Holdover casuals continue working

CEBU, Philippines -  Over 1,000 casual workers of the Cebu City government are still reporting to their jobs despite their employment not being renewed.

Evangeline Abatayo, acting head of City Hall’s Human Resource Development Office (HRDO), said her office did not receive any recommendation from the heads of five departments to renew the employment papers of their personnel.

These departments are the Department of Veterinary Medicines and Fisheries (DVMF), Market Operations Division, Parks and Playground, City Abattoir and City Traffic Operations Management.

It was learned that these workers include hundreds of traffic enforcers.

Records showed that last year, there were 3,244 casual workers assigned to various CH departments.  But it seems there is miscommunication on the issue of the renewal of casual workers’ employment.

City Veterinarian Alice Utlang, who heads the DVMF, said she did not receive any memorandum for her to recommend personnel to be rehired after their term ended on December 31, 2012.

CITOM executive officer Rafael Christopher Yap said he did not know why the employment of those casual traffic enforcers has not been renewed.

There are close to 300 of the over 500 CITOM personnel assigned to different intersections of the city, particularly in the downtown area.

Celso Esteban Jimenea, assistant head of the Human Resource Development Office, assured that most casual workers of the five departments will be rehired.

The processing of their documents was just delayed, he said.

Jimenea also said only few City Hall employees, including those found positive of illegal drugs during drug tests, were not renewed of their employment contracts.

Meanwhile, Mayor Michael Rama instructed City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete to find ways to speed up the release of salaries of casual workers.

This after Rama learned that the traffic enforcers are complaining about their delayed salaries.

But CITOM administrative officer Leonora “Tata” Tercenio said the delay in the release of salaries is normal during the start of the year because the appointments of casual workers are still being processed.

“Ingon ana g’yud na basta sugod sa tuig pero giingnan na kami nga hapit na mahuman,” Tercenio said.  — /LPM (FREEMAN)