OUTGOING Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has appealed to Mayor-elect Nestor Archival to allow current City Hall employees to continue their service under the incoming administration.
Garcia made this appeal during his weekly press conference held on Monday, May 19, 2025, at Cebu City Hall, emphasizing the employees’ experience and the need to avoid disruptions in city operations.
Garcia said there are many existing employees who are good and experienced.
“We have many employees here who you can say are good, not only because they are skilled and they know what to do but, more importantly, they have experience,” Garcia stated.
He stressed the difficulty of hiring new employees who would have to “start from scratch” and “learn the ropes again.”
“They have the know-how, they have the knowledge, and they have been trained. So, hopefully, they can continue so that the operations of our City of Cebu will not be disrupted,” said Garcia.
The City Hall currently employs over 7,000 personnel, which includes around 2,000 regular employees, around 3,000 casual employees and 2,000 JO personnel.
Archival, in a separate interview on Tuesday, May 20, said the employees’ fate remains “status quo.”
Archival said he still needs to assess City Hall’s financial balance, considering there were reports of unpaid job order (JO) personnel.
In light of the transition, Garcia also ordered the Department of Manpower Placement and Development (DMDP) during their department heads meeting on Monday to organize a job fair specifically for casual and JO personnel who may not be renewed.
“I told them that I want this done thoroughly and properly and all employees should be informed so that they have something to lean on, to bank on, in case they are not renewed,” Garcia said.
He also directed DMDP to ensure the skills, education and experience of these employees are matched with the needs of various companies to facilitate their placement in suitable jobs.
Garcia expressed his hope that most of the employees would be retained, saying they were just doing their job and did not participate in campaigning. / JPS