Acting mayor urged: Act vs Villa

CEBU, Philippines — City Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos has called upon Acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia to act on the concerns raised over how Dr. Daisy Villa is managing the City Health Department (CHD), to avert a  crisis .

She said the employees  morale is already affected the City is bound to lose people there is Villa continues to stay.

 If he will not, ang ako lang fear ani is there will be a crisis already in the City Health among the employees. The morale of the employees is very down already, so I am scared that there will be resignations if Villa will stay,  de los Santos said.

The latest issue against Villa is an April 18, 2024 memorandum, which was the subject of de los Santos  recent privilege speech, that stated that if midwives  on 24-hour duty does not deliver a baby during their shift, they are not entitled to off-duty time the following day .

Villa then issued two  August 1, 2024  memorandums, or days before de los Santos delivered her privilege speech on August 7, rectifying the April 18 memorandum. She had her doubts about the two memorandums.

De los Santos told The Freeman said that the fact that Villa issued another memorandum is an acknowledgment that the first memorandum was  violative  of the rights of the CHD midwives and therefore  illegal .

After her privilege speech last week, the City Council requested Acting Mayor Garcia to direct the City s resident ombudsman to conduct a thorough investigation and review the administrative operations within the CHD.

De los Santos said the  Aug. 1  memorandums stated that Villa s policy was based on Civil Service Commission (CSC) Memorandum Circular No. 21, series of 1991, or the  Policy on Government Working Hours for Government Officials and Employees , which provides that  all government officials and employees are required to render eight working hours a day for five working days a week or a total of forty 40 hours a week, exclusive of time for lunch."

 Midwives who are assigned or have shifts in birthing centers yet have zero delivery during their 24-hour shift/duty may extend their duty hours the next day when necessary, subject to a compensatory overtime credit in excess of the required 40-hour work week,  they added.

De los Santos argued that the Magna Carta for Health Workers that deals on concerns of the country s health workers should take precedence, as it is a law compared to the CSC memorandum.

 The memorandum circular is subservient to the Republic Act. So, in other words, violation gyud gihapon ni iyang gihimo,  she said.

De los Santos said that the 24-hour shift is only applicable if the need arises, or when there is an emergency and is not a norm in the healthcare workforce, since the policy is an eight-hour shift per day.

 Kanang tawo patrabahoon nimo g 24 hours, that is already beyond di na productive ang tawo ana,  she said.

 Klaro gyud kaayo nga gi-manipulate niya, sa usa ka adlaw, duha iyang memo,  she added.

De los Santos however said that regardless if Villa released new memorandums on Aug. 1, they do not change the fact that that there has already been a violation committed for four months since April 18.

 Iyang gi-violate ang balaod, iyang giabusahan ang mga midwives pinaagi sa iyang memo sud sa upat ka buwan,  she said.

De los Santos further stressed that the violation of Villa can be compared to the now preventively suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama that stemmed from the complaint from four regular employees whose wages were not released for ten months.

 Nya ni-alleged si Mike (Rama) nga na sweldohan naman but thereafter pa. In other words, it (employees  right) was violated already,  she said.

She elaborated that in the same manner, Villa had already violated the law for four months before she rectified her memorandum by citing the CSC guidelines.

 Then she is answerable to the violation that she made, if it calls for her suspension, then let it be,  de los Santos said.

She said that with Villa not responding to the concerns raised against her, she hoped Acting Mayor Garcia would, as the matter is serious and her only concern is the employees  welfare.

 We cannot delay (responding to) this,  the councilor said.

The Freeman tried to reach Villa for her comment but messages but received no response, as of press time.  (CEBU NEWS)