TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—If Capitol employees got terminated in the past weeks, it had everything to do with operation of law and nothing else.
This sums up the explanation given by Provincial Human Resource Management and Development Officer (PHRMDO) Anne Mariquit D. Oppus, during an interview.
A few weeks ago, instead of respecting the Capitol’s mourning over the death of Vice Governor Dionisio Victor Balite, Capitol critics took on the situation and spun rumors on social media about Capitol ‘doing nothing’ or of the ‘Capitol’s hand’ in the alleged termination of employees at the SP.
The subject “terminated employees,” however, turned out to be those workers who were appointed co-terminus and to confidential trust positions of the VGO and SP offices, according to Oppus, who used to be Capitol’s Chief of Staff.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) in its Omnibus Rules on Appointments and Other Human Resources Actions (ORAOHRA) in Rule 4 D defines co-terminus appointments as those issued to persons whose tenure is limited to a period specified by law or whose continuity in the service is based on the trust and confidence of the appointing officer.
In the case of the Legislative Staff Assistants (LSA) of the SP and the few workers appointed to trust positions in the VGO, their positions are co-terminus with the appointing authority, she said.
These are the 16-18 employees whose appointments were signed by the Vice Governor, and when he assumed the vacant Office of the Governor due to a preventive suspension, Balite has to also relinquish the power as Legislative branch head to Acting Vice governor Tita Baja.
In short, these workers are technically ending their services with the death of the appointing officer, and could however be retained at the discretion of the next appointing officer, hinted the Capitol human resource officer.
Meanwhile, as Acting Vice Governor Tita Baja, when she sat into the office as acting Vice Governor also needed to bring in her trusted workers who has her confidence, knowing that sensitive nature of the job.
While the employees were waiting for the proper official to sign their continued employment if in case they still enjoyed the trust of the appointing official, by operation of law, the acting vice governor would need to sit in office and wait for 30 working days before she can be given the authority to sign for appointments.
As Acting Governor Balite who apparently was so stressed in his new job, succumbed to an ailment that would lead him to his death, necessary adjustments have to happen again.
In his death, the acting vice governor Baja moves again to fill the vacancy, opening the also vacant VGO seat to Board Member and now acting vice governor Vinzencio Arcamo.
With the vice governor’s death, it would be incumbent upon the acting vice governor to sign or appoint new employees who enjoy the officials’ trust and confidence while serving within the appointing official’s term, Oppus explained.
But, before acting Vice Governor Arcamo could even warm his seat as acting VG, the Ombudsman reinstated Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado.
The development again allows acting governor Tita Baja to slide down to be the new vice governor; and consequently sends acting Vice Governor Arcamo back to the Sangguniang Panalawigan’s senior board member position.
So what happens to the workers whose contracts were not signed yet?
Other than the trust positions where the new vice governor has to pick her man who has her confidence, the rest of the LSAs which still enjoys the confidence of their legislators, can hope to have their reappointments signed within 30 working days again after VG Tita Baja has served for 30 days. (PIABohol)
