Thousands of public school teachers in Bacolod City sought the assistance of city officials for the release of their emergency cost of living allowance (Ecola) for the second to fourth quarters of 2016.
Gualberto Dajao, president of Bacolod City Public School Teachers Federation, said on Friday that 3,200 public school teachers did not receive their P6,000 quarterly Ecola for three quarters, or nine months.
He said Mayor Evelio Leonardia earlier assured the release of their Ecola, but Mario Española of the Management and Audit Services Office (Maso) allegedly failed to process the payroll.
On Thursday afternoon, hundreds of public school teachers held a “silent protest” at the Bacolod Government Center, urging Española and City Accountant Corazon Cardel to obligate their payrolls and release their Ecola.
The Ecola is sourced from the Special Education Fund and General Fund.
Teachers who were hired in 1997 and earlier receive P700 from the Special Education Fund (SEF) and P1,300 from the General Fund every month. Those who were hired from 1998 and up receive P2,000 from the General Fund monthly, translating to P6,000 every quarter.
Dajao said some teachers received their Ecola for the first to second quarters of 2016.
He said that in August 2016, the Commission on Audit issued an audit observation memorandum requiring them to explain the inclusion of the newly- hired teachers in the Ecola from the SEF.
Dajao explained that they relied on the decision of the Supreme Court stating that the teachers who were hired in 1997 and earlier shall receive P700 from the SEF.
It is the discretion of the mayor to distribute Ecola from the General Fund, he added.
For his part, Española, a pre-auditor, said the teachers were given enough time to process their documents.
“The teachers who were hired in 1997 and below have legitimate claim to P700 from the SEF and P1,300 from the General Fund, but those who were hired in 1998 and up are not entitled to receive cash from the SEF because there is no legal basis. They are only entitled to get P1,300 from the General Fund,” he said.
Española also denied that he holds the payroll of the teachers.
“They (teachers) were misinformed, their payrolls are on process,” he said.
Councilor Renecito Novero said he already talked to Leonardia and the mayor is very much committed to release the Ecola.
He added that Cardel also assured them that they will obligate the 2016 budget for the teachers’ Ecola.