City Hall awaits Archival’s say on employees’ status

CEBU, Philippines — With just two weeks remaining before Cebu City transitions to a new administration, the City Human Resource Development Office (HRDO) says it is prepared—but is still awaiting directives from Mayor-elect Nestor Archival Sr. regarding the employment status of thousands of City Hall workers.

HRDO chief Henry Tomalabcad told reporters Monday that while they continue to wait for instructions, their office has already completed its part of the transition process.

This includes compiling the list of casual employees and preparing appointment documents in anticipation of a blanket renewal.

Tomalabcad said this is consistent with Archival’s earlier pronouncement to maintain a status quo and extend the contracts of casual employees by three months.

While Archival previously noted that the city’s financial capacity would be a factor in retaining staff, Tomalabcad confirmed that the budget for all employees, including casuals, has already been allocated for the entire year.

“Ready for printing na ang mga appointments. Ang kuwang nalang gyud ang go signal ni mayor,” said Tomalabcad.

He emphasized that the renewal of contracts will ultimately be Archival’s decision. Although the HRDO was able to meet with the incoming mayor’s transition team, no specific orders have been issued on the matter.

According to Tomalabcad, the transition team has so far only requested data on the number of employees, the organizational structure of each department, and the deployment of Job Order (JO) workers in the barangays.

He clarified that no preparations were made for the renewal of JO employees, suggesting their status may be reviewed under the new administration.

Despite the announcement of a status quo, Tomalabcad noted that transitions typically impact the Mayor’s Office, Vice Mayor’s Office, and City Council offices the most.

He said the Mayor’s Office, which has around 300 employees across more than 70 attached offices and special bodies, will likely be most affected, as most of those workers are casuals.

Currently, there are about 7,000 employees at Cebu City Hall.

Outgoing Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia earlier urged Archival to fulfill his promise to uphold the employment status quo, at least for the first three months. Archival is set to assume office at noon on June 30.

In earlier interviews, Archival publicly committed to giving all employees a three-month extension, which Garcia welcomed. He described Archival as a man of “circumspection and prudence” and said the grace period would allow both JO and casual employees to be evaluated based on performance.

Garcia also encouraged the incoming mayor to consider employee character, regardless of political affiliation, and ensure positions align with each worker’s qualifications.

“I hope nga mahitabo gyud ni, dili lang istorya,” said Garcia, adding that while the pronouncement was appreciated, there was no formal agreement made between them.

Archival has said there are no immediate plans to reassign employees but acknowledged that changes may happen in the months ahead. He said current department heads would remain for now, though some handpicked officials may eventually be appointed.

For key positions like the City Administrator and Legal Officer, Archival said he already had names in mind but would make formal announcements soon.

He reiterated that broader staffing decisions would depend on the city’s revenue situation and whether it remains feasible to maintain the current workforce. — (FREEMAN)