ILOILO City – With Christmas just days away, the city government is scrambling to beat the holiday deadline after the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved nearly P120 million in supplemental funding, unlocking the release of long-awaited year-end incentives for thousands of city workers.
The City Budget Office (CBO) said it is fast-tracking budget execution documents to ensure that the P20,000 Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) for 2,247 regular employees and the P7,000 gratuity pay for job-order personnel are released before December 25.
Budget chief Viminale Capulso said the approval of the supplemental budget only days before Christmas compressed the timeline for documentation, validation, and payroll processing.
“We lost time because the supplemental budget was approved only recently, and that delays everything that follows, documentation, certifications, and the final validation of qualified recipients,” Capulso said.
The gratuity pay allocation initially covers about 7,600 job-order workers, but Capulso clarified that the final number will depend on personnel who rendered at least four months of service as of December 15.
“Right now, we are reviewing employment records across offices, and we are prepared to work overtime if that is what the process requires,” he said.
Capulso acknowledged the urgency of the situation, noting that employees are counting on the incentives for holiday expenses.
“This is what we are rushing at the moment, to finalize everything and keep the process moving,” he said. “Our objective is very clear: before Christmas, our employees should already have this assistance in their pockets.”
He stressed that the city government is determined to avoid further delays at a time when workers expect relief.
“We do not want delays, especially during Christmas,” Capulso said. “This season should be about gratitude and assistance, not frustration, and we are doing everything we can so employees feel that support on time.”
The move comes as Iloilo City intensifies year-end fiscal disbursements following the special session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, underscoring the pressure on city offices to deliver promised benefits ahead of the holidays./PN
