Cotabato City – Vice Mayor Johari “Butch” Abu has issued an official statement addressing concerns about the unpaid salaries of over 3,000 Contract of Service (COS) and job order (JO) employees in the city, clarifying that the City Council (Sangguniang Panlungsod) is not at fault for the issue.
In his statement, Vice Mayor Abu revealed that the City Council had approved a total budget of PHP 1.580 billion for 2024, with PHP 75 million allocated specifically for the salaries of all COS workers for the entire year. However, he noted that this budget was depleted by mid-year without any clear explanation from the Office of the Mayor and the Local Finance Committee (LFC).
On July 29, the Mayor’s office sent a letter informing the Council of the shortfall in the COS budget. In response, the Council repeatedly summoned representatives from the Executive Department, particularly the LFC members and Human Resource Management and Development officers, to present important public financial documents. These documents were needed to clarify the situation and help resolve the issue.
Before any financial action could be proposed and approved, the City Council demanded answers to key questions:
- Where did the approved funds for COS salaries go for 2024?
- Where is the list of the 3,000 employees, and why has it been withheld from the Council?
- Why is there a shortfall in COS salaries despite the entire year’s allocation?
- Why is additional funding required when there has been no increase in the number of COS employees?
- Where will the requested funds come from, and why has the LFC not provided information on the city’s current financial standing?
Vice Mayor Abu emphasized that these questions have yet to be answered by Mayor Mohammad Ali Matabalao and the LFC, which continues to create uncertainty about the status of the employees’ salaries.
The Vice Mayor urged the Mayor and the Executive Department to cooperate with the City Council by attending hearings and presenting the necessary documents. He stressed that resolving the issue requires collaboration between both branches of the local government.
“The Mayor’s continued refusal to attend these hearings and provide the required documents is causing the delay in resolving the problem faced by our employees,” Abu concluded.
The statement aims to address concerns from Cotabateños and calls for transparency and cooperation from the Mayor’s office to find a solution for the affected employees.
