Cebu City relies on JO workers: Hiring flaws flagged

CEBU, Philippines — For five consecutive years, Cebu City relied heavily on job order (JO) workers to perform plantilla-level functions, while hundreds of casual appointments were disapproved by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and nearly P20 million worth of consultancy contracts were flagged for deficiencies, according to the Commission on Audit (COA).

In its 2025 annual audit report, COA said the city's hiring and procurement practices revealed persistent weaknesses in workforce planning and compliance with civil service and procurement rules.

The CSC defines JO workers as individuals engaged for piecework or short-term, intermittent jobs not exceeding six months. They are paid on a daily or hourly basis and are not entitled to the benefits enjoyed by regular government employees.

They are not considered government employees but are hired for specific services such as janitorial, security, or other lump-sum tasks.

However, COA found that Cebu City consistently assigned JO workers to plantilla-level positions.

A plantilla position is a permanent, budgeted and approved government post that carries security of tenure and employee benefits. From 2021 to 2025, JO workers accounted for between 39 and 55 percent of the city's workforce.

By December 2025, the city had 2,981 JO workers, representing 39.35 percent of its 7,576 employees, despite having 1,197 vacant plantilla positions, 562 of which were funded.

COA's test checks also showed that 123 JO workers were performing duties corresponding to technical and professional plantilla positions, including dentists, medical officers, nurses, engineers and architects.

Casual appointments

Beyond the JO workforce, COA reported that 275 casual appointments issued from January to September 2024 were disapproved by CSC Cebu South for improperly filling plantilla positions.

Casual employees are temporary hires assigned to vacant plantilla positions, subject to CSC approval before they may legally occupy plantilla titles.

Despite the disapproval, COA noted that by December 2025, 312 casual employees continued to occupy plantilla positions, with increases recorded in critical posts such as nurses and medical specialists.

The audit warned that appointing authorities could be held personally liable for salaries paid under disapproved appointments if bad faith is established.

COA also observed that reductions in some positions resulted mainly from reclassification rather than regularization, with employees transferred to other casual positions while remaining under temporary status.

Many casual employees were found performing regular and continuing functions in technical and professional roles, including 208 nurses, 28 medical specialists, 10 dentists, 21 accountants and 14 lawyers.

The Human Resource Development Office said both casual and JO personnel were hired in good faith to avoid disruptions in essential public services, citing fiscal constraints, election-related hiring bans and expanded responsibilities following government devolution.

While acknowledging these operational challenges, COA stressed that the city's continued reliance on JO workers for five straight years, combined with the disapproval of hundreds of casual appointments, points to the need for an organizational review and manpower rationalization.

Consultancy contracts

COA likewise flagged consultancy contracts worth P19,849,423.41 involving 106 consultants for multiple deficiencies.

The CSC defines consultants as individuals engaged under contracts of service to provide highly technical, professional or confidential expertise unavailable within the plantilla. Like JO workers, they are not government employees but independent contractors whose engagements must be supported by clear terms of reference and measurable deliverables.

The audit found that 39 consultancy contracts lacked approved terms of reference or clearly defined scopes of work.

It also noted that nine consultants hired through negotiated procurement—reserved for highly technical or confidential services—produced outputs limited to attending meetings and preparing reports. — Caecent No-ot Magsumbol/FPL

In addition, 87 contracts were issued notices to proceed only after work had already begun, resulting in payments for services rendered before the contracts had been perfected.

COA said these deficiencies raise questions about the necessity and propriety of the consultancy engagements and expose recurring weaknesses in the city's procurement compliance.

State auditors said that unless stronger reforms and stricter compliance measures are implemented, Cebu City risks continued administrative and financial consequences that could undermine the sustainability of its workforce and the credibility of its civil service system.

COA added that the findings mirror issues raised in previous audit years, indicating that earlier reform commitments have yet to be fully realized. — /FPL (FREEMAN)