Cebu City rightsizing: 600 permanent jobs to be filled up at city hall

JULY 16, 2023: A glimpse at the facade of the Cebu City Hall. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Cebu City government has good news for those seeking permanent jobs in the government, following the completion of the employee evaluation process for the rightsizing implementation.

This comes after Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama announced on April 1 that regularization in government positions is now available.

During the flag-raising ceremony, Rama declared an expansion of the government workforce, with 600 permanent positions now open.

He encouraged everyone interested and fitting the job criteria to apply.

READ: Rama: Over 1K Cebu City Hall employees to lose jobs this 2024

On February 26, Cebu City Administrator Lawyer Collin Rosell announced the completion of the evaluation of city hall employees for the implementation of the rightsizing program.

However, Rosell mentioned that the evaluation is just the first phase of the administration’s rightsizing program, which aims to reduce the number of employees from 10,000 to 3,000 by 2025.

As a result of this evaluation, a “massive regularization” is set to commence.

Now, about a month later, the regularization process is on the horizon.

READ: Rama on rightsizing: ‘It should be done like Melbourne, Brisbane’

Currently, there are about 2,300 regular job spots that need to be filled across the city government, but due to budget limits, they can only make 600 of them permanent this year.

Rama is urging those employed at City Hall to review these openings and apply if they find a match for their skills and educational background.

He believes that aligning individuals with suitable positions is crucial for enhancing the city’s services.

READ: Senate urged to approve gov’t rightsizing measure

Furthermore, Rama has instructed Henry Tomalabcad, the head of the Human Resource Development Office, to investigate why some workers remain on the job without formal employment documentation.

During the flag-raising ceremony, Rama shared that he might be signing appointment papers for several employees in the upcoming months.

He noted that further signings for one-year positions would take place in May.

Previously, Rama stressed the need to resize the workforce of the city government to transform Cebu City into a smart city like Melbourne and Brisbane.