City Saves on Fuel, Phone Loads

Aside from evaluating the performance of all Cebu City Hall officials and personnel, Mayor Michael Rama will also assess on how much fuel and cellular phone budget that will be allocated to each of them once his fresh three-year term of office would start Monday.

Almost all of the City Hall department or division heads, including selected ordinary personnel, have been issued with city-owned vehicles that are regularly getting fuel from the city’s oil depot at the South Road Properties (SRP).

Those department heads that had been issued with government-owned vehicles can only avail of Transportation Allowance (TA), but if they will decide not to avail of vehicles they can also collect Transportation Allowance (RA), both worth P17,000 every month.

In his Memorandum Order dates June 25, the mayor said all current fuel allocations will terminate today. The monthly fuel allocations to the City Hall officials vary depending on their usage, although most of them are getting 300 liters.

“Above allocations are now being reviewed, re-assessed and will be subject to approval by the mayor based on use of government-issued vehicles in relation to official duties and functions,” the memorandum reads.

The City Council earlier suggested that the P88.9-million budget allocated for the fuel, oil and lubricants for this year will be used only for the city-owned vehicles, but it will include those city-owned vehicles that are assigned to the barangays.

The city’s budget for fuel and lubricants may only last until August or September that prompted the mayor to make some measures to save fuel.

Meanwhile, the mayor also ordered the suspension in the granting of cellphone budget to the department heads and other officials and selected personnel.

“Renewal of the above privilege will be subject to my approval based on functions, chairmanships and or indispensability in the discharge of duties. All mobile phone usage allowance are deemed terminated effective June 30,” the memorandum stated.

It was not immediately known of how many City Hall officials and personnel that are receiving celphone allowance and how much the city is paying every month for their consumption.