Several regular employees of the Bacolod City government yesterday called on members of the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod to set aside politics and act on the 2016 annual budget so they could release their achievement incentive bonus. The employees, who wore black shirts as a sign of protest, stated their demand on a poster outside the SP session hall that read “15,000 achievement incentive bonus ihatag na! (Release our P15,000 our achievement incentive bonus now), and “Approve 2016 budget, now na!! Kay higot da ang salary increase sg mga employees (Approve the 2016 budget since the implementation of salary increases of employees is dependent on it).” Jake Castellano, former president of the Bacolod City Employees Union, yesterday said they are asking the SP to approve the 2016 annual budget of P1.8 billion because this could affect the salary increase of the employees. Until they pass the 2016 annual budget, they cannot tackle other items, including the P15,000 achievement incentive bonus of regular and plantilla casual employees for 2015, he said. Castellano, an employee of the Management Information Technology & Computer Services, said almost all cities and municipalities in Negros have already released the bonuses of their employees. The provincial government gave P35,000; while Salvador Benedicto town also gave P25,000, he said. Last year they received P33,000. Unfortunately, this year, they did not receive anything, even though Bacolod is considered a billionaire city, Castellano said. “Their achievement incentive bonus was supposed to be a Christmas gift. But the New Year and Three Kings have already passed and it will be Valentine's Day next month,” he said. Castellano said they are saddened that they have not received their additional bonus, so they will continue to appeal to the SP to approve the budget so it can take up other matters like the employees' benefits. They fear that if the approval of the new budget takes longer, their P15,000 additional bonus from the 2015 budget might not be released and what will be approved by the SP will be for 2016, he said. Catellano also said only a few of them had gathered yesterday unlike during their previous protest, since they have received reports that those who do not join their protest will allegedly be given bigger bonuses. Meanwhile, acting Bacolod Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said the committee on Finance chaired by Councilor Claudio Puentevella will conduct two more budget hearings before submitting its committee report to the SP. Familiaran said that, as of yesterday, there were 39 pending requests before the SP like the achievement incentive bonus of regular employees, road closures/fiestas, memorandum or agreements for the BacoLaodiat and P99,000 donation of DepED, and other important matters, which they could not take up unless the 2016 annual budget is approved. He said there is an opinion from the Department of Interior and Local Government that the SP should continue holding sessions until the annual budget is approved, and no other business may be taken up. Familiaran said the budget may not yet be approved next session and they hope the SP will act on it before the end of the month.*CGS BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
|