Tumulak to Archival, Tomas: 'Stop finger-pointing, sign papers, pay JOs'

CEBU CITY, Philippines — As the blame game over delayed salaries for more than 900 Cebu City Hall job order workers intensifies, Majority Floor Leader Dave Tumulak urged Mayor Nestor Archival and Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña to stop pointing fingers and instead focus on completing the paperwork needed to release workers’ pay.

Tumulak, who also chairs the City Council’s Committee on Budget and Finance, said the prolonged delay stems from procedural requirements and administrative processing, not political conflict, and called on both sides to prioritize service over public accusations.

“For both the mayor and the vice mayor, this is not the time for pointing fingers. Our mandate is to serve the people of Cebu City,” Tumulak said in an interview on Friday, June 19.

READ: JO pay row: Archival blames council red tape for delayed salaries

He stressed that the City Council had merely followed procedures required under budget regulations, auditing rules, and existing ordinances.

“This is not the first time that Cebu City has experienced delays in the salaries of our job order workers. We are simply following the rules and procedures of the Commission on Audit and the Budget Office,” he said.

‘Sign it right away’

Amid the ongoing exchange of blame between the executive and legislative branches, Tumulak urged city officials to focus on expediting the approval process.

“I would rather suggest signing it right away and choosing the right people,” he said.

Tumulak said delays could have been avoided had the necessary documents and personnel rosters been finalized and submitted earlier.

READ: Tomas O. blames city administrator as unpaid JOs ‘go hungry’

According to him, repeated revisions in the list of job order personnel under the Office of the Mayor slowed the processing of manpower requests and payroll-related documents.

“Na-delay siguro kay sige man usab-usab sa Office of the Mayor, especially on the choice of manpower, kinsa nga manpower who will be part of the JOs,” he said.

(It may have been delayed because the Office of the Mayor kept revising its manpower selections, particularly regarding who would be included among the job order personnel.)

Procedures must run their course

Tumulak explained that manpower requests first would require approval from the mayor before they could move through the legislative process.

“Right after the manpower request, ipasa na sa Sangguniang Panlungsod Secretariat because we are following the budget ordinance,” he said.

(After the manpower request, it is submitted to the Sangguniang Panlungsod Secretariat because we are following the budget ordinance.)

READ: DOLE orders employers to release workers’ final pay, COE on time

From there, the documents enter the council agenda before reaching the Committee on Budget and Finance for review.

“There is a delay from the selection process. Second is the signature of the mayor. Right after the signature, it will be submitted to the Sangguniang Panlungsod for inclusion in the agenda. After that, it will be forwarded to the Committee on Budget and Finance to ensure that all appropriations are part of the 2026 annual budget,” Tumulak said.

He emphasized that council members could not simply bypass the process.

“We have to follow what is stipulated in the 2026 budget,” he added.

New payroll personnel adjusting

While acknowledging the delays, Tumulak said many of the payroll personnel handling the documents were still adjusting to their responsibilities under the new administration.

“They are new ones. We have to understand nga bag-o intawon ni sila. Gitabangan man namo na sila,” he said.

(They are new. We have to understand that they are still learning. We are helping them.)

He said the administration must also ensure that payroll documents undergo proper review because errors could expose city officials to legal and administrative liabilities.

City administrator not to blame

Tumulak also disputed Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s earlier assertion that City Administrator Albert Tan bore the primary responsibility for the delayed salaries.

According to him, payroll processing does not generally pass through the City Administrator’s Office.

“City admin wala siyay role ani (The city administrator has no role in this),” Tumulak said.

He explained that the city administrator primarily oversaw departments and became involved only during the release and processing of checks.

“The city administrator is only taking care of the departments. In regard to payroll, dili na mag-agi sa city administrator except sa cheque nga muagi niya para ma-issue ug ma-encash ang salaries,” he said.

(The payroll does not pass through the city administrator except for the checks that need to pass through his office before salaries are issued and released.)

Workers caught in the middle

Earlier, Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña blamed City Administrator Albert Tan for the delays and lamented that some workers had gone months without pay.

Archival later countered that council approval requirements had become a major bottleneck, insisting that funds remained available and that documentary requirements, not a lack of money, had slowed the release of salaries.

The issue first gained public attention after Councilor Harold Kendrick Go disclosed that at least 956 job order personnel remained unpaid for services rendered from January to March 2026, with some claims reportedly dating back to October 2025.

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