The Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod on Wednesday, July 19, granted Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez authority to sign the contracts of service of six persons, including three of his Asenso Bacolod partymates in the 2022 polls.
The six are former councilors Bartolome N. Orola Sr. and Sonya M. Verdeflor, former Negros Occidental board member Patrick S. Lacson, Lizel De Las Alas, Emmylou F. Iman, and Maria Louie A. Jomero.
Orola, Verdeflor and Lacson, who lost their bids for councilor in 2022, were granted contracts of service from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2023.
Documents submitted to the SP said Orola would advise the mayor on socio-economic and development matters, Verdeflor on social services with emphasis on women, children, youth and family, and Lacson on traffic and transportation services.
They will receive monthly salaries of P50,000 each.
The contracts of service of Iman, Jomero, and de las Alas will cover June 1 to August 31, 2023, the documents submitted to the SP said.
De las Alas was hired to conduct human resource review and examination of employee engagement, with a salary of P40,000 a month.
Iman was hired to provide management advisory services on reorganizational, reengineering, redesigning and refocusing of human resource structure and manpower development, with a monthly salary of P80,000.
Jomero was hired to conduct human resource evaluation, review and analysis, with a monthly salary of P50,000.
Benitez said he is still talking to former Bacolod councilor Caesar Distrito about a position he may be appointed to in the city government.
“He is a very good lawyer, we will make use of his expertise,” Benitez said.*