NEWS BRIEFS

RAMA MULLS EXTRA CASH GIFT FOR CITY HALL EMPLOYEES

IT’S 19 days before Christmas, but the amount of extra cash gift for each Cebu City government employees still do not know how much cash they will be receiving.

Mayor Michael Rama said he has yet to meet with City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete and OIC Treasurer Diwa Cuevas to discuss the extra cash gifts and the release of the remaining P4,000-balance of this year’s senior citizens’ assistance.

“Ug naay kwarta nganong dili man (If there’s available money, why not?),” he said of the cash gift for employees.

The mayor will also sit down with his executive assistant, Jose Daluz III, to discuss the matter on the public school teachers’ cash incentives.

Each city officials and employees received P12,000-cash gift last year while the teachers were given P10,000 using the city’s Special Education Fund (SEF).

In its 2012 annual audit report, the Commission on Audit (COA) warned the city against the use of its SEF other than for the school-related activities like the construction and rehabilitation of classrooms. Auditors also asked city officials who authorized the use of the allocation to justify the use of the SEF for cash incentives, otherwise, they will be asked to pay refund.

Rama said that Daluz will have to check on the matter of teachers cash incentives. /Chief Of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac