Checking of attendance during cleanup drives must happen at activities’ end, Rama says

TO INVOLVE more City Hall employees in future cleanup drives, Mayor Michael Rama said the participants must sign the attendance sheets at the end of the activities.Rama said this after the flag-raising ceremony on Monday, March 21, 2022, as there were some employees who left and did not join the citywide coastal and river cleanup activities last Saturday, March 19 after signing the attendance sheets.The mayor said he noticed that the uniforms of these employees were still dirt-free after the clean up.Last Saturday, 657 individuals volunteered: 55 from the Department of Public Works and Highways, 60 from the Environment Management Bureau and 542 from the Cebu City Government.Vice Mayor Donaldo Hontiveros said the quarterly citywide coastal cleanup is conducted based on a city ordinance.He said the Cebu City Government employees are encouraged to join but they are not compelled.Hontiveros said concerning the fronline personnel with night shifts, especially the local disaster unit that he was amazed by their job as they were encouraging as what he saw some of them the night before the activity in AbellanaRama said City Hall workers who did not participate in the said cleanup drive should have conscience if they go there in the area just for the sake of affixing their names on the attendance sheets.Meanwhile, Rama clarified the SunStar Cebu March 19 story that he had warned City Hall employees that he might withhold their annual bonuses if they refused to join in the cleanup activities.The mayor said he had never issued such warning. (GDC)