DECLARING he is open for reconciliation, City Vice Mayor Raineir Joaquin "Kikang" Uy said it is okay to appoint one or two relatives who work as job order employees for a city councilor, but not the entire family members.
Uy, in an interview on Monday, illuminated this point in answer to opposition Councilor Lordan Suan’s claim that he was being singled out by Kikang when there are also other Councilors who employed their family members as JO workers.
Suan earlier said that his recommendation was only based on the advice of "older" councilors who are in the service for years.
In his own research, Suan said he understands that it’s just okay to appoint family members for as long that they’ve been performing confidential functions. However, Uy disagreed.
"Pangutan-a ninyo ang councilor kung naa bay ila, mas maayo sila ang mutubag. Pero okay ra na, isa, o duha, ayaw lang pud tong tibuok pamilya. Wala pud nako siya gi-single out, gitubag lang man nako siya kay siya man ang nag-complain (You can ask them yourselves, it's better that they are the ones who answer. But it is okay if it is only one or two, not the whole family. I did not also single out him, I only answered him, in the first place, he was the one who complained first)," Uy said.
Councilor Romeo Calizo, for example, has two relatives by affinity working for him, but he said he hired them according to their capacity.
"I hired them because they are very much qualified, I really do not have someone (relative by blood) who works for me,” he said.
"I also think it is the councilors’ prerogative to choose whom they should hire who they think could best deliver results for them," Calizo added.
Uy said he is open to reconcile with Suan whom he accused of nepotism.
Uy said as a public servant, he is willing to settle the feud they had which started when Suan submitted a list of his job order employees that included mostly his family members.
"As a public servant, anytime we can reconcile, wala man koy daotan nga gibuhat(I did nothing wrong), wala man ta nangaway, wala man sad ta namersonal, this is just part of our duty (we did not started this, this is not a personal issue, this is part of our duty)," Uy added.
Uy disclosed that since he publicized the list of Suan's job order employees, there were no attempts from Suan's team to talk and sort out the problem with him.
