‘I did not remove you’ says Rosal to Job Order workers

By Cet Dematera

Incoming Albay Gov. Noel Rosal announced on Monday, June 27, that he did not remove employees on “job order” (JO) status because it is by operation of law that their services are automatically terminated by July 1.

Rosal, who is turning over to his wife Geraldine the leadership of the Legazpi City government after 18 years of serving as its chief executive, made this clarification following circulating reports that he would remove all the JO employees of Albay upon assuming as the next governor after Gov. Al Francis Bichara officially ends his term of office on July 1.

“Reports that I am removing these job order employees are not correct. It is by operation of law that their services are automatically terminated once the new signing authority of their contracts assumes the gubernatorial post,” Rosal said.

He explained that there is no way for him to remove these JO personnel because he was not the one who hired them.

“I cannot fire them because I was not the one who hired their services on job order status. Their services automatically expire on July 1, or when the new signing authority to job order contracts assumes as the new governor,” Rosal added.

Rosal brushed aside claims by his critics that his first order of the day upon assuming as the new governor is to remove all the JO employees of Albay.

The incoming Albay governor instead told the separated JO workers to apply again to the province should they want to continue their services on a JO status.

“If they want to continue their services under my administration, so be it. They could apply again and the official processes of hiring JO employees would automatically apply to them,” Rosal said.

Rosal won by a large margin of votes as Albay governor against outgoing Gov. Al Francis Bichara in the May 9 local elections.

Rosal served as mayor of Legazpi City from 2001 to 2010, then 2013 to 2022.

In his stewardship as Legazpi City mayor, Rosal received various local, national, and international awards and recognition coming from the private and government sectors.