About 900 permanent employees have yet to receive their salaries for the period of November 16-30. Yes. It could be the first time in the history of Angeles City government that permanent employees did not receive their salaries on time. And while the Nepomuceno administration is announcing that the employees’ salaries will be released soon, many are still doubtful whether they would get their salaries for the month of December.
“It is a very bleak Christmas for all of us. Blue indeed if you want to use that word,” one employee told me. The poor employees are banking on their bonuses to pay monthly bills at home instead of their regular pay. Bonuses are supped to be “bonuses” but in this case, the Angeles City employees have no choice.
One employee said AGENDA, the Angeles city workers’ union, is now bargaining with the administration to at least release the bonuses if they could not get their regular salaries. What a pity.
During the time of former Angeles Mayor and now Congressman Tarzan Lazatin, the AGENDA always take the picket line to demand for something. But in this case, they choose to be silent despite the glaring and bloated problem directly hitting them. What’s the catch? Is it because the city administrator is an ally? Or he may be one of their advisers? Just asking.
Dati kahit sablay lang ang latay sa inyo, nagpipiket na kayo. Ngayon kay Mayor Blue parang takot na takot kayo. Samantalang ngayon kayo dapat mag-ingay at magrally dahil kumakalam na ang mga sikmura niyo sa kawalan ng suweldo. Ano bang pinagkaiba ngayon, Mr. Joel ng AGENDA?Marami ba kayong naibargain na mga posisyon sa byurokrasya nuong nakaraang taon kaya nahihiya kayong magpiket laban kay Mayor Blue?Nagtatanong lang po.
During an interview with the busiest and charming Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting, she said her office is now preparing to file an administrative and criminal case against Mayor Nepomuceno and the local finance committee as the employees continue to suffer from the administrations’ overspending.
According to the lady vice mayor, the executive department seems to have overlooked the collections and has spent more than what the city generated. Vega said Mayor Blue and his aides heavily spent the city’s money in at least 50 luxury cars, police guns, and other items. Although these are equally important to improve the services of the city, Vega pointed out that the salaries of employees are basic obligatory concern of the city government.
“We are now preparing to file Anti-Graft cases against the Mayor and the local finance committee. We were asking for an explanation to this problem but they kept mum about it. The city treasurer, Juliet Quiansaat is still engaged in out of town businesses. Up to now, she is still incommunicado,” Vega said.
Vega’s plan is good and a must. I suggest that the people of Angeles and AGENDA should follow her actions. We should start asking the Nepomuceno administration how come they spent more than what the city government could cover? They targeted a P1 Billion budget and yet collected only about P700 million as of today (figure based on report from an employee from city accounting office). And worst, they started spending in January as if they already have the P1 Billion budget.
Kumbaga, nagbilang na ng itlog na hindi pa lumalabas. Hay naku, anong klaseng fiscal management po yan? Akala ko ba puro may PhD ang mga bata ni Mayor? Simpleng Mathematics napag-iiwanan sila? Bakit ka gagastos ng higit sa nakolekta mo? Natural, ang bagsak mo deficit di po ba?
Now, the government employees and their families are suffering the consequences. This is aside from other concerns of the city government. I heard that the city administration allegedly used TRUST funds from the special education fund generated from the real property tax to pay for garbage accounts. Totoo nga ba ito? And the barangay governments have yet to receive their RPT shares because there are no available cash at the city coffers. Again, what happened here Mayor Blue? This is outright and deliberate TECHNICAL MALVERSATION OF PUBLIC FUNDS. You cannot just use trust funds for other expenditures of the city. Maigi siguro paaral niyo ulit ito sa finance committee niyo.
The city treasurer and accountant should know this. Where are you? The people of Angeles demand an explanation! Sobra na pu ing pamanyaptan yu keng city hall! Sana dumine nako man!
