The Capitol resolution on political hirelings
A change of administration in government usually brings also a change of personnel. The general election of 1951 (held on November 3, 1951) brought change to Cebu, the political banner hoisted in the Cebu Provincial Government of the then newly formed party, Liberal Party (the breakaway of the half century aged Nacionalista Party) ended. The incumbent governor of Cebu at that time was Dr. Manuel Alesna Cuenco, appointed by President Manuel Acuna Roxas in 1946. Governor Manuel Cuenco succeeded lawyer Fructuoso Cabahug, who was appointed by President Sergio Suico Osmeña Sr. in 1945.
Don Sergio lost in the elections against Senator Manuel Roxas, who assumed the presidency together with his Vice President Elpidio Rivera Quirino on May 28, 1946.
The presidential elections result in 1946 brought change in the administration not only in Malacañang but also at the provincial and city or municipality level all over the country.
President Roxas did not finish his term as he died on April 17, 1948, his vice president then assumed the presidency. Quirino won his own election as president on November 9, 1949. The senatorial candidates of the Liberal Party swept and dominated the elections.
On November 13, 1951, Sergio "Serging" Chiong Veloso Osmeña Jr., son and namesake of Don Sergio, of the Nacionalista Party ran for governor. Serging was slated to run in 1949 but was persuaded by his lawyer not to do so as his conviction for the crime of treason was still fresh to the electorate. The people's court created after the war in 1945 convicted many Filipinos, the rich and the poor alike, but they were spared when President Quirino issued a Presidential Clemency.
It was a battle royale among the contenders of the governorship of Cebu in 1951, who were the sons of the political kingpins - Dr. Manuel A. Cuenco, son of Don Mariano Jesus Cuenco, and who was at that time Senate President and pre war governor and congressman of the old 5th District of Cebu and, on the other side, Serging Osmeña Jr., son of the Grand Old of Cebu, Don Sergio, a long time senator, first Speaker of the National Assembly, governor of Cebu, first elected vice president and successor president.
Dr. Manuel lost to Serging in 1951. The young Osmeña, who was born on December 4, 1916 was only 35 when he became governor of Cebu. Among the first few things that Governor Serging did was change the personnel of the capitol.
At that time the governor was the presiding officer of the Provincial Board. Serging, together with Board Members Sotero Barte Cabahug and Pedro B. Uy Calderon, who were both lawyers, pushed for the approval of Resolution No. 3, which was adopted on January 2, 1952.
The first three paragraphs of the resolution says, "Whereas, a cursory reading of the plantilla of personnel of the different Offices of the Provincial Government clearly shows that the said plantilla is top heavy with superfluous employees and laborers;
Whereas, according to reliable information coming from the aforesaid Offices, many of the employees and labors appearing in the plantilla are but political hirelings (pensionados), as they have nothing to do, and not a few of them show themselves up on the Office on pay days only;
Whereas, due to the excessive number of the political hirelings in question, the provincial exchequer, according to the aforesaid reliable information, is disbursing for salaries and wages in excess of the 40% of the normal and ordinary income from the General Fund in flagrant violation of Executive Order No. 405, promulgated by His Excellency, the President of the Philippines, on January 25, 1951."
Board Member Cabahug was then given authority to order the complete reorganization of the personnel by eliminating all unnecessary positions. Likewise, Board Member Calderon was tasked to implement the reorganization within 15 days.
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