THIRTY days since his assumption as Acting Cebu City Mayor, Raymond Alvin Garcia has made a “minor adjustment” to some positions in the city hall, including the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) office.
He announced this during a press conference on Monday, June 10, 2024, adding that the affected positions were from the Human Resource and Development Office (HRDO), Division on the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP), Budget and Finance Office, and the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF).
“I have already made little adjustment... ginagmay lang nga adjustment diri lang sa assistant department heads nga level (only small adjustments here at the assistant department heads level),” Garcia said.
Garcia said that he recalled lawyer Christine Joymarie Perias from the City Health Department to resume her original role as the assistant department head of HRDO, while Emma Villarete, the previous assistant department head of HRDO, will be transferred to the Budget and Finance Office as officer-in charge assistant department head.
He has also replaced DWUP chief Mark Lester Ceballos with Ronald Anthony “Butch” Librando, who was the division’s former head. Ceballos returned to his old post at the same office.
The acting city mayor has also recalled Dr. Alice Utlang from the Cebu City Resource Management Development Center (Cremdec) back to DVMF.
Moreover, Garcia confirmed changes in the composition of the BAC.
“Actually, ang BAC daghan na ang ni-resign, so I had to reconstitute the BAC kay para paspas ang trabaho (a lot from BAC have already resigned, so I had to reconstitute the BAC to speed up the work),” Garcia said.
In a copy of the appointment letter obtained by SunStar Cebu, Garcia appointed new members for the BAC on Infrastructure and Consultancy Service and BAC on Goods and Services.
For BAC-Infrastructure and Consultancy Service, Garcia appointed Lowelle Corminal, Mary Rose Lubino, Emmanuel Cuizon, Joel Reston, and Evangeline Abatayo as its new members.
The new members for BAC-Goods and Services were June Maratas, Kristine Joyce Batucan, Leizl Calamba, Bernard Inocentes Garcia, Samsuden Salimbago, and Christine Joymarie Perias.
“The current head of BAC-Infra is engineer Lowelle Corminal and the current head of BAC-Goods is Ma’am Leizl Calamba,” Garcia said.
Garcia’s assumption as acting mayor was on May 10, after the Department of the Interior and Local Government served the six-month preventive suspension order of Mayor Michael Rama and seven other city hall officials.
As an acting mayor, Garcia can exercise all powers bestowed to an elected city mayor, except the power to appoint, suspend, or dismiss employees, which he has to wait for 30 days.
In his first 30 days, Garcia said the position was “overwhelming” yet “fulfilling.”
“It is both overwhelming in terms of the work that has to be done...which we have to solve and resolve...but at the same time, it is also very fulfilling because, as a mayor, you have so much influence so you can really make a difference in the lives of individuals,” Garcia said. (EHP)