Mandaue mayor defends city’s 11,000-workforce

Local

THE outgoing mayor calls it strategic governance. The incoming team calls it excessive.

Mandaue City Mayor Glenn Bercede on Wednesday, May 28, defended his administration’s hiring of nearly 11,000 workers, saying the city’s salary expenses remain well within legal limits.

Bercede cited the P938 million allocation for personnel services this year, which he said is only 20.87 percent of the P4.5 billion total budget, which is far below the 45 percent cap mandated by the Local Government Code of 1991.

Bercede said all employees, including job order (JO) workers, casuals, Clean and Green personnel, and those under the Purok Development Office (PDO), were fulfilling legitimate duties and not merely drawing salaries.

He added that the PDO has assisted in data gathering and community management, and that staffing changes are a normal part of any political transition.

“In my opinion, they really helped,” Bercede said. “That group was created under former mayor Jonas Cortes. It’s an important group not just in Mandaue, but in many cities and municipalities across the country.”

Despite this defense, the camp of Mayor-elect Thadeo “Jonkie” Ouano last Sunday announced plans to rationalize the city’s workforce, describing it as bloated and unsustainable.

Incoming City Administrator Gonzalo “Sally” Malig-on, who leads the transition team, said only around 1,080 employees are permanent plantilla workers, while the rest are non-regular staff hired under various programs.

Malig-on pointed out that the PDO alone employs more than 5,000 individuals, including 639 officials earning P4,500 monthly and about 4,500 members receiving P1,000 each.

He questioned the necessity of these roles and suggested that some may have been used as “political machineries” during the recent elections.

He estimated that reducing even 1,000 JO workers, each earning P9,000 monthly, could generate savings of up to P108 million a year.

If PDO personnel are included, total savings could reach P150 million, which the new administration plans to redirect to social services, medicine procurement, and improvements to the Mandaue City Hospital.

Malig-on said the incoming government will not remove personnel arbitrarily but will assess each role based on necessity and competence.

Essential departments such as the City Hospital, Health Office, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the Traffic Enforcement Agency will continue to operate as normal.

Outgoing City Administrator Jamaal James Calipayan cautioned the transition team against drawing conclusions before taking office, noting that city governance involves more than budget analysis.

He said a more accurate evaluation could come after six months in office.(MyTVCebu)