Local News: On Capitol’s Reorganization: Committee, Consultants to Harmonize Recommendations

The Committee on Total Reorganization of the Provincial Capitol and CPRM Consultants, which was hired to evaluate its staffing, will meet this Friday to "harmonize" their outputs before submitting them to Governor Alfredo Maranon Jr.

Provincial Administrator Enrique Pinongan, a member of the committee, said Monday that CPRM has submitted its recommendation two weeks ago.

Quezon City-based CPRM Consultants was hired by the Provincial Capitol in September last year for P1.6 million to conduct an assessment of the functions of Capitol departments and employees.

CPRM Consultants conducted a study for four months, or from September to December last year. The purpose of a total reorganization is to have a more effective, efficient, and economical bureaucracy through streamlining, Pinongan explained.

Pinongan said they will discuss the recommendations of CPRM on which departments or offices should be merged or abolished, or employees to be transferred to which department, so that they will have only one agreed output to be presented to the governor.

After the Friday meeting, they will then meet with the department heads to also discuss the outputs.

The Committee on Total Reorganization was created by the governor through an executive order, Pinongan added.

The said committee is chaired by Board Member Miller Serondo, chairman of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) Committee on Personnel and Human Resource, and is composed by Pinongan, assistant provincial legal officer Mary Ann Lamis, provincial accountant Lucille Pines, Provincial Budget Officer Jose Percival Salado Jr., and consultant Roy Balicas as members, Pinongan said.

If the governor is amenable to the said recommendations, he will submit it to the SP for approval, Pinongan said.

Once the SP approves it, the reorganization will take effect, he said.

After that, the governor will then create a Placement Committee to "take charge in placing the right man for the right position," Pinongan said.

He said CPRM had informed the governor of the initial results of the study.

Marañon earlier said "not more than 10 percent" of the total number of Provincial Capitol employees will be affected, since there will be "sections" that will be abolished or merged.

But those who will be retrenched can avail of early retirement, he added.*