More City JO workers dropped

Acting Mayor Osmeña says the projects for which they were hired have been accomplished

MORE job order (JO) personnel at the Cebu City Hall lost their jobs.

Acting Mayor Margarita Osmeña signed two memoranda on Monday terminating the services of 60 JO’s from two offices effective yesterday.

Of the number, 41 of them are JO’s who had served the Cebu City Parks and Playgrounds Commission, while 19 of them are from the City Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team (Ceset).

They are in addition to the 700 JO’s that were ordered by Osmeña to stop reporting to work effective May 31, although there will be 16 of these who will be reinstated by June 9.

In terminating the services of the 60 JO’s, Osmeña cited the condition in the JO’s appointment papers that states the City can terminate their services even prior to their appointment’s expiration for lack of funds or when their services are no longer needed.

“Thus, notice is hereby served upon you that effective June 2, your services as JO personnel with the aforementioned office is terminated,” said Osmeña.

“You are directed to account for or turn over any government properties in your possession immediately upon receipt of this order,” she added.

In an interview yesterday, the act- ing mayor said she had cleared with the Parks and Playgrounds Commission and Ceset the termination of the services of the 60 JO’s.

Their services are no longer needed since the programs to which they were assigned to have already been finished.

Osmeña said she can’t say yet if there will be more JO’s whose services will be terminated.

She disclosed, though, that 16 JO’s whose services she had earlier terminated will be reporting back to the City Hall. They are JO’s who had been detailed with the City Environment and Natural Resources Office.

“In other words, if there is justification why they should come back or why they should have not been terminated, then we can consider. Because nobody had been answering us, eh,” she said.

The 16 JO’s will start working again by June 9. By then, the Commission on Elections will already lift its ban on the hiring of personnel by the local government units. It had been implemented in line with the conduct of the May 9 polls.

Their appointment will end on June 30, but Osmeña said their services can be renewed if needed.