8 Cebu City Hall employees under probe for 'dishonesty'

CEBU CITY — The City Hall is investigating eight job order (JO) employees for allegedly falsifying their daily time records (DTRs) after security personnel caught four of them carrying multiple timekeeping cards.

The Civil Security Unit (CSU) discovered the irregularity in January while employees were lining up at the City Hall lobbies.

CSU Executive Director Ariel Yburan said security staff caught four employees with extra time cards, which belonged to colleagues who had momentarily stepped away.

The CSU has already submitted an incident report to the city administrator, the Human Resource and Development Office (HRDO), and the Office of the Mayor for action.

HRDO head Henry Tomalabcad confirmed that all eight employees received a memorandum.

He warned that while this is their first recorded offense, a second violation would lead to suspension or dismissal.

He also expressed concern that if JO workers are engaging in time fraud, the issue might be more widespread among casual and regular employees.

City Hall's attendance monitoring system remains vulnerable, as JO workers still rely on manual DTRs instead of biometric logins.

Tomalabcad explained that the biometric system is currently reserved for regular employees.

CSU personnel have struggled to monitor all City Hall offices, according to Yburan.

Some offices, such as the City Health Department and Fort San Pedro, do not have security personnel, making them more susceptible to time fraud.

The CSU itself operates with only 21 members across three shifts, limiting its capacity to oversee attendance records properly.

Frustration has grown among diligent employees, who feel the fraudulent practices create an unfair work environment.

Many workers follow strict schedules, while others take advantage of the system without consequences.

City officials have launched an investigation to determine the full extent of the irregularities. They plan to implement stricter measures, including enhanced surveillance and stricter enforcement, to prevent further abuses.

This scandal follows a similar controversy in June 2024, when then-acting mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia revoked all biometric exemptions after allegations surfaced that a department head was receiving a full salary without reporting to work.

Although Garcia later clarified that exemptions could still be granted with proper justification, the recent discovery highlights ongoing concerns about attendance fraud in the city government.