BY FELIPE V. CELINO

ROXAS City — City government employees will start receiving an increased salary this month, according to Mayor Angel Alan Celino.

“I am happy to announce before you that starting this month, you can avail yourselves of the increase in your salary,” Celino told the city hall employees after the flag raising ceremony yesterday.

He also urged the employees to follow what was stated in the Oath of Government Workers.

“My New Year’s wish and resolution to all of you, fellow workers in government, is to religiously follow the Oath of Government Workers,” the mayor stressed.

Late last year, Celino vowed to increase the salary of city government employees.

City officials and employees were happy upon learning that they will finally get their long-overdue salary increase.

Gilda Fernando, city budget officer, said the increase will depend upon the salary grade of an employee.
“If your salary grade is one and you are receiving P5,842 a month, you will be receiving P6,176 or an increase of P334,” Fernando stressed.

However, if the salary grade is 20 and the employee or official is receiving P20,460 a month, he will receive P22,766 or an increase of P2,306, the budget officer said.

Upon his assumption last July, Celino said had there been enough funds, the city could have started giving the pay raise earlier.

However, former Mayor Vicente Bermejo overspent his personal services allocation, resulting in the further depletion of the budget, Celino said.

The mayor foresaw more savings on the part of the city this year due to the streamlining of the city hall workforce, particularly the hiring of casuals.

On top of this, city health workers will also be paid their benefits under the Magna Carta for
health workers.

But the benefits — which usually cover hazard pay — should be released to the health workers on a staggered basis, Celino explained.

City hall employees brought the issue of the non-increase in salary against the previous Roxas City administration.

Some of them withdrew their support to Bermejo when he sought for reelection during the May 10, 2010 elections./PN