CEBU City’s Charter Day festivities will take a more modest approach this year, with fewer activities but a significant budget allocation mostly for employee incentives.

The city has set aside over P164 million for the celebrations from February 14 to 28, with nearly P150 million earmarked for bonuses.

Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said the city will spend P14.6 million for the celebrations, which is lower than in previous years.

He emphasized that the events will not be limited to a single night but will take place throughout the month.

The large share of the budget will go to employee incentives, with P150 million allocated under Supplemental Budget 1, which was submitted to the City Council for approval on February 7.

If approved, regular and casual employees will each receive P25,000, while job order (JO) personnel will get P5,000.

This mirrors the 2024 bonus structure, which also granted P25,000 to regular employees and P5,000 to JOs.

In contrast, employees received only P15,000 in 2023.

Councilor Noel Wenceslao, head of the finance committee, confirmed the allocation but said he could not recall the exact amount spent on last year’s celebrations.

Of the P14.6 million set aside for Charter Day events, the largest portion, P3.1 million will fund Family Day on February 23. The budget covers packed meals, production costs, and commemorative mugs for attendees.

Another major event is the testimonial dinner on February 22, which will receive P2.87 million in funding. The dinner will honor individuals who have made significant contributions to Cebu City's growth and development.

Meanwhile, the Taxpayer’s Night on February 28 will have an allocation of P2.49 million. The event will recognize the city’s biggest taxpayers and will cover expenses for the venue, food, plaques, invitations, and a commemorative coffee table book.

One of the new additions to this year’s celebration is HuniGugma sa Kabatan-onan, a youth songwriting competition set for Feb. 26.

The city has allocated P1.36 million for the event, which includes a songwriting competition and a song interpretation contest.

Winners will receive P30,000 for first place, P20,000 for second place, and P10,000 for third place.

The main Charter Day program will take place on February 24, a special non-working holiday in Cebu City, marking its establishment as an independent chartered city.

Cebu City was founded on February 24, 1937, through Commonwealth Act 58, authored by Vicente Rama, grandfather of dismissed mayor Michael Rama.

The act transformed the municipality, which was previously under the Cebu Provincial Government, into an independent city.(MyTVCebu)

• Tags
• # Cebu City
• #Charter Day
• #Bonus
• #Supplemental Budget