FORMER Cebu City mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has denied allegations that job order (JO) workers under his administration were recruited for campaign purposes, saying their months-long unpaid salaries were due to budget processing issues and not election-related hiring.
Garcia said a City Council resolution charged the Coastal Management Board’s JOs’ (CMB) salaries to a “prior year’s account,” which required the budget office to certify the availability of funds before disbursements could be made.
He said that, to his knowledge, the resolution and voucher were already with the budget office, and what remained was the certification of funds availability.
No appointment, no work policy
Garcia stressed that his administration followed a strict “no appointment, no work” policy and questioned why some JOs continued working without signed appointments.
“Maybe someone else gave them false assurances. But I never authorized anyone to work without proper documentation. If there were promises, they did not come from me,” he said.
He also said job order endorsements were routine and not exclusive to election season. Many recommendations, he said, were coursed through the Human Resource Development Office from barangay leaders, and that happened all year round, not just during elections.
No salaries
On Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, two of the five workers spoke to the media on behalf of the group, requesting anonymity. They claimed they rendered service from January to April without receiving salaries, amounting to around P40,000 each.
They said they were first brought in under the CMB in October 2024 with a promised daily wage of P500. Lawyer Joey Daluz, who was Garcia’s running mate in the 2025 elections, endorsed them.
Their salaries for November and December 2024 were released, but their October pay was excluded since they had not completed the month.
By January, the workers said, the CMB would no longer process their appointments and asked them to secure new endorsements. They were later transferred to the Bantay Dagat office, where they worked from January to April.
After submitting their papers multiple times, they were told that some of their endorsements had been misplaced.
Despite lacking signed appointments, the workers said they continued reporting for duty, believing their documents were still being processed. Their assignments included helping with financial aid distribution and barangay activities.
The workers said they began suspecting some of their duties overlapped with campaign-related activities, such as distributing aid and at times joining handshaking events, which they believed were election-related.
Daluz’s confirmation
In a separate phone interview, Daluz confirmed that he endorsed several individuals in October at Garcia’s request but stressed this did not guarantee employment.
“The mayor asked me if I had names to endorse, so I recommended some. But that doesn’t mean they would automatically be hired. I don’t sign appointments,” he said.
He denied claims that the workers were exploited for campaign purposes, saying their support during the election was voluntary.
He added that the workers should have stopped reporting once it became clear that their appointments were not finalized.
One of the workers said they continued working in good faith because they believed their documents were being processed.
They are now appealing to the current administration to review their case and ensure they are compensated for the service they already rendered. / CAV