Mandaue City Council Greenlights Major Funding for Employee Back Pay and Waste Management Emergency
The Mandaue City Council has formally enacted a substantial P197.7 million supplemental budget, a crucial financial measure designed to resolve two pressing municipal challenges. This allocation will finally disburse long-overdue gratuity payments to government workers and provide an immediate, emergency response to the city's escalating garbage collection crisis.
Financial Relief Arrives for Non-Regular City Employees
The approval of Ordinance 76-2026 marks a significant victory for "job order" and "contract of service" personnel who have endured payment delays since December. The holdup stemmed from a depletion of city funds, leaving these workers—who lack the benefits of regular staff—in financial limbo. The payments are mandated under a national directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., acknowledging their essential contributions.
To finance these obligations, the city is utilizing P197 million in unspent appropriations from various 2025 projects that were either canceled or left incomplete. The payout structure is tiered based on an employee's tenure:
- Employees with four months or more of service will receive between P5,000 and P7,000.
- Those with less than four months will get a partial payment ranging from P4,000 to P6,000.
For workers like Ziccell Anne Baflor, an office aide at the Sangguniang Panlungsod, this infusion of cash is a vital lifeline. She emphasized that the funds are earmarked for critical family expenses, including household necessities and her children's educational requirements.
Addressing the Mounting Garbage Disposal Dilemma
A significant portion of the newly approved budget is urgently directed toward Mandaue's severe trash management problems. The situation deteriorated following a "trash slide" incident at the Binaliw landfill in neighboring Cebu City, forcing Mandaue to seek alternative disposal sites.
Currently, the city is routing its waste through a private hauler, Infinite Trading, which transports it to a facility in Consolacion. This interim solution was necessitated because Mandaue cannot directly dump at the site due to an outstanding P9 million debt inherited from the previous administration. The private hauling service acts as a stopgap to prevent streets from being overwhelmed with refuse.
Next Steps and Ongoing Challenges
While the budget is now officially available, city authorities have not yet announced a precise disbursement date for the worker payments. Officials have pledged to expedite the process and release the funds at the earliest possible opportunity.
Simultaneously, the city faces a tight deadline on the sanitation front. The existing trash-hauling agreement is set to expire in mid-April, creating a race against time. Moving forward, Mandaue's leadership is focused on two parallel objectives: settling the P9 million debt to restore direct dumping capabilities and developing a permanent, sustainable waste management strategy. Successfully navigating these financial and logistical hurdles is imperative for maintaining the smooth operation of Mandaue's essential public services and ensuring community cleanliness.
