Transferred, not renewed at Cebu City Hall: Less than a third of workforce - HRDO

CEBU, Philippines — Only an estimated “28 percent” of Cebu City Hall’s employees have been reassigned or replaced following the transition to that of Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia’s administration from the previous administration.

This is according to Human Resource Development Office (HRDO) Henry Tomalabcad, as he denied allegations that the appointments of job order employees were put on hold because their political allegiances were still being determined.

He said he received no such instructions and that since JOs are contract-based, it is up to their department heads if they would be renewed or not based on their respective performance and accomplishment.

“Di man na pasabot nga gi-screen sila ilisanan sila,” Tomalabcad said.

When Garcia officially took oath as full-fledged Cebu City Mayor last Oct. 10, following then mayor Michael Rama’s dismissal and perpetual disqualification from government service, he (Garcia) announced that among the changes that may be implemented is the termination of the employment of those with coterminous status.

Tomalabcad said that when Garcia took over, the Office of the Mayor only has 11 coterminous positions, aside from 10 from the Civil Security Unit (CSU).

He said that of the 11, the services of only three were not renewed. Of the 10 from CSU, Tomalabcad said, three were retained, three were returned to casual status, while four were no longer renewed.

In particular, the department heads whose services were not renewed are that of the City Administrator’s Office, City Legal Office, City Budget Office, Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office, Public Information Officer, City Accounting Office, Coastline Management Board, and Bantay Dagat Commission, and the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) operations office.

As for the status of suspended city administrator Collin Rosell and his wife, Theresa, who were placed preventive suspension alongside Rama and six other officials, Tomalabcad said they can no longer go back to their posts as they were holding coterminous positions. Therese used to head the City Assessor’s Office.

Tomalabcad said they are also just waiting for the formal appointment of the new Local School Board head; otherwise, nothing much has changed.

“Mostly na-retain man tanan,” said Tomalabcad.

Also, Tomalabcad said they are still continuing their massive regularization in line with the implementation of the downsizing/rightsizing program.

He said they are now in the process of crafting their proposal to abolish the status of Salary Grades (SG) 1 and 2 workers so that the entry-level salary for the Cebu City Hall should already be with an SG 3 status.

He said that the casuals and regulars who are receiving SG 1 salaries (P13,530) would be marked as having a “coterminous” status so that when they resign or retire from their posts they would no longer be replaced, hence the abolishment of their SG and posts.

He also said that there are at least 486 unfunded SG1 and SG2 positions that will be subjected to abolition.

“Kay gusto nato nga taas-taas ang entry level sa atong mga empleyado kay di na bitaw pro-employee ang SG 1 and 2 gani kay gamay ra kaayo,” Tomalabcad said. — (FREEMAN)