Cebu City Hall employees will receive a ₱20,000 Christmas bonus this year — but only if all of them have received their COVID-19 vaccine. “Bonus will be granted for all… But as I’ve said…no release of bonus unless all have been fully vaccinated,” acting Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama announced on Monday.
Rama initially announced that the city plans to give P5,000 as bonus but the workers chanted “higher!” The amount was raised to P7,000 then to P10,000. Rama then consulted with the councilors present during the flag ceremony and announced that the bonus will be worth P20,000. Rama said giving the bonus only if all employees have already been vaccinated is meant to show that the city is serious in its vaccination campaign. As government workers, City Hall employees must also set as good examples to the public by cooperating in the fight against COVID-19, per Rama. Rama said the city is targeting that before the year ends, 70 percent of its population must already be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.
“I don’t want to focus on the so-called whether there is a violation or what but we focus now on the thrust of the national government that with the advent of vaccines, we must show to the world, to the whole country that the employees of the city of Cebu will set as an example,” said Rama.
Rama emphasized that the giving of the bonus is a prerogative and not mandatory. Councilor Joel Garganera, chief of the Emergency Operations Center, agreed with the condition set by Rama in handing out bonuses. “We have to remember that the city is the first local government unit to bar non-vaccinated individuals from dining in. With that, what would be our moral ascendancy if our own workers are not vaccinated and yet we are requiring bars, restaurants to ensure that their workers must be vaccinated,” said Garganera.
Rama said the city is targeting that before the year ends, 70 percent of its population must already be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.
Cebu City has fully vaccinated around 290,000 residents out of the more than 700,000 target population qualified for the vaccine. According to latest government data, the city has a total of 43,023 COVID-19 cases, of which 244 are currently ill patients. More than 41,000 patients recovered, while over 1,300 died.
