By Lilian Mellejor/PNA
DAVAO CITY — The 12,000 city government’s job order (JO) and contract of service (Cos) workers will receive a higher than minimum pay of PHP10,000 per month starting next year.
Mayor Sara Duterte bared the good news during the City Government Workers Day on Monday evening at the Rizal Park.
The mayor said she is pushing higher monthly pay for all JOs and CoS starting 2019.
From PHP7,000 monthly, Mayor Sara proposed PHP10,000 monthly as minimum pay for the 12,000 JOs and CoS.
In a follow-up interview, Sara told reporters she already submitted the budget for the pay increase to the City Council.
“Next year wala na’y mag sweldo below PHP10,000 except for the volunteers like the Bantay Dagat and Bantay Bukid (So next year nobody will receive a salary below PHP10,000 except the volunteers like Bantay Dagat and Bantay Bukid),” she said.
The Bantay Dagat and Bantay Bukid are volunteers conducting monitoring activities in watershed areas and coastal communities as part of the city’s environmental protection initiative.
Mayor Sara said it was only proper to increase the pay of JOs and CoS “because they work hard 24 hours a day.”
The bulk of 12,000 JOs and CoS are traffic enforcers assigned at the City Transportation and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO), garbage collectors and street cleaners under the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), and the workers of Central 911 and the Public Safety and Security Command Center.