Making an example

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

The mayor’s sacking of two regular employees of the city, traffic aides, who were found guilty of the administrative charges filed against them, should be taken as a warning by all city hall employees who have come to assume that the jobs they are holding are rewards for their political affiliation and are being negligent in the duties and responsibilities of the jobs that they hold.

Traffic Aides 1 Arnel Mondejar and Germale Federico were dismissed for unauthorized absences, falsification, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.  The formal administrative investigation found the erring traffic aides guilty of having not only committed unauthorized absences, but they made matters worse by indicating in their daily time records that they were present so they were able to receive their salaries even on those days that they were absent.

It takes political will to remove non-performing assets from the city’s roster of employees, but it is a task that must be done routinely and consistently if the employees of any city are to provide its citizens and taxpayers with the best possible service. 

In this particular case, getting rid of traffic aides that do not even show up for work while expecting to get paid is a good start.  We hope the example made by the dismissal of those erring traffic aides sends the right message to all city government employees who have been slacking off at work. 

The leadership of this city can start with easy issues, absenteeism and habitual tardiness, and once they have that solved, maybe they can move on to more complex issues like the effectiveness and efficiency of city government employees and the services that they are supposed to render.*