SP Approves Reappointment of Three Department Heads
The reappointment of the three department heads of the City of Koronadal was not an easy one. Before they could be approved to lead their respective offices for another three years, they had to answer numerous questions from the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP).
City Administrator, Atty. Rene B. Jumilla, City Legal Officer, Atty. Janesa Mariam Ladjiman and City Information Officer Romar A. Olivares were recently put on the hot seat during conduct of the SP regular session.
During the concurrence proceedings, the three department heads have undergone thorough questionings about their duties and responsibilities, accomplishments as well as other job-related issues. Nevertheless, they managed to answer each and every single question thrown at them.
City Administrator Jumilla was among the first to answer queries from the SP. He was asked to state his accomplishments during his first term as the City Administrator.
Admittedly, Jumilla stated that it’s no joke to manage and administer the city government, but despite the demands of his job, he was able to do his duties and responsibilities because he was surrounded by supportive department heads. He added that all the achievements the city is enjoying right now cannot be credited to just one person, but rather through the team’s collaborative efforts.
“The obligation of an administrator is not that easy, especially with the hardworking mayor that we have. I thank all other department heads for their support, not only to the Mayor but also to the City Administrator’s Office.
Being the alter-ego of the City Mayor, Jumilla stated that aside from his regular duties and responsibilities, he serves as the chief executive’s vice chairman or the alternate presiding officer in meetings and acts as the vice chairperson in the absence of the city mayor of the local zoning board. He is also one of the members of the Bids and Awards Committee, co-chairs the Local Housing Board, chairs the Special Project Unit, co-chairs the Prime Government Center Management Board and several special bodies created by the mayor by virtue of an executive order.Likewise, he is assigned to attend and speak on behalf of the mayor at certain programs and events.
Meanwhile, City Legal Officer Atty. Ladjiman apprised the SP of the updates and status of the cases involving the city government. According to her, there are fifteen (15) cases pending as of the moment. She also informed the sanggunian that her office is currently understaffed but despite this, they will still continue to provide services to the executive and legislative departments.
“The City Legal Office has three active personnel, including me and the two Job Order employees. Despite that, we are really trying very hard to cater to all the needs of both the legislative and executive.”
Despite this unfavorable reality, Atty. Ladjiman shared some good news about her office’s accomplishments in less than a year since her appointment as city legal officer.
“I am happy to inform you that in less than one year as I’ve been seating as a City Legal Officer, I was able to prevent the injunction filed in the construction of the city cemetery, the Billanes Case. I was able to prevent the injunction; thus, the project continues. I also initiated the filing of a petition for exemption for social services and all other projects of the city and appeared before the Comelec en banc. Koronadal City is three among the cities all over the Philippines that were granted this petition for exemption. I am happy that we have dispensed gradually the number of cases of the city,” the City Legal Officer remarked.
When asked about her role as the City Legal Officer and being appointed by the city mayor, Atty. Ladjiman has this to say, “My role is to represent the city government as a whole and not only the chief executive, to uphold the law and to protect the city government as an entity.”
On the other hand, City Information Officer Olivares was also given the chance to present his achievements for the past three years. Under his management, the City Information Officer shared the three major accomplishments his office had.
According to Olivares, he was able to come up with an information and communication and development program aired through the facebook page of the city government, organize the Koronadal City Press Corps duly represented by different local radio stations, and reactivate the Barangay Information Center in the 27 barangays of the city.
“When I assumed office, the City Information Office was not empowered in terms of technical capability. That is why we have to be technically equipped since this is our weapon in order to have an effective and efficient information drive or information dissemination,” Olivares stated.
He also highlighted how the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has recognized the office’s initiatives, particularly the creation of the Barangay Information Office (BIO).
“Even the DILG has recognized us since this is the first time that we have organized a Barangay Information Office. The BIO is very useful, especially that the barangays are having a hard time disseminating information to their constituents. That’s why we grabbed this opportunity.
Upon his recommendation, the BIO was reactivated through an Executive Order issued by the mayor. Olivares saw this as an opportunity to reach out to the grassroots level as this is an effective way to empower the barangays and to be aligned with the Barangay Empowerment Program, one of the priority programs of Mayor Ogena.
After being satisfied with their responses, the members of the sanggunian decided to vote in secret balloting. The SP unanimously approved their reappointment. Following their agreement, they were given the opportunity to deliver their brief messages. Each of them expressed their appreciation to the sanggunian and assured them that they would continue to improve their services, benefiting both the city government and the people of Koronadal.