will come,” Garcia said.
The mayor said he hoped to receive a response from the Comelec before Holy Week.
While waiting for the Comelec’s green light, Garcia said the finance offices and the Human Resource and Development Office had already prepared for the release of the bonus.
Last March 26, the City Council approved the P35,000 bonus for each regular and casual employee, an increase from the initially proposed P25,000.
Not included
The City earlier requested Comelec exemptions for some government services, but the Charter Day bonus was not included, as it was expected to be approved before the campaign period for local candidates began on March 28.
“Because there were really so many deliberations in the council, so many budget hearings, we’ve now been caught by the election ban,” Garcia said.
The specific period during which the release of public funds is banned is from March 28 to May 11.
However, certain projects and programs, such as those of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, were exempted from this ban with Comelec approval.
The P35,000 Charter Day bonus applies to the City’s 1,300 regular employees and 2,900 casual workers. The City’s 3,000 job order personnel will receive P5,000 each.
The bonus is part of the P587.8-million Supplemental Budget 1 that was approved by the council on March 26.
The budget also includes P100 million for road asphalting, P210 million for the construction of the eighth to 10th floors of the Cebu City Medical Center and P35 million for City Hall maintenance and operating expenses, among others. The budget for livelihood programs was scrapped. / JJL, JPS