BACOLOD City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez ordered the City Administrator's Office to remove all the television sets in various departments at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) on Wednesday, March 22.

This, after a picture showing city hall employees watching an entertainment program on TV at about 3 p.m., was sent to Benitez by a concerned citizen.

Benitez, on his Facebook page, said, "I would like to remind all the government employees of your pledge to the people and the city."

City Administrator Pacifico Maghari III said the picture was taken from the City Treasurer's Office, and the five employees involved had already been given a notice to explain.

"It was an office hour, and our mayor doesn't want to disrupt the service at the BCGC. All offices are now being advised to remove the TV sets to ensure that the public is served to the best of our ability," he said.

He added that they will wait for the reply of the employees involved.

Maghari stressed that government employees should perform their duties to serve the public.

Aside from the TV sets, he said the employees should also remove anything that distracts from their work, like the computer games, among others.

He added that the City Legal Office was also tasked with reviewing and inspecting all the offices to monitor the performances of the employees.*