Cebu City acting mayor Garcia lays out ‘first order of business’

Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia met with the department heads on Monday at the Mayor’s Conference room. CDND photo | Niña Mae Oliverio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — As he officially as the chief of the Cebu City Government, acting mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has revealed his order of business on Monday, May 13, 2024.

First, acting mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia appointed a new administrator (Lawyer Kristine Joyce Batucan), a new city assessor (Liezel Calamba), and a new chief of staff (Sam Salimbago).

Garcia said he made sure that the City Assessor’s Office “is functioning properly,” knowing that its heads were also among those suspended along with Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama.

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The new City Assessor is Liezel Calamba, has already 17 years of experience in government service, said Garcia.

“I think she’s competent and she can do the job,” the acting mayor said.

Meeting with department heads

Garcia also met with the department heads on Monday at the Mayor’s Conference Room.

The acting mayor said during the presscon that there will be no changes yet as to the reshuffling of the department heads.

“I want everything to happen smoothly but along the way, if I feel there is a need for a change, especially in the department heads, I will change. Definitely, if I feel nga naay kuwang, ug naay mga important nga mga critical nga departments,” said Garcia.

He added that among the critical departments have something to do with finance like the budget office, the accounting office, treasurer’s office, and the legal office.

“These are the things that I will going to look into if and when I feel that there should be a change then I will change…We’ll see it in 30 days. So, kinahanglan magkinto sila kay lahi nani karon ang pagdagan sa atong City Hall,” Garcia said.

“I don’t wanna rock the boat. As I’ve said I want continuity. I want han-ay, tunghay, kay lisod kaayo nang situation nga mabalda bitaw ang trabaho,” he added.

As he sits as the City Mayor for six months, Garcia said that it would be an enough time for him to “make little changes in how things are being run in the government.”

He added that many programs under suspended Mayor Michael Rama’s administration will be adopted but there will be some Rama’s policies that he will “differ on.”

“You will know in the coming days,” Garcia told the reporters.

Flag ceremony

Aside from that, he would also make sure that the flag-raising ceremony every Monday would only last    for a short time.

The flag-raising ceremony on Monday only lasted for almost 30 minutes.

“The time is every important and I don’t want to receive complaints because I have been receiving complaints in the past that manganhi sila [sa City Hall] og alas 9 o alas 10 unya di pa sila ka transact sa ilang business because nag flag pa,” Garcia said.

Salary release, mid-year bonus

Also on Monday, Garcia announced that the mid-year bonus of the City Hall employees will be released on May 15, Wednesday.

It will be equivalent to one-month basic pay.

As for the four City Hall employees who filed complaints that led to the suspension of Mayor Michael Rama, Garcia has instructed the newly appointed City Administrator, Lawyer Kristine Joyce Batucan, to be on top of the immediate release of the six-month worth of unpaid salary.

Councilor Noel Wenceslao, chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Budget and Finance, said that he would be sponsoring the resolution for the salary’s release this Wednesday, May 15.

Palarong Pambansa 2024 in Cebu City

It is also worth nothing that the Palarong Pambansa will also be happening in July while Garcia sits as the acting mayor.

Garcia said that he will be checking the preparations of the Palaro with the Cebu City Sports Commission chairman, John Pages to see if they have to “make some adjustments.”

READ: Palarong Pambansa 2024: Cebu City allocates P205M for games

“Remember nga kaning Palaro will already happen during my watch. So, whatever happens, I will already be held accountable for it. Og dili ko maghilabot-hilabot, akong pasagdan nila, mura ba’g wa nako ma supervise og tarong for example basig masumbalik na nako,” Garcia.

With that, the actor mayor said that it is crucial for him to be on top of the preparations for the Palarong Pambansa.

Meanwhile, Garcia said that he will still be staying in his office at the Vice Mayor’s Office for the duration of his term as acting mayor.

“Dili lang usa ko mubalhin,” he said.

However, if there will be conferences and meetings, he will be conducting them at the Mayor’s Conference Room, given that it can accommodate more people than in his office.