Cebu City Employees Pay for Uniforms But Wait Six Months
Cebu City Hall employees have been waiting for six months to receive their official uniforms despite having their salaries deducted as payment for the clothing items. This prolonged delay has sparked calls for greater transparency and accountability from the Cebu City government regarding financial management and employee welfare.
Councilor Exposes Ongoing Issue
Councilor Pastor Alcover Jr. brought the matter to public attention through a privilege speech where he emphasized that this situation affects employee well-being, financial integrity, and the city's obligation to comply with civil service regulations. According to Alcover, qualified employees received a P7,000 Clothing Allowance at the beginning of the year as mandated by the General Appropriations Act and Department of Budget and Management guidelines.
From this clothing allowance, P4,000 was automatically deducted from employees' salaries during the first quarter as pre-payment for uniforms that the city would issue. However, months have passed without a single uniform being distributed to the waiting employees.
Broken Promises and Missing Explanations
Henry Tomalabcad, head of the Human Resource Development Office (HRDO), initially assured workers that the uniforms would be ready by May 2025. Since that assurance, no formal updates or explanations have been provided to employees about the status of the uniform distribution.
The problem has become more complicated because some employees who had their salaries deducted are no longer working for the city government since their contracts were not renewed starting July 1. Alcover described this situation as "unjust" and pointed out that it raises serious concerns about how the city manages employee funds.
Legal and Moral Obligations
The councilor cited Civil Service Commission (CSC) regulations that require government agencies to provide uniforms, including the updated dress code under Memorandum Circular No. 16, s. 2024, and uniform guidelines under Memorandum Circular No. 19, s. 2000.
Since uniforms are mandatory for city employees, Alcover stressed that their immediate release represents both a legal and moral obligation for the city government. He warned that the extended delay has negatively affected employee morale and damaged the professionalism expected from city workers.
Alcover questioned how the government can demand discipline and uniform compliance from employees when it has failed to provide the very uniforms that employees have already paid for through salary deductions. He further demanded that the city provide a proper accounting of the collected funds and explain the status of the procurement process along with the parties involved.
