HR dep’t: No ‘ghost workers’ in Talisay

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Johnny De los Reyes "did not hire" ghost employees and excess confidential employees at Talisay City Hall since he assumed post in 2013.

This was the comment of Human Resource and Management officer Hazel Bathan on the alleged "ghost employees" and confidential employees being hired by the city as alleged by Councilor Socrates Fernandez.

Fernandez, a former mayor, raised the issue after noticing there have been "quite a number" of appointees bearing the designation of "confidential aide to the city mayor."

Fernandez slammed De los Reyes for having 304 confidential employees, who are prominently receiving higher salaries than most of the City Hall's job order workers.

Job-hire employees are covered by job orders to do a specific job for a particular project, but they do not have an employee-employer relationship with the city government.

The salary rate for job order workers depend on the number of days they render work per week. Those who work for five days a week receive P300 per day; for six days, P253.84 per day; and seven days, P220 per day.

According to Fernandez, the confidential job order workers in Talisay are paid P500 per day.

"Asa man na sila karon? Naay mga confidential employees but we cannot see them," Fernandez said, adding that during his administration, he only had seven confidential employees, including his brother.

Separately, Vice Mayor Romeo Villarante said while there is no existing prohibition on hiring confidential employees, the hiring must be justifiable.

Bathan explained that all JOs are required to submit accomplishment reports and daily time records and have been issued official identification cards and personally sign the payrolls.

"We comply with the Commission on Audit rules and regulations on mandated payroll, DTR and accomplishment report signed by their respective department heads, so there are no ghost employees here at City Hall," Bathan said.

A ghost employee, Bathan said, refers to a person on the payroll who does not work for the City Hall. The so-called ghost may be real or fictitious, and the person behind the scheme may have included a friend or relative to the payroll.

According to Bathan, there are 335 job order employees assigned at the slaughterhouse, City of Talisay Traffic Operations and Development Authority, and parks and plaza. "They are not confidential employees," she stressed.

Some of De los Reyes' relatives, including his brothers and children, are also employed at the City Hall.

The city administrator is John Yre De los Reyes, the mayor's son, whose secretary is also a relative.

Joel De los Reyes, the mayor's elder brother, is now the head of the motor pool department.

A daughter-in-law of the mayor, the wife of Barangay Bulacao councilman Clifford De los Reyes, also works at the office of Pastor Solomon Paypa, whose office is under the Office of the Mayor.

Paypa is the legal consultant of the mayor. — (FREEMAN)