The Dumaguete Social Welfare Office no longer needs the services of a casual employee who complained when her contract was not renewed this month, and no department is willing to absorb her, city human resource officer Jun Tenorio said yesterday.

Tenorio said he echoed the statement of Mayor Agustin Perdices on the case of Lorna Ceriales. He said that when her term of employment expired, the contract of Ceriales and two other employees were not renewed.

But because she claimed to be holding “information” against the department head, Marina Mendoza, Tenorio said Perdices challenged Ceriales to prove the allegation. If she can do it, she will be rehired and placed in the City Mayor’s office.

Tenorio also said the mayor said that an employee whose contract has expired will be rehired and “rewarded” if she/he can prove anomalies inside City Hall.

City legal officer Neil Ray Lagahit made it clear that Ceriales was never terminated, and her contract merely expired. The same is true with the two other casual employees, one from the Traffic Management Office and the other from the city library, Lagahit added.

Both Vice Mayor Woodrow Maquiling and Councilor Nilo Sayson said they found it unfair for an employee who had served for 14 years not to have his or her services renewed.

Tenorio, however, said the employment record of Ceriales will show her performance for the past years. He did not elaborate.*JG

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