Mayor Matt Florido, a lifelong bachelor mayor in the Philippines is giving single staff extra pay on Tuesday to commemorate today’s Valentine’s Day.
Gatekeepers News reports that Mayor Florido said the extra pay was to appreciate them for the extra hours they work and show that “someone loves them”.
Mayor Florido told AFP that lonely hearts at General Luna town hall in Quezon province will receive three times their normal daily wage if they have been single for more than five years.
Other footloose and fancy-free staff will get double pay — or the option to take a paid day off.
42-year-old Florido who has been single “since birth,” said, “I know what they’re going through today, I feel for them.
“On Valentine’s Day, no one will give them chocolates, flowers… so we thought of giving them this kind of incentive so they can also feel someone cares for them, someone loves them.”
It is the third year in a row that Florido has handed out bonus payments to singletons in local government.
37 out of the 289 town hall employees, qualified for the compensation after passing a stringent vetting process to confirm their claimed single status.
Eligible staff were asked questions about when they were last in a relationship, the reasons they broke up, and why they are still single.
The eldest recipient was 64.
Florida said, “We are just a small town so everyone knows everyone. You can’t hide anything.”
He noted that he would finance the 28,000 peso ($511) handout from his own pocket, adding that the money was also an acknowledgement of the demands placed on single staff to work additional hours when needed.
The Philippine Mayor said, “They have light responsibilities at home so every time we need them to work overtime, when we have relief operations, or lose sleep to serve the town, we can always count on them.”
He further explained that staff already romantically attached did not seem to object to their single colleagues getting extra pay.
Florido said, “Maybe they understand what the single people are going through.”
The payments will be given to singletons at a Valentine’s Day party for all staff on Tuesday evening.
Activities on the night will include dating games.
The Philippine Mayor said, “Who knows, they might end up getting together.
“Maybe they are already hitting on each other.”
