City to release advance extra cash gift to employees
BACOLOD CITY -- Mayor Evelio Leonardia confirmed yesterday that he has recommended to the Sangguniang Panglungsod the appropriation of P14.1 million as advance extra cash gift for City Government Employees.
Leonardia said that the appropriation will benefit at least 2,357 regular and casual plantilla employees wherein each of them will receive P6,000.
Leonardia decided to recommend to the Sangguniang Panglungsod the release of a portion of the extra cash gift to help the employees cope up with their expenses this school opening.
The extra cash gift released by the City Government every December is on top of the government-mandated bonuses. Leonardia said that the City Government projects a yearly increase of the extra cash gift.
Last year, an advance extra cash gift of P5,000 was released to each city employee. The amount formed part of the P17,000 extra cash gift released in time for Christmas season. Release of the extra cash gift under the Leonardia administration began in 2004 with P7,000 each. It increased to P12,000 the following year with P2,000 released in advance.
In 2006, it increased to P14,000 with P2,000 released in advance and further increased to P17,000 in the next two consecutive years.
On the other hand, Leonardia assured the Bacoleños that the city will continue to shoulder the miscellaneous fees of students from public elementary schools. According to Sangguniang Panglungsod Member Greg Gasataya, Chairman of the Committee on Education, that this is the main thrust of Leonardia administration to subsidize payments of miscellaneous fees including Boys Scout/Girl Scout fees and also the IDs of the students.
The amount subsidized by the city government came from the special education fund (SEF), Gasataya added.
Gasataya said that the school opening next week is now all set because of the success initiated by various public schools which undertook the "Brigada Eskwela" project.
Meanwhile, Leonardia instructed acting Bacolod Police Director Supt. Leo Erwin Agpangan to intensify their security preparation for the school opening next week. He also asked the Office of the Building Officials and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to inspect all boarding houses of their safety as part of the school opening preparations.