Garcia appoints 2 councilors as overseers for health, traffic, tourism
By Earl Kim H. Padronia
Reprinted from SunStar Cebu with edition
CEBU CITY (June 11, 2024) – Thirty days since his assumption as Acting Cebu City Mayor, Raymond Alvin N. Garcia has made a “minor adjustment” to some positions at City Hall, including the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) office.
He announced this during a press conference on Monday, June 10, adding that the affected positions were from the Human Resource and Development Office (HRDO), Division on the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP), Budget and Finance Office, and the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF).
“I have already made little adjustment. Ginagmay lang nga adjustment diri lang sa assistant department heads nga level (only small adjustments here at the assistant department heads level),” Garcia said.
Garcia said that he recalled lawyer Christine Joymarie Perias from the City Health Department (CHD) to resume her original role as the assistant department head of HRDO.
Aside from Perias, Emma Villarete, the previous assistant department head of HRDO, will be transferred to the Budget and Finance Office as officer-in charge assistant department head.
He has also replaced DWUP chief Mark Lester Ceballos with Ronald Anthony “Butch” Librando, who was the division’s former head. Ceballos returned to his old post at the same office.
The acting city mayor also recalled Dr. Alice Utlang back to DVMF.
Utlang, the mayor’s special assistant for veterinary, agricultural and fishery concerns, was previously assigned at the Cebu City Resource Management Development Center.
New BAC members
Garcia also confirmed changes in the composition of the BAC.
“Actually, ang BAC daghan na ang ni-resign, so I had to reconstitute the BAC kay para paspas ang trabaho (a lot from BAC have already resigned, so I had to reconstitute the BAC to speed up the work),” Garcia said.
In a copy of the appointment letter obtained by SunStar Cebu, Garcia appointed new members for the BAC on Infrastructure and Consultancy Service and BAC on Goods and Services.
For BAC-Infrastructure and Consultancy Service, Garcia appointed assistant city engineer Lowelle Corminal as its head while lawyer Mary Rose Lubino, assistant city building official Arch’t. Emmanuel Cuizon, city engineer Joel Reston, and lawyer Evangeline Abatayo of the Office of the City Civil Registrar as its new members.
Acting city assessor Leizl Calamba will also head the BAC-Goods and Services while its members are composed of city administrator Kristine Joyce Batucan, city lawyers June Maratas and Bernard Inocentes Garcia; Samsuden Salimbago, the acting mayor’s chief of staff; and Perias.
New overseers
In a related development, Garcia also appointed two councilors to serve as overseers for health, tourism and traffic matters.
He announced during Monday’s flag ceremony that he has appointed City Councilors Jocelyn “Joy” Pesquera and James Anthony Cuenco to oversee several departments and offices at City Hall.
Pesquera will serve as overseer for CHD, and the Cebu City Medical Center and the Cebu City Tourism Office.
Cuenco, on the other hand, will oversee the Cebu City Transportation Office.
Garcia’s assumption as acting mayor was on May 10, after the Department of the Interior and Local Government served the six-month preventive suspension order of Mayor Mike Rama and seven other city hall officials.
As acting mayor, Garcia can exercise all powers bestowed to an elected city mayor, except the power to appoint, suspend, or dismiss employees, which he has to wait for 30 days.
In his first 30 days, Garcia said the position was “overwhelming” yet “fulfilling.”
“It is both overwhelming in terms of the work that has to be done which we have to solve and resolve,” he said.
“But at the same time, it is also very fulfilling because, as a mayor, you have so much influence so you can really make a difference in the lives of individuals,” he added. | SunStar Cebu / ehp / with reports from PIO / rp
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