Cotabato City, Philippines – In response to Mayor Mohammad Ali Matabalao’s recent public announcement that 3,000 contract of service (COS) workers will be laid off due to a lack of funds, Councilor Hunyn C. Abu, Chair of the Committee on Finance and Appropriations of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), released a statement on October 15, 2024, outlining the Council’s attempts to resolve the budget crisis. He highlighted the repeated lack of cooperation from the Executive Department in addressing the missing funds allocated for COS salaries.
In his statement, Abu provided a detailed timeline of the Council’s efforts to investigate the depletion of funds, starting in July 2024 when the Executive first notified the Council of the shortage. Despite numerous invitations for dialogue and requests for supporting documents, the Executive Department either failed to attend or refused to provide critical financial records.
Abu emphasized that the Council had done everything within its power to investigate and solve the problem, including sending formal invitations, holding hearings, and passing resolutions to address the issue. However, the Executive Department’s refusal to cooperate left key questions unanswered, specifically how the funds earmarked for COS salaries were spent.
According to Abu, the Council received vague responses, with the Executive asserting that providing financial documents was “at the discretion of the Mayor.” This led the Councilor to suggest two possibilities: either the funds were illegally used for purposes other than paying the COS employees, which would constitute technical malversation under the Anti-Graft Law, or the funds were misappropriated for personal use.
Further complicating the situation, Mayor Matabalao announced the layoff of 3,000 workers, a move that Abu criticized as premature given that the Council had been actively seeking a solution to the budget issue. Abu also pointed out the confusion caused by the Mayor’s statements, where he seemed to merge two separate issues: the shortfall in COS salary funds and a proposed salary increase for city employees.
Additionally, Abu raised concerns about the “Volunteer Waiver” that was reportedly being circulated among the terminated COS workers. He questioned whether the waivers violated workers’ rights and hinted at potential abuses of power.
“We do not need a list of vacant positions,” Abu said, addressing the Executive’s insufficient response to the Council’s inquiries. “We need to know where the funds for the salaries of these 3,000 employees went. If this question is not answered, we are left to conclude that either the funds were illegally diverted, or worse, used for personal gain.”
Abu concluded his statement by promising to address the issue of the “salary increase” in the coming days and expressed his commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in handling public funds.
