Talisay leaders disagree on job order hiring

THE top two officials of Talisay City, partymates under the Liberal Party (LP) in the last election, are showing cracks in their administration over the hiring of job order employees.

Vice Mayor Romeo Villarante was disappointed with the mayor’s decision to give job order quotas to members of the Alayon Party in the City Council over LP members. Alayon Party has a toal of seven members in the City Council – five elected and two ex officio – ABC Federation and SK Federation. Aside from the vice mayor, the LP has three members.

Delos Reyes has approved the hiring of 50 job order employees per Alayon city councilor. Under this scheme, the number of job order employees in the city has ballooned 1,901 from 1,199 in the previous administration.

But last week, upon the advice of the City Budget Officer, Delos Reyes said he will have to cut down the number of job order employees as the city’s budget can no longer afford paying their salaries without sacrificing other vital expenditures of the city.

Too, campaign leaders of the local LP trooped to the office of Mayor Johnny Delos Reyes to express their grievances over what they felt as a snub in the hiring of political workers in the City Hall.

Villarante said that the supporters should be given priority in the hiring in City Hall.

The local LP campaign leaders meet yesterday visited the mayor’s office to remind Delos Reyes of his campaign promise of giving them jobs.

Dedicacion Sevilla who served as spokesperson of the disgruntled local LP leaders said barangay Poblacion councilman Edmund Villarante, brother of the vice mayor was originally allocated 15 job orders, but last Saturday, Delos Reyes said only three will be hired.

This left the remaining 12 dejected as they were already excited to report last Monday.

But Delos Reyes still assured his supporters saying if they won’t be absorbed in the City Hall, he will be launching his Adopt a Talisaynon, where the private sector will be asked to prioritize the hiring of local workers.

He added that he would be opening soon the Talisay City Port which would open opportunities for Talisaynons to get work in the Mactan Export Processing Zone in Lapu-Lapu City.

And he is looking for 150 persons to trained as professional massage therapists.

The practice of hiring job order employees has been resorted to by local government units to skirt the budget limitations set for Personnel Expenses. Salaries for job order employees are taken from the Maintenance Operations and Other Expenses (MOOE) of local government budgets./Correspondents Gabriel C. Bonjoc and Christine Emily L. Pantaleon