EMPLOYEES of Alaminos City in western Pangasinan are an envy of all government workers, national or local.

In the spirit of Christmas, their city government extended a whooping P25,000 extra bonus to all 309 of them holding regular plantilla positions.

Mayor Hernani Braganza said the amount was drawn from the P8.4 million appropriated by the city council headed by Vice Mayor Teofilo Humilde Jr. for the purpose.

Part of the outlay includes the P3,000 extra bonus each for the city’s 273 job order workers.

The additional Christmas bonanza for the employees was released on December 21, four days before Christmas.

Braganza said the P25,000 cash gift was the biggest amount ever given to permanent employees here since Alaminos became the fourth city in the province of Pangasinan in 2001.

He thanked the city council headed by Vice Mayor Teofilo G. Humilde Jr. for the timely approval of Appropriation Ordinance No. 2007-02 that covered the P8.4 million additional bonus.

City Budget Officer Rowena F. Ruiz said that the granting of extra bonus to the city’s work force was provided for under Local Budget Memorandum No. 54 dated Dec. 19, 2007 signed by Budget Secretary Rolando G. Andaya Jr.

Under the memorandum, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has authorized LGUs to grant additional benefits to their respective personnel chargeable against their savings.

Ruiz said the city government has sufficient funds for the extra bonuses and the giving of such is within the Personal Services (PS) limitation under Sections 325 (a) and 331 (b) of RA No. 7160

In his message during the Christmas party and mini-Olympics held at the Don Leopoldo Sison Auditorium last Friday, Braganza said that 2007 is a banner year for the city in almost all fronts.

He said the year was highlighted by improved revenue collections and quality service rendered by the city to the people.

“This paved way for the city government to share its blessings to our hardworking employees out of the generated savings,” added Braganza.

Braganza called on its fellow public and civil servants to give what is due their citymates and the city that had been very generous to them all these years.