The amount will be taken from half of the P13 million in savings the city government made last year.
Gantuangco said the amount was based on the collective negotiation agreement between the city government and the city hall employees union.
Some employees, however, w
ere unhappy about the announcement.
Bong Warner, vice president of the Kidapawan City Government Employees Association, said the incentive they would receive is 27-percent less of the amount promised earlier by Gantuangco.
Warner said that in his meeting with the union on Feb. 26 the mayor assured employees that each of them would receive P18, 600.
Gantuangco cited the 35-percent cut in the city’s internal revenue allotment as the reason for reducing the amount of the incentive.
City governments all over the country have experienced cuts in IRA since last year due to the conversion of more towns to cities.
Warner said they would meet with their legal counsel anytime today to discuss plans on how they could possibly recover the remaining amount.
But Gantuangco was adamant. “The amount due them (employees) is only P13, 600 and not P18, 400,” he said.
The mayor said the employees should be thankful the city government is giving them the incentives.
“This is really big. Last December, we gave each employee some P28,000. This month, we are giving them P13,000 plus. What else would they want? That is too much already. They must be thankful we’re giving them this much,” he added. (MindaNews)
