NEWS: 200 workers to lose jobs from Panabo City Hall

By Cha Monforte, Rural Urban News

Panabo new City Hall/photo by Rural Urban News

Some 200 of the 700 workers in Panabo City Government will be losing their jobs due to the implementation of the ongoing reorganization scheme that already started February 1.

“For sure there will about 200 workers who could no longer return to work as we implement the ordinance on reorganization to make our government machinery work efficiently and effectively,” said city administrator Nemesio Rasgo.
City ordinance 43 enacted last year fixed only 400 posts to be filled up arising out from new organizational structure and classification of positions.
On last Monday convocation, the city administrator announced that contractual workers whose contracts ended last January 31 would have to stop working and wait for the end of the first quarter for possible re-hiring when the city government could generate additional income like the refund of the amount the city lost from Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) shared by the 16 cities that were classified back to their status as municipalities.
Those who would be displaced though are contractual workers who were employed on programs and need-basis, Rasgo said.
Last January 31 contracts of casual and contractual workers ended and the city placement committee headed by Rasgo is at press time renewing contracts of relevant positions.
He said that City Mayor Jose Silvosa Sr wanted to professionalize the city bureaucracy and “insulate personnel from politics”.
There is unwanted situation in local governments on workers being beholden to politicians in power and are therefore bound to work for the politics of the administration that they are in.
Rasgo said that permanent employees need not worry but he said there would be reassignments to fit personnel to work and eliminate the sight of city workers just sitting on their table without work.
“Way klaro ang mga tawo sa opisina (There’s unclear personeling in offices),” he said referring to the situation that the Silvosa administration inherited to the previous administration of former Mayor Rey Gavina.
“We want to have a lean and mean government structure that works,” he added.
On the other hand, in separate interview, Mayor Silvosa said that the reorganization was not his own making but by the legislative department of the previous administration.
He said that the present reorganization plan was started four years ago and the involved city councils including the present had thoroughly studied it based on civil service laws and and tapped various authorities as resource persons during its formulation.
“I am just here to implement the ordinance as a chief executive,” he said.
An undetermined number of casual employees, whose contracts are renewed every six months, especially those employed by the previous administration are reportedly expressing anxieties of losing their jobs.
City administrator Rasgo said that there are casual and contractual personnel in the city hall whose appointing authority is no longer in office, in obvious reference to Gavina, who had served as city mayor for three consecutive terms or nine years.
“Job order and even casual employees have not other recourse but work for the politics of the power holders so as continue working. It’s just okay for the permanent employees as they usually hide or go neutral during the campaign period,” a casual employee from the office of he city vice mayor said on the condition of anonimity.
Meanwhile, Councilor and ABC President Ferdinand Gocon said that the job order workers employed in legislative department are not included in the no-work order of the executive department.
He said that city councilors have usually five personnel staff, three of whom are co-terminus and two are contractual in employment status.
The city vice mayor’s office has reportedly bloated staff numbering over 20 personnel. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News)

Filed under: former panabo mayor rey gavina, nemesio rasgo, panabo abc president ferdinand gocon, panabo vice mayor james gamao, panbo city mayor jose silvosa sr., former panabo mayor rey gavina, nemesio rasgo, panabo abc president ferdinand gocon, panabo vice mayor james gamao, panbo city mayor jose silvosa sr.

NEWS: Panabo mayor might not seek reelection in 2010

Floirendos carried Silvosa in 2007 polls

dec 5

Panabo City Mayor Jose “Joe” Silvosa Jr. might not run again to seek for his reelection by 2010.

“But it depends, if the Lakas-CMD party is negative in its assessment on my performance as a city mayor,” he told Sidlak yesterday.

“If I’m adjudged to be not satisfactory, and my performance is not impressive while my brand of leadership is not accepted, why should I insist?” the mayor added.

Silvosa, a lawyer, was propelled to the post of city mayor in 2007 polls after serving as a boardmember largely due to the traditionally blind but solid Tadeco votes as he was the choice of the Floirendos, Don Antonio Sr. and former Congressman Antonio “Tonyboy” Floirendo Jr., the banana king and heir apparent, respectively, the known Davao del Norte’s District 2 kingmakers.

Silvosa said he would hesitate to submit himself for party assessment.

He edged out rival former City Vice Mayor Ruperto Cagape by over 5,000 votes reportedly coming the Tadeco workingmen bailiwicks.

Panabo City , sources said, has already started to be abuzz with unconfirmed reports on possible eventual comeback of the former Mayor Rey Gavina, who in May 2007 had no choice but retire from politics after running out of his three terms as a mayor.

It was Gavina who built the posh and elegant three-level city hall, the new integrated bus terminal and the city gymnasium which the present mayor is now enjoying in his first term.

But a staffer of Vice Mayor James Gamao, brother-in-law of Gavina, said on the condition of anonymity that he thought that only the Gavina’s political followers might just be the ones egging out the retired mayor for a political comeback and pick a fight against Silvosa, a Lakas partymate and whom Gavina endorsed in the last polls.

“Sa politika naa gyoy nagasugnod nga mga political supporters,” he added.

He said that Gavina has been busy in his banana farm located in the outskirts of the city. “He is often seen in his good resthouse there”.

He said that he has not yet heard even of any report that his boss Vice Mayor Gamao would run for reelection in tandem his brother-in-law Gavina.

Meanwhile, other sources from Panabo City Hall said that besides Gavina other 2010 mayoral potentials are the last-termer and economically influential Councilor Roy Antalan and Cagape who might do a return bout against Silvosa.

Still some political pundits in the city are closely watching for the developments in the family and political feud between the Floirendos and Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario which reports said is still presently running and which would affect the political landscape in the city whose politics has been traditionally dictated by the Floirendos.

In the last polls, the Floirendo-supported Lakas-CMD city slate made a smashing 11-1 victory with only one Kampi bet, now Councilor Jannet Tanong managing to win.

Still there is also little talk among city’s political pundits that District 2 Congressman Anton Lagdameo, nephew of Tonyboy, might end up running for mayor in the city once his Tito Tonyboy would reclaim his congressional seat by 2010.

But Vice Governor Victorio “Baby” Suaybaguio earlier told Sidlak to spare the “good mayor Silvosa” and proposed that on this scenario Cong. Anton could be better placed to run as city mayor for IGACOS saying that with this the island could have its most rapid development if the Floirendos and Del Rosarios would then link arms to orchestrate in developing the island under Lagdameo’s mayoral reign. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com

Filed under: davao del norte vice governor victorio "baby" suaybagui, former panabo mayor rey gavina, panabo city mayor jose silvosa jr, panabo vice mayor james gamao, davao del norte vice governor victorio "baby" suaybagui, former panabo mayor rey gavina, panabo city mayor jose silvosa jr, panabo vice mayor james gamao