Rama Sacks 7 City Hall Workers

●City Official said the termination came after some members of the City Council criticized the Mayor for not complying with his public announcement.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama made true with his public announcement that he does not like to work with drug addicts as he ordered the termination of the seven City Hall casual workers who had been found positive of illegal drugs.

The seven casual workers had been found positive when the City Office for Substance- Abused Prevention (COSAP) conducted surprise drug tests to the personnel of some City Hall departments last month.

Lawyer Dominic Diño, head of the City Hall’s Human Resource Development Office (HRDO), announced the termination of said casual employees after some of members of the City Council criticized Mayor Michael Rama for not complying with his public announcement.

It was COSAP head Alice Utlang who announced in last Wednesday’s session of the City Council that the nine City Hall employees who had been found positive of illegal drugs during surprise drug test are still working at the City Hall.

Diño told MetroCebuNews that said casual workers were already terminated a few weeks ago.

“Pito ra ka casuals ang gipaundang sa ilang trabaho, wala pa ko makadawat sa rekomendasyon sa laing duha ka kawani nga giingong napositibo ‘sab sa drug test,” Diño said.

The mayor said he has a standing order to his subordinate officials that whoever will be found positive of illegal drugs they will be terminated immediately if they are casuals, but if they are regular workers these workers will be given due process.

There are close to 5,000 City Hall workers, but so far only few of them had been subjected to surprise drugs testing.