Minor revamp at CH today

CEBU, Philippines - There would be no major revamp in Cebu City Hall today unlike in the previous year where at least 20 department heads and assistants were reshuffled at the start of the year.

January 2 last year, Mayor Michael Rama reshuffled his department heads for the City Hall’s “Show of Super Service” campaign.

 This year, city administrator Lucelle Mercado said the movement is only “minimal” as it only involves two offices – Human Resource Development Office and City Assessor’s Office.

 Mercado confirmed that HRDO chief lawyer Dominic Dino will be Rama’s new chief of staff. He will replace Cherriemel Dianne Muego. Muego will be transferred as assistant head of the City Protocol Office headed by lawyer Leslie Reyes.

Dino’s assistant Mary Ann Suson will now assume as the new HRDO head together with her new assistant department head Juvy Morellos from the City Administrator’s Office.

 Mercado said Rama chose Dino as his new chief of staff because of his confidence of the latter’s quality of work.

 “Fit man pud siya nga mahimong chief of staff kay mas dugay man sila nagkuyog ni mayor. And walay question ang level of trust,” Mercado told The Freeman.

 Diño, who used to be Rama’s chief of staff in 2010, accepted his new task. “A good soldier always follows orders,” he said.

 City assessor Ferdinand Canete will go back to the city legal office. His assistant, Liezl Gonzaga will now head the city assessor’s office. When asked why Canete was reassigned, Mercado said he has to know the ropes of managing the assessor’s office.

“Di pa kaayo siya ready and kuwangan pa siya sa iyang trabaho,” she said.

Republic Act 9646 or an Act Regulating the Practice of Real Estate Service in the Philippines, defines an assessor as “an official in the local government unit who performs appraisal and assessment of real properties, including plants, equipment and machineries, essentially for taxation purpose.” (FREEMAN)