JOs set protest vs City Council

CEBU, Philippines - Some 100 job order employees in Talisay City will stage a protest rally outside the City Council session hall on Tuesday due to the council’s slashing of the supplemental budget.

This as Mayor Johnny De los Reyes on Thursday said he will issue a permit for the job order employees to allow them to stage a rally against the majority bloc of the City Council.

The current council is dominated by councilors from the Alayon Party, which is Liberal Party’s opposition in Talisay.

There are 11 members of the council, seven belonging to Alayon namely, Councilors Richard Francis Aznar, Socrates Fernandez, Edward Alesna, Antonio Bacaltos, Doroteo Emit and Eduardo “Digul” Gullas III while four are with the LP of De los Reyes.

However, the Alayon members got the support of two councilors from the LP members: Councilors Danilo Caballero and Aldin Diaz. This leaves only two councilors, Councilors Valeriano Ylanan and Dennis Basillote, as De los Reyes’ remaining allies in the council.

“Nganong dili man nako tugtan? Nganong tugtan man nila kaniadto ang uban pero ako dili nila tugtan? (Why won’t I stop them?)” De los Reyes said.

The mayor said he will issue a permit as a way to allow the city’s job order employees to air their side.

The job order personnel, mostly assigned and appointed by the mayor, is protesting the council’s slashing of De los Reyes’ supplemental budget, which includes their honorarium.

Around 700 job order employees have not been paid for one and a half months now and worse, no fund has been allotted for their items.

In a separate interview with the reporters, Vice Mayor Romeo Villarante turned the table to the mayor, saying that it is not him or the council to be blamed but De los Reyes himself.

“Wala’y kausaban kung mag-rally ang atong kaigsuonan nga mga job orders. Ilang tan-awon nga ang problema dili gikan sa City Council, kun dili sa executive nga nanubra og pag-hire sa mga job order workers,” Villarante said.

Villarante explained that when they approved the third supplemental budget, they allocated the hiring for 700 JO workers. But the council found out that the mayor hired more than what is prescribed, which resulted to some job order workers not getting their salaries for this month.

The mayor, however, insisted that 500 JOs are not enough to assist in the city’s delivery of basic services. —Garry B. Lao (FREEMAN)