BY FELIPE V. CELINO

ROXAS City – City hall officials and employees are happy about the salary increase that they can avail themselves of starting January.

Many officials and employees were glad of the announcement, said City Budget Officer Gilda Fernando.

The long-overdue increase will depend upon the employee’s salary grade, Fernando said.
“If one’s salary grade is one and he gets P5,842 per month, he will receive P6,176 or a P334 increase next year,” said Fernando.

On the other hand, if an employee’s salary grade is 20 and he gets P20,460 a month, he will get P22,766 or an increase of P2,306 next year, the budget officer said.

Mayor Angel Alan Celino said had there been enough funds, the city could have started giving the pay raise last month.

But then 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 next year due to the streamlining of the city hall workforce, particularly the hiring of at most 700 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 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 elections.

Celino said he was pleased with the change of attitude shown by the city workers, particularly in observing punctuality.

He also said he has set an example by reporting to his office on time.

This, he surmised, could have influenced city officials and employees.

ROXAS City – A 37-year-old technician was found dead by a colleague inside the room of a hotel on Arnaldo Boulevard here the other day.

The police identified the man as Jose Revy Lebraso of Brgy. Tubungan, Lambunao, Iloilo.

According to his fellow technician Kenneth Adlawan, he and Lebraso entered Novo Hotel on Friday last week.

They went out of the hotel to have dinner at the Seafood Plaza in Brgy. Baybay, Adlawan said.

They went to a videoke bar after dinner, and went back to the hotel at about 10 p.m., he said.

He said Lebraso told him that he was going to sleep because he was tired.

Adlawan found Lebraso dead the following morning.

Investigation on the cause of the technician’s death is ongoing./PN