ILOILO City – City Administrator Hernando Galvez dismissed as “istorya kuris-kuris” (idle talk) text messages supposedly sent by the city government to job hires it fired or whose contracts it did not renew.
He believed such were a continuation of the false information that circulated last week – that some 600 job hires were terminated.
“Ina nga istroya kuris-kuris…amo na sia ang gapagamo sa aton syudad,” said Galvez.
According to the city administrator, the object of those behind it was clear enough: to sow confusion and intrigue.
The unedited text message read: “Good Afternoon, this is to inform you that effective June 30, 2018, your job hire will no longer be valid. Looking forward to work with you in the future. Thank you and God Bless. City Admiistrator Office.”
“To those who received the text message, just ignore them. That is not the way we inform job hires about their status,” said Galvez.
The standard practice, he said, is to summon the job hire concerned.
Still, Galvez stressed the city government’s decision to renew or not renew a job hire’s contract is performance-based, thus the possibility of one not getting rehired is always there.
“Madamo gid ‘ya sang matamad. May ara tawo nga incompetent,” he said.
In his office for instance, said Galvez, the contracts of six job hires were not renewed.
The contract of a job hire lasts only for a month.
The nonrenewal of a job contract has nothing to do with politics, said Galvez; it simply means there is no more need to retain a job hire’s services.
“Mayor Jose Espinosa III will never terminate an employee merely on the basis of religious belief, political leaning or skin color,” stressed Galvez. “Ang mga abusador, palaligoy, wala ga-cooperate, wala kita nagakangilin nga indi sila pag-renew.”
According to the city administrator, “non-uniformed agents” have been tasked to monitor city hall employees, including job hires, during office hours.
“Tanan nga deserving sang pagsalig sang publiko padayon nga tagaan sang oportunidad nga magserbisyo sa syudad,” said Galvez.
He wondered why the nonrenewal of job hires’ contracts was an issue now; this was not a big deal during the administration of then mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, he said.
As the city administrator, the hiring and firing of casuals rested on Galvez’s office.
“I don’t play politics,” said Galvez who was also the city administrator during the Mabilog administration./PN
