IRIGA CITY -– Mayor Madelaine Alfelor-Gazmen’s order to exclude two city hall workers from the list of casual or contractual employees as recipients of additional year-end benefits last December 2007 has gotten the nerve of a seasoned councilor here.

        “While the recent holiday season had brought joy and happiness to all as it was the time for giving, forgiving and receiving, it was unfortunate that there were some who did not enjoy the blessings of Christmas,” City Councilor Rodolfo Tino, Jr. said when interviewed by Bicol Mail yesterday.

        The outspoken councilor was referring to an additional Christmas bonus released to city hall employees in the amount of P2,500 but which was not received by his two staff members.

        Tino explained that under a budget circular, any casual or contractual employee, who had a budget continuously rendered service for a period of four months, is already qualified to receive such benefits.

        “This is the reason why I’m seeking for an explanation from Mayor Madelaine Alfelor-Gazmen why she would make such an order when even the Human Resource Management Office could attest that my staff had been working for me since I won my re-election bid last May 2007 elections,” he stressed.

        Tino said he has reasons to believe that the lady mayor’s move was politically motivated, “simply because I supported a resolution of a fellow opposition councilor in the latter part of 2007 asking the city government to implement a 10% salary adjustment for city hall employees.”

        In his priviledge speech during the regular session of the Sangguniang Panglungsod, Tino revealed that it was the Personnel Officer, Neneth Berińa who told his staff that their exclusion from the list was a decision by the mayor after allegedly receiving reports that the subject workers are ghost employees.

        The councilor dared the mayor to prove their allegation as he demanded a list of all the casual and contractual employees who received their share from the P2 million additional Christmas bunos.

        If each worker had received an additional P2,500 Christmas bonus, there were more or less 800 recipients who got their benefits, according to Tino.

        The figure, he further said, did not include yet the number of casual or contractual employees who did not qualify for the required period of services rendered.

        “The number could reach to thousands or even more which I could not figure out at this moment whether all of them are really existing or not,” Tino stressed.