The release of the P1,000 monthly additional compensation (adcom) for Dagupan City hall employees now delayed for five months will not likely happen any time soon.

City budget officer Ildefonso Calimlim, in a talk before the city council, said this matter is really up to the mayor but he admitted that the city has no fund to pay the “adcom” of employees.

“Awan ti kuwarta”, Calimlim said in jest when pressed by Councilor Alex de Venecia to answer if the city has money to grant the request of the employees. 

Calimlim maintained that the release of “adcom” is dependent on the availability of funds of the city.

Recently, the city government terminated its 150 emergency workers in order to save some P1 million a month.

The members of the Samahan ng mga Empleyado ng Dagupan had signed a petition requesting Mayor Lim to release their delayed “adcom” to augment their income.

According to Ogie Ventenilla, president of the Samahan, the city government released “adcom” covering the period January to March only.

 “Adcom” is provided for in an executive order signed by President Gloria Arroyo initially to benefit employees of the national government. However, local government units are urged to grant a similar benefit to their employees depending on the availability of funds.

City Administrator Rafael Baraan said the city cannot grant the “adcom” immediately since the item was not included in the city budget, but added that the city is exerting best efforts to provide for it regularly.

 Baraan maintained that the city has money in the coffer but the same is intended to finance the programmed projects of the city.

 Calimlim said the city can partially release the “adcom” soon as Congress passes a supplemental budget increasing the Internal Revenue Allotment due local government units.

 The city has P171 million IRA due this year, and the possible increase is estimated at less than P3 million, which is not enough since “adcom due till December is P4.5 million.

Another possible source, he said is the unspent P5 million for the development of the Tondaligan Park and the Bangus Processing Plant. The fund was not used because this was not enough to start the twin projects.

 He said he already proposed to the mayor to tap the unspent P5 million for reversion to the general fund in order to pay the adcom workers. – AQL

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