P5,000-P15,000 Christmas bonus for Cebu City Hall workers

Local

WITH the holiday season nearing and recovery efforts from Typhoon Tino still underway, Mayor Nestor Archival has confirmed that City Hall employees will receive a Christmas bonus this December.

He announced in a press conference on Monday, Dec. 1, that regular and casual workers will get ₱15,000, while job order personnel will receive ₱5,000.

“Bonus [is] something like 15,000 pesos for regular and casual employees and for job orders, 5,000 pesos,” Archival said.

The release is expected to align with the city’s ongoing payout of year-end benefits mandated under national guidelines.

The Christmas bonus is separate from the year-end bonus and cash gift prescribed under Department of Budget and Management (DBM) regulations.

The confirmation comes as the Cebu City Government continues the ongoing release of the one-month year-end bonus and ₱5,000 cash gift to regular and casual employees.

The payout started on November 12, City Treasurer Emma Villarete earlier said in a local report, following DBM Circular No. 2014-3 and guidance from the City Administrator.

She clarified that the year-end bonus applies only to regular and casual personnel, consistent with national compensation rules.

“Only the regulars and casuals are entitled, kay mao ra gyud ang naa sa balaod,” Villarete said in a report.

Human Resource Development Office (HRDO) chief Henry Tomalabcad earlier confirmed that while regular and casual employees receive the DBM-prescribed bonuses, job order workers are entitled to a separate service premium, following existing city policies.

The HRDO has yet to release consolidated data on the number of employees who have already received their bonuses.

Villarete previously noted that the early rollout of the mandated year-end benefits also aligned with Archival’s directive to assist employees recovering from Typhoon Tino.

“DBM circular provides the release, but it is also in time with the Mayor’s request for release due to the typhoon,” Villarete said.

Archival earlier ordered a financial assessment to determine if the city could advance benefit releases for affected workers, underscoring that assistance should be both timely and fiscally responsible.

Nationwide, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has urged government agencies to release year-end benefits alongside the first November payroll to boost morale and efficiency.

The DBM allocated more than ₱72 billion for bonuses and cash gifts for over 1.85 million government workers.

The Department of Labor and Employment-Central Visayas (DOLE-7) has likewise encouraged private companies to release 13th-month pay early, especially for workers affected by calamities.(TGP)