Cebu City Job Order Personnel Granted Service IncentiveCebu City Job Order Personnel Granted Service Incentive In a move to boost employee motivation and morale, the Cebu City Council has approved an ordinance granting a service incentive to Job Order (JO) personnel, providing them with bonus payments in May and November. The ordinance, authored by Councilor Edgardo Labella II, was passed during the regular session on June 26, 2024. Eligibility and Amount To receive the bonus, JOs must have served a minimum of three months and achieved a “satisfactory” rating. They will receive P5,000 as a bonus. JOs serving less than three months will receive P3,500, while those serving less than two months will receive P1,500. JOs serving less than one month will only receive P500. Funding and Number of Beneficiaries The budget for the bonuses will come from the annual budget and the first supplementary budget. City Councilor Noel Wenceslao, chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, said that they have prepared bonuses for more than 5,000 JOs. Rationale and Impact Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, who requested the ordinance’s approval, believes that the bonuses will enhance motivation and morale, leading to an improved focus on service delivery. The ordinance aims to show appreciation for the hard work of JO personnel and to fulfill the promise of providing efficient and effective services to the public. Historical Context Prior to the ordinance, JO personnel were not always guaranteed bonuses, unlike permanent and temporary employees. The amount of bonuses also depended on the available budget. In the past, the inclusion of JOs in the awarding of Charter Day bonuses was debated. However, after the approval of the supplementary budget this year, JO staff received P5,000 in bonuses.
JOB order (JO) personnel in Cebu City are now entitled to a bonus after the city council passed an ordinance granting them this benefit.
The council has approved their “service incentive,” which provides JO bonuses in May and November of the year during its regular session on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, according to the Cebu City News and Information Facebook page.
The author of the ordinance, city councilor Edgardo Labella II, was on official leave on Wednesday.
JOs must serve a minimum of three months and achieve a “satisfactory” rating to receive the P5,000 bonus.
Those serving less than three months will only receive P3,500, while those serving less than two months will receive P1,500. JOs serving less than one month will only receive P500.
However, the regulation does not state whether they are also entitled to the Charter Day and Christmas bonuses.
In a text message on Saturday, City Councilor Noel Wenceslao, chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, said the budget for their bonuses will come from the annual budget and the first supplementary budget.
However, he could not provide the exact amount of the bonus. He said the files containing the details were in his office.
When asked how many JOs work in the city administration, Wenceslao could not give exact numbers either, but he did say that they had prepared bonuses for more than 5,000 JOs.
SunStar Cebu also tried to obtain details from Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, but to no avail.
It was Garcia who personally requested that the ordinance’s approval be expedited, in a letter dated May 13.
“Tipping can boost motivation and morale, leading to an increased focus on delivering high-quality services quickly,” he said.
“The awarding of a premium salary to our hardworking staff is long overdue and it is time to show them that we deliver on our promise and strive to do things quickly, efficiently and effectively,” he added in a letter dated June 14 to Acting. Vice Mayor Dondon Hontiveros.
Garcia had said his goal as acting mayor of Cebu City for the next six months was to accelerate public service delivery.
During last Wednesday’s regular session, City Councilors Joy Pesquera, James Anthony Cuenco and Renato Osmeña, Jr. urged the approval of the ordinance on behalf of Labella.
Before the regulation was adopted, JO staff were not always guaranteed a bonus, unlike permanent and temporary employees. The amount also depended on the budget.
Earlier this year, the executive department was still in doubt about whether to include them in the awarding of a Charter Day bonus.
However, after the council approved the supplementary budget last March, it was announced that JO staff would each receive P5,000 in tips, far less than the P25,000 that each permanent and temporary employee would receive.
Acting Mayor Garcia told SunStar Cebu in October 2023 that the city had no employer-employee relationship with JOs, and therefore the latter were not entitled to special benefits such as bonuses.
He had pointed out that by law the city could only award bonuses to permanent and temporary employees. AML
