“Gusto kong ibalita sa inyo na bunga ng utos ng Pangulong Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ayon sa A.O. 144 at magandang kalagayang pinansiyal ng ating siyudad, agad kong ipinag-uutos ang karagdagang P1,000 sahod sa bawat empleyado ng city hall kada buwan. Ang naturang dagdag-kita ay retroactive mula Enero ng taong ito,” Eusebio announced.

Section 3 of A.O. 144 says states that “Subject to availability of funds… LGUs are likewise authorized to grant an increase of one thousand pesos (P1,000) per month in ADCOM (additional compensation) of their employees chargeable against their respective funds.”

Eusebio, aware of the need to increase the salaries of city hall employees, wrote Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. even before AO 144, asking for clearance to increase the salaries of city hall employees. He cited a provision in RA 7160, the Local Government Code of 1991, which provides that the compensation of local officials and personnel shall be determined by the local Sangguniang concerned.

Ruby Esteban, regional director of the DBM for the National Capital Region, in reply to Eusebio’s request for authority to grant additional compensation, informed the Pasig City mayor of AO 144.

Upon receipt of the DBM reply, the City Council passed a resolution authorizing Eusebio to immediately release the additional compensation, ahead of other national agencies and the first among the local government units.

“Pasig City officials and employees have proven themselves to be worthy partners in attaining our status as a competitive and progressive city. Our capacity to grant additional compensation is a result of good fiscal management which, in turn, is a result of the officials’ and employees’ efficient performance of their responsibilities. Kaya nararapat lamang na lahat ay makinabang sa maaaring ibigay na karagdagang kita mula sa pamahalaang lokal,” Eusebio said.

Pasig’s efficient yet effective fiscal discipline is reflected by the fact that it is has the second largest cash in bank among LGUs, amounting to over P2.3 billion, with no existing loans. A 2004 COA Report described Pasig as one of the richest LGUs in the country.

In the same year, the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Policy Center named Pasig as the “second most competitive Metro City in the Philippines.’’ The award states: “The city has provided an environment that nurtures the progress and dynamism of its local enterprises and industries. Pasig has obtained the highest average competitiveness ratings among metro cities based on cost-of-doing-business, infrastructure, human resources, linkages and accessibility, quality of life, local governance, and dynamism of local economy.’’