Bacolod mayor-elect Alfredo “Albee” Benitez said one of the first executive orders that he will issue is for all city government personnel to return to their mother units, except for those at the City Health Office and in other offices whose services may be hampered.
The return to mother units will be ordered to assess the work being done by such employees, Benitez said at a dinner he hosted for the media Monday night, May 30.
Benitez also said all job order (JO) personnel will be deemed terminated by June 30 and appointments will be made based on their need.
“We may be putting in people more than we really need. There has to be an assessment of qualifications for their assignments,” he said.
Until now the current administration has not given him a list on how many JOs the city has, it is still mysterious, he does not know why they are hiding it, Benitez said.
He was told P356 million has been allocated for JOs at the mayor’s office alone, Benitez said.
Initial reports he received is that 55 percent of the city’s budget has already been spent by the current administration but he is still waiting for a final report, he added.
He will announce the names of the new city administrator and legal officer within the next few days, Benitez said, adding that they will come from government.
Benitez, who served as provincial consultant on economic affairs, said he has established an interim office for his transition team next to the Provincial Economic Development Investment Center near the Capitol.
People go there for requests and assistance, and it is where he has been meeting with city government department heads. “So far they are very cooperative,” he said.
One or two department heads may be transferred, he said.
“We are trying to organize ourselves so by July 1 we hit the ground running”, he said.
He will assume the post of mayor of Bacolod at noon of June 30.