MORE key officials are resigning from the Cebu City Government with the impending change of leadership at City Hall come July 1.
Those who are leaving City Hall include Local School Board (LSB) Chief Ronald “Raddy” Diola, Atty. Jade Ponce of the Solid Waste Management Board, Land Management Council and the Septage Management Board, and Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) Chief Jose Marie Poblete.
All of them said their positions are coterminous with that of Mayor Michael Rama whose term will end on June 30.
In an interview, Diola said he did not tender his resignation but he already informed the mayor of his decision to leave City Hall right after the May 9 elections. He had served the City since August 2014.
Accomplishments
“I will just go back to managing my business that involves real property and marketing. Because of what happened (during the elections), basically it is not good to continue working there,” he said.
In the recently-concluded elections, Rama, who was seeking a third term, was defeated by former mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Diola is thankful, though, that he was able to serve the City. He cited finding a new office for the LSB, among others, as one of his accomplishments.
From a small and cramped office on the seventh floor of the executive building of City Hall, the LSB now has its own office at the building where City Saving’s Bank is.
Ponce, who is a known Team Rama loyalist, filed his resignation before the Human Resource and Development Office last May 13.
Its effectivity will be on May 30 yet, but Ponce said he has already availed himself of his terminal leave.
Private sector
“We tried our best. It (Rama’s loss) is very frustrating but we will have to pick up the pieces,” he told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
Ponce, who served the City for three years, said he will just go back to his private practice. He said he is thankful for the opportunity to have served the public.
“The pay of those in government service is low compared to private practice but it was the sense of being part of something big that made me join the City,” he said.
As for Poblete, he said he will no longer tender an official resignation but his employment is only until June 30 since his employment is coterminous.
Poblete, who is both an engineer and a lawyer, said he will just go back to his private practice.
“Que sera, sera (whatever will be, will be),” he said.
Poblete has been with the City for more than 12 years.
He left a regular and career position as head of the secretariat of the City Council in 2010 to work as city administrator upon Rama’s request.
In 2013, he was appointed as head of the DEPW.
It was already reported that Acting City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas and City Legal Office Chief Jerone Castillo will also be leaving City Hall by the end of June.