City mayor’s appointees step down after filing COCs

Cebu City’s traffic chief  Sylvan Jakosalem and Nutrition Council chairman Ronald  Diola tendered their resignation  after  filing their Certificates of Candidacy last Friday.

Jakosalem, chairman of the City  Integrated Traffic Operations Management (Citom)  and Diola  are running for city council seats in the south district under Team Rama.

Jakosalem  has been confined in a private hospital since Saturday when he  suffered  a seizure    related to the recurrence of a past infection.

In a text message to Cebu Daily News, he said he would  remain a Citom consultant.

Jakosalem and Diola said their resignations were a  formality as they were  considered resigned the moment they filed their COCs  last Friday.

“It’s up to Mayor Michael Rama to appoint  replacements,” Jakosalem said.

Diola said he would continue assisting the Nutrition Council   for free.

Under a  Comelec en banc rule,  “any person holding a public appointive office or position, including active members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and other officers and employees in government-owned or controlled corporations, shall be considered ipso facto or automatic resigned from his office and must vacate the same at the start of the day of the filing of his Certificate of Candidacy.”

Cebu City election officer Marchel Sarno said this was a  general rule  and the Comelec doesn’t  need to remind or order appointed officials to follow it.

He clarified that only elected officials are exempted by the Comelec  ruling.

Elected officials have fixed terms and will remain in their   positions until noon of June 30, he added.

Cebu City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete said they will seek clarification about the effect on contractual employees.

He said Jakosalem and Diola were cnosidered  contractual employees.

Mayor Rama said he thought that Diola and Jakosalem were exempted from the rule.

“If there is no violation, why resign? But if they are the ones who made the decision to resign to concentrate on the campaign, or whatever their plans are, I will always respect their decision,” said the mayor.