A MEMBER of the opposition considers the latest reshuffling of department heads at the Cebu City Hall as detrimental to the delivery of basic services.
City Councilor Nestor Archival, the minority floor leader, said the move could disrupt department programs, among other things.
In a text message to SunStar Cebu on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, Archival said the new heads will need significant time to adopt and learn their new responsibilities.
The department will also lose institutional expertise, while the new head will need to acclimatize to the department’s intricacies, he added.
The official pointed out that the reshuffled heads might face resistance and morale issues, which could lead to decreased productivity.
Lastly, Archival said that if the department heads are reshuffled based on party or vested interests of the administration, it undermines the effectiveness and professionalism of the City Government.
Last Monday’s reshuffling was the third this year.
Mayor Michael Rama first announced a shakeup last April after reviewing the performances of department head officials, followed by another one after his return from his Russian trip last September.
In September, the mayor reminded the City’s Human Resource Development Office about the target to reduce the workforce from 9,000 to 3,000 before 2025.
“Only the cream of the crop should be left,” Rama had said.
During the flag-raising ceremony at the Plaza Sugbo grounds on Monday, the mayor assured that all City Government employees will be rehired, except for those who are known to be lazy and involved in internet trolling.
According to his initial list, there are 263 individuals who are allegedly involved in making allegations against him.
The City Hall currently has 1,345 regular employees, 3,000 casual employees, and 3,000 job orders.
Rama said the rotation of department heads is his way of ensuring that Cebu achieves a Singapore-like status.
He said a department head who does not perform his or her duties well will be presumed to be involved in illegal activities, such as corruption.
During the ceremony, Rama introduced some of the new heads of several offices in the City Government, including lawyer Carlo Vincent Gemina as city legal officer, Liezl Calamba as assistant city administrator; Wilfredo Pesquera Jr. as Internal Audit Service Office head, lawyer Melvin Legaspi as People’s Law Enforcement Board representative of the mayor; Councilor Rey Gealon as Traffic Management Coordination Committee Board chairman, lawyer Paolo Manit as legal support under lawyer Collin Rosell, and Lito Ruiz as overseer for the Sugbo Bike Lanes.