Unidentified worker claims CDO workers' salary delayed
Published May 12, 2023 01:42 pm
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The City Legal Office (CLO) confirmed they received a complaint from an unidentified worker of the local government here over the alleged delayed salary for workers through the 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center which has circulated on Facebook and was posted by a media news outlet here.
THE Executive Building of Cagayan de Oro City Hall. (Franck Dick Rosete) The exact number of days or months delayed has not been specified but the complainant stressed the financial burdens that have been experienced due to the problem. "Dili lang sa kantidad sa kwarta, pero nag-antos sab ang akong panglawas, pamilya, ug panginabuhian (not just in the amount of the money, but my health also suffered, as did my family and my livelihood)," the complainant said. The complainant said that there were allegedly lapses on the part of the Human Resource Management Office and City Legal Office, adding that the personnel of these offices were allegedly not around during the payroll processes. The complainant also alleged that there were city hall employees who received their salary first because they allegedly provided money or presents to the personnel of the accounting office. Antonio Resma Jr., a representative from the City Legal Office, said they are validating the complaint after it was received by city legal officer lawyer Kenneth Tamala, who is also the 8888 focal person in the local government unit (LGU) of Cagayan de Oro. "Maybe this was being sent in January and it was relayed to us just now, so maybe (the complainant) already received the salary. But since it was raised already, we will look deeper into our payroll system," Resma told the Manila Bulletin on Thursday, May 11, in reaction to the complainant’s allegation that these officers were not around during the processing of the payroll and the payment of personnel from the accounting office. Resma said the office of Human Resource Management is not included among the concerned offices that handle the payroll as claimed by the complainant. Each city hall department, he said, has payroll officers for regulars, casuals, and job order workers. These officers would submit the payroll first to the City Budget Office for the charges and appropriations, before it goes to the City Accounting Office (CAO) for the pre-audit, to the CLO as the alternate office of the City Mayor, and to the City Finance Office for the disbursement. On the part of the CLO, Resma said they can forward the payroll to the next office with a maximum of two days from the date received. As to the other offices, he wasn’t sure about their timeliness, especially for the CAO that does the pre-audit of the payroll. One of the noted reasons for the delay is an incorrect computation, which prompts the CAO to return the payroll to the payroll officers. This is apart from the lack of submission of daily time records (DTRs) and other necessary documents. Meanwhile, for the job order workers, the CLO representative explained that all contracted workers under the same request for employment (RE) would also be paid together. However, if there’s a worker who fails to submit the necessary documents, the salary of the entire batch would also be delayed. Resma said if the payroll has been submitted to the City Budget Office and no problems have been encountered, the workers will receive their salary within five days. To provide an immediate response to salary concerns, the payroll officers have been directed to submit a report to CLO within five days after the 15th and 30th of the month that contains the list of workers whose salaries have already been processed and the list of those whose salaries have not yet been processed. This is in connection with the "Payroll Management Feedback System" made by CLO where city hall workers can file a form and raise their queries about salary concerns. The new system will be launched on Monday, May 15.
THE Executive Building of Cagayan de Oro City Hall. (Franck Dick Rosete) The exact number of days or months delayed has not been specified but the complainant stressed the financial burdens that have been experienced due to the problem. "Dili lang sa kantidad sa kwarta, pero nag-antos sab ang akong panglawas, pamilya, ug panginabuhian (not just in the amount of the money, but my health also suffered, as did my family and my livelihood)," the complainant said. The complainant said that there were allegedly lapses on the part of the Human Resource Management Office and City Legal Office, adding that the personnel of these offices were allegedly not around during the payroll processes. The complainant also alleged that there were city hall employees who received their salary first because they allegedly provided money or presents to the personnel of the accounting office. Antonio Resma Jr., a representative from the City Legal Office, said they are validating the complaint after it was received by city legal officer lawyer Kenneth Tamala, who is also the 8888 focal person in the local government unit (LGU) of Cagayan de Oro. "Maybe this was being sent in January and it was relayed to us just now, so maybe (the complainant) already received the salary. But since it was raised already, we will look deeper into our payroll system," Resma told the Manila Bulletin on Thursday, May 11, in reaction to the complainant’s allegation that these officers were not around during the processing of the payroll and the payment of personnel from the accounting office. Resma said the office of Human Resource Management is not included among the concerned offices that handle the payroll as claimed by the complainant. Each city hall department, he said, has payroll officers for regulars, casuals, and job order workers. These officers would submit the payroll first to the City Budget Office for the charges and appropriations, before it goes to the City Accounting Office (CAO) for the pre-audit, to the CLO as the alternate office of the City Mayor, and to the City Finance Office for the disbursement. On the part of the CLO, Resma said they can forward the payroll to the next office with a maximum of two days from the date received. As to the other offices, he wasn’t sure about their timeliness, especially for the CAO that does the pre-audit of the payroll. One of the noted reasons for the delay is an incorrect computation, which prompts the CAO to return the payroll to the payroll officers. This is apart from the lack of submission of daily time records (DTRs) and other necessary documents. Meanwhile, for the job order workers, the CLO representative explained that all contracted workers under the same request for employment (RE) would also be paid together. However, if there’s a worker who fails to submit the necessary documents, the salary of the entire batch would also be delayed. Resma said if the payroll has been submitted to the City Budget Office and no problems have been encountered, the workers will receive their salary within five days. To provide an immediate response to salary concerns, the payroll officers have been directed to submit a report to CLO within five days after the 15th and 30th of the month that contains the list of workers whose salaries have already been processed and the list of those whose salaries have not yet been processed. This is in connection with the "Payroll Management Feedback System" made by CLO where city hall workers can file a form and raise their queries about salary concerns. The new system will be launched on Monday, May 15.