Four job order (JO) workers got regular positions this month after more than three decades of serving the Bacolod City government.
They are among the eight JO personnel regularized since November, data from the Human Resources Management Services Office released on Wednesday showed.
Ronnie Cordova, 57, who has worked for 34 years at the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) – Special Services Division, learned about his new employment status when he and his fellow workers were asked to meet with Mayor Greg Gasataya on Tuesday.
Thinking they were summoned for something else, Cordova said he was surprised when the mayor told him that he is already a regular employee.
From a JO worker who receives a monthly pay of P10,560, Cordova has been appointed to the position of Plumber II, with a much higher compensation.
“After such a long time, we have finally been regularized. I am deeply grateful to the mayor. The Christmas of 2025 is something I will never forget,” he said.
Cordova is part of the CEO plumbing team that replaces and repairs artesian wells in various barangays.
Gasataya said his administration prioritizes long-serving JO workers whenever plantilla positions become available to uphold dignity in public service and acknowledge their contributions to the city government.
“They have been of service to Bacolod for a long time. Their regularization is a recognition of decades of quiet dedication across different administrations,” he added.
In the first week of December, three other JO employees of the CEO – Highway Maintenance Division, the unit primarily responsible for clearing and maintaining the city’s creeks and waterways, were also appointed to regular positions.
They are Ritchie Opao, 63, who has been working with the city government for 43 years; Vicente Candar, 54, a JO worker for 35 years; and Cesar Zuniega, 55, who is 32 years in service.
Opao has been appointed as Administrative Aide I, while Candar and Zuniega were both appointed as Construction and Maintenance Man.
“Their work is not easy. They deserve every benefit that we can give for their decades of service as JO workers of the city,” Gasataya said.
Regular employees are eligible to receive all benefits and privileges extended by the city government to its permanent personnel.*PNA