Will Rama let Cebu City treasurer go?

CEBU City Hall’s top finance chief is getting ready to leave but Mayor Michael Rama said he isn’t willing to let her go just yet.

Cebu City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva said she plans to take a one-month vacation after her term ends tomorrow.

Oliva, who is under the Department of Finance (DOF), which usually shuffles treasurers after a three-year duty tour, cited health concerns.

Asked if she would come back after her vacation, Oliva said, “It will all depend on my doctor.”

She will be replaced by assistant city treasurer Tessie Camarillo.

Mayor Rama said he already wrote to the DOF seeking an extension of Oliva’s service in Cebu City.

“No, I did not end her contract. I would have even wished that she would stay. I have already made my intention known to the department, even on making her regular in the city,” Rama said.

Oliva had earlier told some councilors during a meeting this week that her service “was not renewed” but did not elaborate.

Talks circulated that Oliva would be reassigned to Mandaue City where she would take over from her son Regal as city treasurer but Oliva refused to comment on the report.

Councilor Jose Daluz III, who once headed the council’s finance committee, said Oliva’s departure is a big loss for the city since she managed to boost the city’s revenue generation to P2.5 billion from January to June this year.

The amount is slightly more than half of this year’s target of P4.5 billion.

Treasurers are under the DOF and serve a local government unit (LGU) for three years unless their service is extended for another term.

Rama is conducting a performance evaluation of City Hall department heads, employees, consultants and commission heads to determine if they should still continue but results haven’t been released yet.

A revamp was expected following his July 1 State of the City address.

Rama declined to renew the consultancy contract of security adviser, retired Col. Romeo Cordova. Cordova, who was replaced by SPO1 Samson Dasoc, turned over his role as presiding officer of the Police Coordinating and Advisory Council (PCAC) to engineer Jose Marie Eugenio Elizalde, a consultant of the mayor’s office.

Also replaced was Niceforo Iroy as head of the Local Housing Board. Taking over was Lorna Saliendra of the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP).

Councilor Alvin Dizon wrote Mayor Rama to request for the retention of the board’s nongovernment organization (NGO) and people’s organization (PO) representatives who were instrumental in passing the Cebu City Shelter Plan. /Doris C. Bongcac and Edison delos Angeles