Mayor orders inventory of City Hall employees

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has tasked acting City Administrator Veronica Morelos to lead the transition team he formed to ensure the orderly and smooth turnover at the City Hall.

In the first Memorandum Circular he issued yesteray, Rama appointed Morelos as the chairperson of the “transition team” with assistant administrator Rene Sanapo is the vice chairperson.

The remaining members are city treasurer Ofelia Oliva, budget officer Nelfa Briones, acting city accountant Arlene Rentuza, City Planning and Development Coordinator Nigel Paul Villarete and Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council executive director Rolando Ardoza.

Starting today, they are to start the inventory of personnel by nature of appointment, organizational structure, capability agenda, executive – legislative agenda, compilation of all executive orders, the previous mayor’s memorandum circular from 2008 up to June 30 of this year and the annual budget and supplemental budgets for the calendar year 2010.

Rama wants to have a copy of all the contracts and loan agreements entered into by the city as well as the outstanding loan obligations and accounts payable, Comprehensive Land Use and Physical Framework Plan and the annual investment plan for this year.

The transition team must also secure a copy of the Commission on Audit (COA) report, financial performance report and the state of local governance performance and development, all in 2009.

A report must be submitted within one week upon receipt of the order.

Two city officials are worried that a recall of city personnel assigned to other units will affect the performance of their respective offices.

Building official Josefa Ylanan is worried saying her office shall be badly affected because five of her 12 technical personnel were just detailed to her from other departments like the Department of Engineering and Public Works.

Ylanan said she will not oppose if the technical personnel detailed at her office will be recalled to their mother units, but she also said they should be replaced immediately so it will not hamper the services of the OBO.

“Kon kuhaon nila ang lima ka technical personnel nga gi-detail sa akong opisina unya dili sila pulihan mapiang g’yud ang among trabaho,” said Ylanan, who explained that the 12 technical personnel are not even enough to attend to their tasks.

OBO is the office tasked to attend to all applications for building construction permits, including the inspection of all existing buildings to ensure that it is safe for the public, but due to the lack of personnel Ylanan admitted it failed to comply with its job.

City Traffic Operations Management chairman Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem said he also learned that many of the CITOM personnel have been detailed to the various offices and departments, including Rama’s own office.

Rama had asked the news reporters to help him monitor and identify lazy city employees who are always seen roaming around Plaza Sugbo in front of City Hall legislative buildings.

Meanwhile, in a separate memorandum circular, Rama appointed Belinda Navascues as the Secretary to the Mayor and Human Resource Officer effective yesterday.

Navascues used to be a staff of the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines (VMLP) which was headed by Rama before he was elected mayor.

She was also the former executive director of the Cebu City Resource Management and Development Center.

Rama also announced that he might also get the service of Tomas Fernandez, former Cebu City Medical Center director and City Health head.

Rama said that Fernandez volunteered to oversee the operations of the City Health department he used to head and also the CCMC.

“With that commitment, I already see visions or more accessible and more effective healthcare systems,” the mayor said.(FREEMAN NEWS)