My Wit's End

COWD board hit over ‘hefty’ bonus

12/15/2009 at 12:10 pm | Posted in My Wit's End | Leave a comment
Tags: cagayan de oro city, christmas bonus, cowd, public servants, water facility

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—It pays to be a member of the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) board of directors.

On December 1, this year, COWD interim general manager Proceso Pag-ong Jr and finance manager Marilou Ondap authorized the release of P252,000 as “financial assistance and Christmas bonus” to the board of directors of the public water facility.

Together with Pag-ong and Baldelovar, celebrating a brighter yuletide season this year are Vice Chair Soc del Rosario and members Sandy Bass Sr, Bibianan Sarmiento, Ruben Vegafria and Emmanuel Malicdem.

In November 18, COWD board members approved Resolution 108-09 which according to Baldelovar was based on two Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) documents—Memorandum Circular 011-06 and Board Resolution 239-05.

The two LWUA documents allow water facilities in the country to “grant year-end financial assistance equivalent to the total per diems of four board meetings in a month.”

This means, each board member receives P10,500 for every board meeting in any given month.

A well-placed source, who requested anonymity, said board meetings at the COWD, lasts for three to four hours on the average.

“Depende na(It depends). But regularly they start their board meeting at 12 noon and end at 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon,” said the source.

“Sa ato pa, ang oras sa kada board member mu-kantidad og P3,500 (So, each board member’s hour is worth P3,500),” he added.

What this money can buy

Three thousand and five hundred pesos can buy you—one-25k sack of rice, 2k powdered milk, 2k sugar, five packs of noodles, 20 cans of sardines. The amount can also shoulder a household’s minimum monthly electric bill of P500 and monthly water bill of P150.

Even if you bought the items listed above, a person would still have an excess of P1,315.

Consumer price index

According to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB 10), the consumer price index (CPI) in the region is P619 for every household, everyday.

The NSCB 10 defines CPI as a measure of change in the average retail prices of goods and services commonly purchased by a particular group of people in a particular area.

In the meantime, the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (RTWPB 10) peg the minimum wage of non-agriculture workers at P265 per day.

Ergo, a dual minimum waged income family would still come up short to NSCB 10’s CPI.

Performance as basis for perks

City Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya, chair of the committee on public utilities, frowned at the COWD board holiday rewards.

In an interview over the phone yesterday, Nacaya said employees’ performance should be the basis of any bonus or reward.

“The board should consider what is commensurate to the facility’s delivery of services,” said Nacaya.

“There are still many areas in the city, like in Barangay 25, that do not have access to potable water. Some areas in the city proper suffer from low water pressure,” he added.

Nacaya opined that board members should consider the implications before awarding themselves with the hefty holiday perquisite.

“Unta gi-sabot sa mga board ang kahimtang. Ang katawhan nagatan-aw baya nila (The board should have considered the situation. Remember, the people are watching their every move),” Nacaya lamented.

Meanwhile, Regional Director Orland Ravanera of the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA 10) said had the water facility been a cooperative, such self-indulgent rewards would be impossible.

“If COWD had been cooperativized, that would never happen. As the board of directors could not appropriate themselves of the same which is not provided for by the general assembly,” said Ravanera over the phone.

Middle of this year, CDA, together with other cooperative councils in the city, has been in the forefront of converting the water facility into a cooperative.