ILOILO City – Mayor Jerry Treñas announced the city government would rehire job hires who were fired by his predecessor, former mayor Jose Espinosa III.
“Pasulod ko lang anay ang ginpagwa, dasun ang ginpasulod nila during the campaign (period) pagwa ko man,” according to the mayor.
Hiring additional job hires is also a possibility, said Treñas, but “ang akon subong concern, pasudlon ta anay atong ginpagwa nila.”
The previous administration started firing and hiring casuals on the second half of 2018. But Espinosa denied he was going after city hall job hires identified with Treñas and replacing them with his own supporters.
“After mapasulod ta na ang napagwa, then we start talking about getting additional job hires,” Treñas told city hall reporters yesterday.
How many terminated job hires would the city government rehire?
Treñas said he does not have the figures yet.
One city government concern that may need additional job hires is the upkeep of the Iloilo Esplanade and public plazas, said Treñas, citing reports of vandalism in these areas.
“I was told that because nagpasulod sila (previous administration) sang damu-damo nga casuals, we need P28 million if we only maintain that number kay ti ginpasobrahan nila,” according to the mayor.
July last year, the contracts of some 40 job hires under the city government’s beautification program and 32 more under the Special Service Unit and Task Force on Anti-Squatting and Illegal Structures of the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office were not renewed.
Espinosa denied the firing was politically motivated and insisted that the renewal of job contracts was “based on efficiency.”
His goal, he said, was “streamlining” and the “proper accounting” of city government personnel.
“They should be worth the people’s money. Gusto ta may gina obra ang mga tawo,” said Espinosa. “We want to see to it that government money is not wasted on (nonperforming job hires).”
Early this week, Treñas confirmed that the chiefs of three city government task forces – anti-smoking, boardinghouse and illegal structures – have been removed from their posts.
Iñigo Garingalao is no longer the executive director of the Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Task Force.
Ben Palma is out of the Boardinghouse Commission.
Roberto Dumanil is not heading the Task Force on Anti-Squatting and Illegal Structures anymore.
Treñas said he is reviewing the performance of the three task forces and would like his own trusted men to lead them.
“Mapili man ta sang mga tawo nga masaligan,” he said./PN
