BAGUIO CITY – The City Accounting Office stated that elected city government officials, including barangay officials, are not qualified to be granted the daily hazard pay prescribed under the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 11469 or the Bayanihan To Health As One Act and other related rules and regulations governed by recent issuances by concerned government agencies.
City Accountant Antonio Tabin pointed out that based on the guidelines governing the grant of the hazard pay to government officials, it had been defined that those who will be granted the P500 or less daily hazard pay are those regular officials and employees occupying regular positions, casual employees, contract of service and job order workers, while consultants and others will not be entitled to such benefit.
Further, he explained the funds to be used to pay the hazard pay of qualified officials and employees who physically reported for work during the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine will be charged from the savings of the city government’s appropriations for personal services subject to the 45 percent limitation prescribed for personal services of the highly urbanized city.
In the case of the barangays, he asserted that elected barangay officials, despite the enormous tasks given to them, are not entitled to be granted the hazard pay while the appointed barangay officials and employees, such as the secretary and treasurer, among others will be the only recipients of the same.
However, Councilor Michael L. Lawana, who is the president of the city’s Liga ng mga Barangay, disclosed that based on his consultations with his fellow barangay officials, there seems to be consensus among them that they will no longer demand for the grant of the hazard pay but what they will fight for is the grant of the hazard pay for the frontliner workers like the barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars and action officers, barangay tanods and other volunteers, who have been assisting them in the implementation of the enormous duties and responsibilities lodged on them during this period of the enhanced community quarantine.
According to him, one of the constrains of the barangays in the grant of the hazard pay to their qualified officials and employees is the insufficient funds that could be allocated for the said purpose considering that most of the annual budgets of the barangays have already been approved for implementation and that the city’s barangays have no more funds to spare to pay the prescribed hazard pay for their officials and employees.
On her part, City Budget Officer Leticia O. Clemente revealed the city government has approximately P7 million from the savings of unfilled positions that could be allocated to pay the hazard pay of qualified officials and employees and that the same will only be given after the lifting of the enhanced community quarantine because the city does not yet known when the quarantine will be lifted.
She claimed that concerned departments were already able to determine the essential workers needed to render their services during the enhanced quarantine period while the rest of the city government’s work force will have to render work at home to strictly adhere to the guideline on social distancing.
By DEXTER A. SEE
Photo by: Armando Bolislis
