Archival to retain department heads

Local

MOST department heads will remain in office.

Despite a major overhaul of job orders and casual workers at City Hall, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. confirmed that department heads will largely remain unchanged under his administration.

“The department heads are there, and most of them mao ra gihapon,” Archival said in an interview on Monday, July 7.

He also confirmed that lawyer Albert Tan has been appointed as his city administrator.

The announcement came amid a comprehensive evaluation of City Hall’s workforce and fiscal standing. Archival previously disclosed a projected budget deficit of P2 billion to P3 billion.

This prompted his administration to impose a hiring freeze and introduce tighter policies on employee appointments.

Effective July 1, City Hall is implementing a “No Appointment, No Work” policy.

Archival’s first official memorandum directed all department heads to bar casual and project-based personnel without approved appointments from reporting to their offices.

“All casual and project-based personnel with no appointments should not be allowed to report for work,” the memorandum stated.

Henry Tomalabcad, head of the city’s Human Resource Development Office (HRDO), earlier emphasized the legal consequences of the mayor’s directive.

He added that the salary of any unappointed personnel who are allowed to work will become the “personal liability” of the department head who authorized their presence.

“Naay memo gikan ni Mayor nga likayan ang casual ug JO nga mosulod kung walay appointment kay ang department head na ang manubag sa ilang sweldo,” he said.

Of over 8,500 City Hall personnel, Tomalabcad said around 1,400 casual workers have already been renewed based on a list endorsed by the mayor.

For now, only casuals are being considered for renewal, he said. JO workers must submit project proposals, endorsed by their departments and approved by the mayor, before they can be evaluated for reappointment.

“Ang sabot namo ni Mayor, dili mi mudawat og laing endorsement or application. Kinahanglan gikan gyud sa mayor, ug ang chief of staff ra ang mudala sa mga dokumento diri sa HR,” said Tomalabcad.

Asked whether any ghost employees had been discovered during the review, Archival declined to make any premature declarations.

“I cannot say that right now. There might be, but dili ko muingon nga naa, kay wala pa man nahibaw-i,” the mayor said.

While Archival has committed to reviewing the entire workforce and spending structure, he previously assured that all employees will be temporarily retained for a maximum of three months during the transition.

The latest developments came after Archival took over from outgoing mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, who estimated that Cebu City Hall had around 7,000 personnel, including 2,000 regulars, 3,000 casuals, and

2,000 job order workers.

Garcia earlier urged the new administration to retain long-serving and experienced staff to ensure stability and avoid service disruptions.(TGP)