City Hall revamp expected Monday

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is expected to reshuffle the department heads in City Hall on Monday, January 5.

Rama convened all department heads and assistant department heads yesterday to discuss the planned revamp.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a department head told The Freeman that changes have already been enforced in the Human Resource and Development Office.

The source said the new HRDO head is lawyer Mary Ann Suson who used to be assistant to the HRDO chief, lawyer Dominic Diño, who will now assume as Rama's new chief of staff, replacing Cherriemel Dianne Muego.

Diño who used to be Rama's chief of staff in 2010, welcomed the move, saying,  "a good soldier always follows orders."

Rama's secretary, Belinda Navasquez, said there is yet no "definite list" of those affected by the revamp as of yesterday.

"We don't want to preempt the possible movement but we just wait on Monday for the official announcement of the mayor," she said.

Rama warned all department heads earlier of a reshuffle if he sees any indiscretion in the quality of their work, among others.

January 2 last year, Rama also reshuffled his men, banking on City Hall's "Show of Super Service" (SOSS) campaign.

The Civil Service Commission has reminded government sectors and Local Government Units not to implement revamps against "exigency of public service."

Under the provision of CSC, the reassignment is presumed to be regular and made in the interest of public service unless proven otherwise or if it constitutes constructive dismissal.

As stipulated in Section 7 of Memorandum Circular No. 02, series of 2005, the Revised Rules on Reassignment defines constructive dismissal as "when an official or employee quits his or her work because of the agency head's unreasonable, humiliating, or demeaning actuations, which render continued work impossible because of geographic location, financial dislocation and performance of other duties and responsibilities inconsistent with those attached to the position."

It says further that constructive dismissal "may occur although there is no diminution or reduction in rank, status or salary of the employee." - JMO  (FREEMAN)