Cebu City Hall Opens Over 2,000 Permanent Positions

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CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Cebu City Government is actively seeking qualified individuals to fill more than 2,000 permanent positions at City Hall.


This recruitment drive addresses concerns raised by the Commission on Audit (COA) about the city's heavy reliance on temporary staffing.


A 2023 COA report highlighted 2,311 vacant permanent positions, resulting in P2.192 billion in unused funds.


"That is a priority," said Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia during an interview on August 2.


"The sad reality man gud, sige ta og ilis og administrasyon every three years. Ang employees sa previous administration, inag abot sa bag-o, papha gyud na tanan. That’s why they don’t like to put permanent employees,” he added.


As of December 31, 2023, COA reported that only 1,334 out of 3,645 approved permanent positions were filled, leaving 63.4 percent—2,311 positions—vacant.


With the COA’s findings and the Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) directives, Garcia has instructed the Personnel Selection Board (PSB) to expedite the Cebu City hiring process for regular employees.


“Sige ra na ang Civil Service [Commission] og ingon namo, ‘Pang hire namo og plantilla. Ngano sige mo og pang hire og casual?’ so we are very serious with this,” he said.


Henry Tomalabcad, head of the Human Resource Development Office (HRDO), confirmed that the application process for these positions is now underway and has been streamlined through digital means.


Interested applicants can use the City’s e-PRIME online portal to view job openings and submit their applications.


“So far, 400 plus na ka positions ang na post. 600 na ang applications ang amo na receive,” he said.


He also mentioned that casual and job order personnel are eligible to apply for these permanent positions.


Currently, the city’s workforce comprises 1,321 permanent employees and 2,776 casual staff, as reported by Tomalabcad.


“Confident mi [nga ma fill-upan gyud namo tanan vacant positions] but not this year kay naay process na. Naay days nga need nato e-publish, e-shortlist, exam, then notify, unya interview. Ang usa ka position taas taas og processo,” he said.


Tomalabcad also revealed that the rightsizing initiative proposed by preventively suspended Mayor Michael Rama has been put on hold.


However, he said that the current hiring efforts align with the initiative’s goals, as it aims to reduce temporary positions and focus on filling permanent posts.


“Wala nihatag si acting mayor na ipadyon ang rightsizing but murag ingana na gihapon since once na kining casual mahimong regular, ang mga casual positions na mabiyaan, as much as possible dili na fill-upan aron gamay na ang casual,” he explained.

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