Cebu City mayor finds self in trouble again

CEBU CITY — Mayor Alvin Garcia may find himself in deep trouble anew for transferring a department head to a new post without first seeking the approval of the Commission on Elections.

The election ban, which took effect last Jan. 2 and will be lifted on June 30 yet, prohibits local governments from transferring or appointing new employees to certain positions within the period.

Despite the ban, Garcia relieved engineer Ruben de la Torre as head of the public services department and tasked him to oversee the operations of the Cebu City Zoo and Osmeña Shrine starting Jan. 22.

The mayor cited health reasons for booting out De la Torre.

In the same memorandum, Garcia appointed Samuel Dy, the city’s consultant for its Cleanliness Action Team, as the new assistant department head.

City election officer Semaco Labata, however, said the mayor may have violated the election ban in replacing De la Torre who reported back to work only last month after taking a three-month sick leave. — Freeman News Service