BAGUIO CITY – Mayor-elect Benjamin Magalong assured that his management style at City Hall will not mirror his military background but instead will gear towards establishing a good rapport with the employees.
“Don’t think that just because I came from the military, I will run things the same way because I intend to do it in a different way,” he told heads of the city departments in a briefing last June 18.
He said he does not want employees to feel uptight around him but wants them “working inspired, motivated, incentivized and professionally cared for.”
“I don’t want people jumping and running as I call on them. I want them to feel that they can approach me anytime. Believe me, we will have a good relationship,” he said.
City Human Resource Management Officer Agustin Laban said the city government has a total of 1,721 employees in its 18 departments distributed as follows: 16 elected, 58 co-terminus, 1,260 career, 387 casual and 166 job order employees.
During the briefing, Magalong urged Laban to facilitate the filling up of vacant positions as well as the promotion of deserving employees.
“Let’s promote them and let’s not delay. I have no issue with old employees as long as they are competent and they have the skills and leadership,” he told Laban.
To the department heads, Magalong urged a shift to a more strategic approach in handling the city’s affairs.
He explained that government service being an unproductive enterprise limits chances for a leader to become proactive and thus ends up being reactive but in his administration, he wants department heads to adopt a strategic mindset.
“I want you all to think ahead and move forward,” he said.
The briefing where Mayor Mauricio Domogan and the department heads informed Magalong and his staff members of the processes, status of existing programs and future plans of each department was in preparation for the new mayor’s take-over on June 30.
To follow through, Magalong requested the conduct of an initial joint executive-legislative meeting on his first day of office on July 1 where more comprehensive presentations will be made by the Local Finance Committee on the financial status of the city, by the City Planning and Development Office on the development plans and the City Buildings and Architecture Office and the City Engineering Office on the infrastructure works.
They will also discuss expiring contracts of third party service providers like the security service and garbage hauling.
He said the joint meeting will be done weekly to make the relationship between the executive and the legislative departments a transparent one.
By Aileen P. Refuerzo