CEBU City hall employees will be able to get their Christmas bonus only if they have received their COVID-19 vaccine.

Acting Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama made the announcement on Monday.

Rama said P20,000 will be released as a Christmas bonus of Cebu City Hall employees on condition that all of them get vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019.

“Bonus will be granted for all… But as I’ve said…no release of bonus unless all have been fully vaccinated,” he said.

Some 9,000 workers at the Cebu City Hall are expected to be directly affected by the directive.

Rama reiterated the need for such policy to set an example to other government employees.

The mayor explained that the bonus is a prerogative of the city government to grant or not to grant.

He said the move is seen to further boost the COVID-19 vaccination drive in Cebu City.

Meanwhile, Malacañang sees nothing wrong with the no vaccine, no Christmas bonus policy of Cebu City.

“Wala po akong nakikitang pagkakamali d’yan kasi Christmas bonus po ang pinag-uusapan. Hindi naman po requirement ng batas na magbigay ng Christmas bonus. Ang requirement po para sa mga taong gobyerno ay 13th and 14th month pay,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, in a virtual press conference, said yesterday.

Roque said Rama’s policy is acceptable to convince more people to get inoculated against the dreaded virus.

“Dahil discretionary po ang Christmas bonus, pupuwedeng gamitin po iyan kabahagi ng incentive para makapagbakuna ang mas marami sa atin,” Roque added.

Of the more than 700,000 target population qualified for the vaccine, the city has fully vaccinated around 290,000 residents.

Cebu City has a total of 43,023 COVID-19 cases, with 41,000 recoveries and over 1,300 deaths.