Cotabato City—Mayor Bruce Matabalao has firmly denied allegations that his administration has been arbitrarily dismissing contractual employees from the Cotabato City government.
In a recent interview with local media, Mayor Matabalao clarified that there are only two legitimate reasons for the termination of contractual employees. First, if their services are no longer needed by the city government, and second, if they fail to perform their duties effectively.
The mayor stressed that these dismissals are not arbitrary and reiterated that, if he were truly dismissing employees without cause, many contractual workers who were already employed when he took office in 2022 would no longer be working for the city.
Mayor Matabalao further explained that some employees who left their positions did so voluntarily. He mentioned that a number of these workers either chose to resign or did not return to their jobs under the assumption that his term as mayor would be short-lived.
In response to the accusations, Mayor Matabalao challenged those making such claims to present concrete evidence supporting their allegations. He maintained that all employment decisions in the city government have been made transparently and in accordance with the needs of the administration.
