NEW faces will soon take- over the different departments at the Cebu City Hall as early as next month.
The election ban on the appointment and hiring of government employees will be lifted on June 9 and acting Cebu City Mayor Margarita Osmeña will also start moving people around at city hall.
It is highly probably that the employees she had earlier assigned as “special assistants” to current department heads will assume the post of the department heads.
Two department heads have already opted to retire. City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas opted to retire from government service by the end of June 30.
Osmeña said Cuevas’ retirement papers are already in her office.
Cuevas told CDN she decided to already retire from government because she’s already over 60 years old.
“I have been in government service for already 18 years,” said Cuevas whose appointment from the Department of Finance (DOF) as city treasurer would end by June 30.
Prior to being appointed city treasurer in 2013 by suspended mayor Michael Rama, Cuevas held a plantilla position as Accountant IV under the City Accountant’s Office.
City Legal Officer Jerone Castillo earlier announced his plans to also avail of an early retirement from government service.
While the position of City Attorney is a co-terminus position, Castillo holds a plantilla position as a member of the city legal office before his promotion to the position of City Legal Officer.
Among those holding co-terminus positions are City Engineer Jose Marie Poblete who used to be Rama’s city administrator, lawyer Jade Ponce who heads several offices like the Solid Waste Management Board, the Land Management Council and the Septage Management Board, and Raddy Diola of the Local School Board.
Other city officials are currently on leave, among them City Administrator Lucelle Mercado and Human Resource Development Office (HRDO) head Mary Ann Suson.
Department of Public Services (DPS) head Dionisio Gualiza said he has already resigned from his post.
The transition committee has started conducting a “personnel audit” on city hall employees to check their loyalty and to see whether they were involved in political activities during the Rama administration, a source said.
The source, a member of the transition committee, told CDN that the incoming administration will go after erring employees and file cases against them for violation of civil service laws.