Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has designated Barangay Singcang-Airport Captain Caesar Distrito as his official spokesperson effective Monday, March 11.
Benitez said he tapped the assistance of Distrito to help his administration.
“I asked him to act as a spokesperson and since he did not ask for any compensation, there’s no conflict on his current position as the village chief of Singcang-Airport,” he said.
For his part, Distrito also expressed his gratitude to Benitez for designating him as his official spokesman.
“I had accepted such an assignment and expressed my thanks for his trust towards this assignment. Being an incumbent Punong Barangay of Barangay Singcang Airport, and like all other Punong Barangays, we are under the general supervision of the Mayor,” he said.
He said that it is within the Mayor’s prerogative and authority to assign or designate appointed city employees and even elected barangay officials to perform other functions that are not in conflict with his primary duty, and in his case, as Punong Barangay.
Distrito noted that “Civil Service Commission (CSC) rules allow elected public officials to accept consultancy contracts, as long as it is only part time, especially a lawyer like me, and the law considers this only as a practice of profession. CSC Res. No. 93-2310 and CSC Res. No. 021264 clearly stipulates the policy on such matters.”
“I also assure my constituents in Barangay Singcang-Airport that my additional assignment will not in any way interfere with my job as punong barangay. I am always aware that my primary duty is that of being the local chief executive of Barangay Singcang Airport,” Distrito said.*