ANGELES CITY – Government employees here may have the reason to rejoice – all casual, contractual and permanent city hall employees may get the Salary Amelioration Relief Allowance (SARA) amounting to P25,000.
“Ing sabyan ku, asahan yu ing Minority suporta yang 100% keng buri yung yan,” according to opposition Councilor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr.
This is the commitment of Councilor Lazatin for the granting of the SARA benefits to all casual, contractual and permanent city hall employees.
As stated in the city council’s minutes of the meeting dated February 14, 2017, Lazatin asked Wilfredo Tiotuico, City Accountant, to find possible means to grant the SARA to all employees.
“Ing buri ku mung abalu keng Accountant, makananu ta lang asopan deng empleyado na tanggapan da la deng additional benefits a reni na pumayag ya ing Commission on Audit (COA). Yan ing panigaralan yu, kalupa na deng kaluguran tamu Mabalacat, malyari ta lang sopan mu naman, ali puro negative. Malyari ta yang damdaman I Mr. Tiotuico?” Lazatin said.
“Tutu na deng empleyado na ning City Hall na ilang mangapalmura kareng mamayad a tax payers uling ilang mamarap kareng tao, at ngeni atin na namang digdag (singil keng business permit. Kaya kailangan ing benepisyo na adwan da reng empleyado,” Lazatin added.
Tiotuico, for his part, suggested that the provision for granting of SARA be included in the benefits under the Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA) between the City Government and the city employees’ union – the Association of Government Employees for a New and Dynamic Angeles (AGENDA).
“Ing CNA that is legal, that is legitimate institution. Ita mu pin, sabi ning Auditor, dapat sana ing Birthday Bonus or Other Benefits, sana idagdag ya keng CNA. Actually, ing question nung ing CNA at SARA ali la pareho, pero nung yan gawa kayung bayung CNA. Puwede ya kanita,” Tiotuico said.
Last week, few officers of the AGENDA sought the support of Lazatin in filing a resolution for the granting of SARA.
Majority member Danilo Lacson filed “the resolution requesting the Hon. City Mayor Edgardo D. Pamintuan, the Hon. City Vice Mayor Bryan Matthew C. Nepomuceno and the Honorable Members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod to effect the granting of the Salary Amelioration Relief Allowance (SARA) amounting Php 25,000.00 to all permanent, casual, contractual and co-terminus employees of the Angeles City Government.”
Lazatin has co-sponsored the resolution and committed the minority bloc’s full support.
Councilor Jesus “Jay” Sangil is the council’s minority bloc leader.
Lazatin said he will also support the creation of the new CNA to accommodate the SARA.
“With all due respect, our neighbor, Mabalacat City, I heard was able to grant the SARA. Why not us? The City of Angeles is more financially capable than Mabalacat City,” he explained.
Lazatin, son and namesake of five term Pampanga First District Representative and the first three term Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin, earlier last year fought for the immediate granting of the city employees salary adjustments as stated in the Executive Order 201 series of 2016 signed by President Aquino.
“Like my father, Apung Tarzan Lazatin, I highly recognized the important role of our city hall employees in providing quality services to our people. Kaya unang una silang dapat kalingain natin,” the young Lazatin said.
To recall, it was during the time of Mayor Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin that the first CNA between the city government and the AGENDA was forged.
It was also during Lazatin’s term that other benefits for employees like the loyalty bonus and hazard pay were granted.