MMT now a research group on call

CEBU, Philippines – Months after rumors surfaced that Mayor Michael Rama will abolish the Mayor's Management Team, the mayor said yesterday he is "upgrading" the MMT by transforming it into a Research and Development Group.

But unlike before when the MMT operated separately and had its own office, the new group will convene only when the need arises, said City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete.

The MMT was a brainchild of former mayor and current South District Representative Tomas Osmeña to improve the city government. Osmeña envisioned a team of young and driven individuals who could study the system at City Hall independently and push for improvements. Only those who graduated cum laude, at the very least, were accepted into the MMT.

But the members, at least 75 of them, were eventually absorbed by the departments they immersed themselves in such that no one was left exclusively with the MMT. A few of them also left the group.

Poblete said this was the reason why, while the MMT was not dissolved technically, it practically died a natural death.

Still, Poblete said Rama would still want to make use of the "expertise" of the MMT members, thus, he decided to reorganize the team into a research and development group.

"As they are needed, tawagon sila but that will be an additional job without pay," Poblete said. The former MMT members reportedly agreed to this arrangement.

"They have all agreed to do it in the exigency of service. Besides, diha man sila experts, in the field of studies and research. The first thing we asked them to do is to continue their pending studies," Poblete said.

Among the areas Rama wants the new group to research are waste management and procurement.

"So they will focus more on research and study. We let them choose which subject areas they feel they will be most effective so that is where we are going to put them," Poblete said. (FREEMAN)