City Released Honorariums for Brgy Officials

All barangay officials in Cebu City were all smiling yesterday after the City Treasurer’s Office personnel released their first quarterly additional honorarium at P15,000 to each of the 80 barangay captains and P9,000 to each of the barangay councilmen.

Each of the barangay treasurers and secretaries also received P6,000 because they are entitled to receive P2,000 additional honorarium from City Hall. The additional honorarium given to the barangay officials yesterday is on top of their regular honorarium in their respective barangays.

Mayor Michael Rama said he will not comply with the provisions of the ordinance enacted by the Cebu City Council that the honorarium of the barangay officials, tanods, and other barangay workers shall be released to them every month.

Rama’s main political opponent Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas R. Osmeña criticized the administration of his rival because there was a request circulated in the barangays asking the officials to wear any of Team Rama’s uniforms during the distribution.
But in a separate interview with the reporters, Rama strongly denied that he ordered the barangay officials to wear the Team Rama uniforms. “Wala g’yud ko moorder ana kay nasayud gud ko nga dili man tanang opisyal sa barangay atong kauban sa grupo.”

Osmeña said some of his allied barangay officials informed him about such request to wear the Team Rama shirts. “I told them okay, don’t worry just wear the Team Rama shirts anyway one week na lang and just throw them away.”

City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete said the distribution of the additional honorarium of barangay officials in the south district was made at the Waterfront Hotel yesterday morning, while in the afternoon for those in the north district.

The Cebu City Council has approved that the honorarium for the barangay officials and employees be released to them during the second Tuesdays in every month.

Rama had signed an executive order last March 27, a copy of it has been sent already to the Office of the President in Malacañang, that provides that the release of the incentive or additional honorarium to the barangay workers shall be procesed in a quarterly basis subject to accounting rules and procedures.

Under the existing guideline, the city will provide monthly P5,000 to each of the barangay captains, P3,000 every month to each of the councilmen and P2,000 to each of the barangay secretaries and treasurers. There are 80 barangay captains in Cebu City, 560 barangay councilmen, 80 SK chairmen and 160 barangay secretaries and treasurers.