Cebu City to Release Mid-year Bonus to Over 5,000 Workers

Acting Cebu City Mayor Margarita Osmeña Wednesday said the city government will release on Friday the mid-year bonus equivalent to one-month salary for the city’s more than 5,000 employees.

Osmeña said the PHP88-million allocation for the mid-year bonus was included in the PHP6.060-billion annual budget approved by the city council on Tuesday.

The approved annual budget is PHP2 million less than the PHP6.062-billion proposal Osmeña had submitted to the council.

Cebu City Councilor James Cuenco, who heads the committee on budget and finance in the four-member council, said they slashed the proposed PHP2 million that was supposed to be used for the office of incoming Mayor Tomas Osmeña, the acting mayor’s husband.

Only Cuenco, Philip Zafra, Richie Osmeña and Lea Japson, the acting vice mayor, are left in the council after the Office of the President suspended 12 of its members.

Also suspended were outgoing Mayor Michael Rama and reelected Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella.

The passage of the new approved budget means the city will no longer be operating on a reenacted budget.

The city passed a new annual budget after the PHP6.4-billion previously approved annual budget of Rama was declared inoperative by the Department of Budget and Management 7 due to deficiencies.(PNA) FFC/EB/EDS