Rosell blames workers over unpaid salaries

The reassignment of the four regular employees of Cebu City Assessor’s Office, who claimed to have not been paid of their salaries for 10 months now, is allegedly part of the changing working dynamics at City Hall, said city administrator Collin Rosell.

Rosell lamented that reassignment of personnel are matters that should have been confidential and should not be discussed in public and in the media. He explained that change is a regular dynamics in government that often lead to reassignments of employees.

This is allegedly what happened to the four personnel of the City Assessor’s Office--Sybil Ann Ybañez, Maria Almicar Diongzon, Filomena Atuel, and Chito Dela Cerna.

“Because as an employee of the government, you are expected to serve the people with utmost diligence and competence,” said Rosell.

According to Rosell, the City Assessor’s Office is among the most “risky” departments of the City Hall because the office is the holder of property records.

“You can know there kung unsa ang butang mao na siya nga punto, sa ato pa mga tawo ni sila nga ato sang obserbaran, so atong ipang reassign,” said Rosell.

Rosell said the four employees refused to report to their new assignments because they want to stay at the assessor’s office. Their alleged refusal to report to their new assignments resulted in the problem because no supervisor would sign their payroll .

“Unya unsaon man na pagsulbad nga kining gobyerno aduna may mga polisiya, kaning mga defiant nga mga tawo, unom ni sila gikan sa assessor, gi-reassign og lain, ang duha ni report sa kung asa sila na reassign, kaluoy sa Ginoo karon wala silay problema sa sweldo,” he said.

Rosell blamed the four employees for their unpaid salaries because of their refusal to report to their new assignments. He, however, assured that their salaries are now being processed on orders of Mayor Michael Rama.

On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, the four employees turned to the media in the hope that they will be paid of their 10 months salary. They claimed that the city government did not pay their salaries despite a favorable decision from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in Central Visayas where they questioned their reassignment.

Ybañez, who is holding a plantilla as Local Assessment Operations Officer (LAOO) 3, said they received their reassignment order on June 1, 2023. Ybañez said she was reassigned as house parent at the Operation Second Chance in Kalunasan while her colleagues--Diongzon was reassigned to the South Road Properties (SRP), Atuel was reassigned to Cebu City AntiMendicancy Office and Dela Cerna at the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources (CCENRO).

According to Ybañez, they questioned their reassignment before the CSC because the positions given to them were not aligned with their technical abilities. The CSC rendered a favorable decision and ordered for their reinstatement. –