• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City has officially approved over P59 million in supplemental funding to provide year-end benefits for city government workers.
It will cover the gratuity pay of job order and contract of service workers, as well as the service recognition incentive (SRI) for qualified regular employees, which will be released early next week.
Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, chairperson of the Committee on Finance and Appropriation, confirmed that P29.1 million has been earmarked for gratuity pay.
The funds were sourced from realignments within the city budget, in which the P15,176,935 came from the Department of Social Services and Development food supplies expense, and P14 million from the Bacolod City College other professional services fund.
Under the approved measure, JO and COS personnel are expected to receive gratuity pay ranging from P4,000 to P7,000, with the specific amount determined by their length of service to the city government.
The SP approved P30 million for the SRI, where qualified regular employees will each receive P20,000 at most.
He said that employees with over 3 months in service will receive 40 percent, 30 percent for 2 months in service, and 20 percent for 1 month-long employees.
Regular employees whose only less than a month in service will receive 10 percent.
This incentive is funded by city savings generated from unfilled vacant positions recorded between January 1 and October 31.*
