The Cebu City Government has committed to reimbursing its employees for official uniforms that were paid for but never materialized, a lingering issue from the previous administration. Mayor Nestor Archival announced that the Human Resource Development Office (HRDO) is now finalizing a cash refund scheme to compensate affected workers.
Councilor's Privilege Speech Sparks Action
The controversy was brought back into the spotlight this week after Councilor Pastor "Jun" Alcover Jr. delivered a privilege speech. He questioned why the city deducted uniform payments from employees' salaries when not a single garment was ever released to them.
Alcover detailed that at the start of 2025, qualified personnel received a P7,000 clothing allowance as per national guidelines. From this amount, P4,000 was automatically deducted in the first quarter as an advance payment for city-issued uniforms. However, months passed without any delivery of the promised uniforms.
The councilor emphasized that this delay hurts employee morale and raises serious accountability questions. He expressed particular concern for workers whose contracts were not renewed by mid-year, as they may have lost any chance of receiving either the uniforms or their money back. Alcover demanded a full explanation from the HRDO regarding the procurement status, timelines, and remedies for all affected personnel.
Mayor Archival Clarifies Procurement Timeline
In response, Mayor Nestor Archival was quick to clarify that the problematic procurement did not occur under his watch. He explained that the supplier, contracted during the previous term, failed to deliver the uniforms, leaving his administration to address the fallout.
"The uniforms were ordered not under my term, and unfortunately, the supplier did not deliver," Archival stated. He stressed the administration's stance, saying, "We cannot allow employees to keep waiting for entitlements that were never fulfilled."
Cash Refund Scheme Underway
To resolve the issue, the HRDO and the City Treasurer’s Office have begun coordinating to implement a reimbursement scheme. Officials have determined that providing the cash equivalent of the uniforms is the most practical solution. This approach is also seen as compliant with procurement laws, given the supplier's failure to deliver and the lapse of the original contract.
City Hall expects to finalize the refund mechanism soon. For Mayor Archival, this settlement serves a dual purpose: it compensates the employees for their lost deductions and closes a protracted issue that has spanned two city administrations. The move is also intended to reinforce stronger oversight in future government procurement processes to prevent similar failures.
