The recent Commission on Audit (COA) report on General Santos City’s employment practices raises urgent questions about how public resources are being managed—and whether residents are truly getting the services they pay for.
COA’s 2024 audit report revealed that the city, under Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao, hired a staggering 3,296 casual and job order workers, a 47.67 percent increase from 2,232 in 2021. Expenditures on these temporary workers reached ₱505 million in 2024—funds that, according to the audit, could have supported permanent positions, promoting job security, professional growth, and the retention of only necessary personnel.
Yet, for many residents, this surge in hiring does not translate into better city services. Garbage collection is inconsistent, streets remain littered, traffic snarls persist, and local offices often fail to provide efficient services. With such glaring gaps, citizens naturally wonder: Are these job orders really necessary, or are they masking inefficiency and mismanagement?
COA’s concerns are clear. Despite an approved plantilla of 3,295 positions, only 1,750 were filled. The heavy reliance on job order and casual workers casts doubt on the propriety and regularity of ₱505 million in salary disbursements. COA does not flag these issues lightly; their findings suggest that there are genuine risks of misallocation of public funds.
The city government, however, insists that reforms have addressed COA’s observations. According to LGU GenSan, corrective actions—including hiring policies, defined job descriptions, and partial regularization of job order workers—have been completed and reported to COA. While these steps are commendable on paper, transparency and accountability are not just about reports—they are about visible, tangible improvements in the lives of residents.
The stark disconnect between the city’s massive workforce and the quality of services on the ground highlights a deeper issue: Citizens are paying for manpower they rarely see making a meaningful difference. Whether it’s through inefficient garbage collection, slow local office transactions, or unresolved traffic problems, the public experience suggests that something is amiss.
COA’s audit should serve as a wake-up call. It is not enough for local officials to assert compliance; residents have a right to see results. The city must go beyond memos and circulars, demonstrating real, measurable service improvements. This includes ensuring that job orders and casual workers are strategically deployed, monitored, and held accountable for outputs that directly impact citizens’ daily lives.
Public trust in government is fragile. Spending hundreds of millions on temporary staff without corresponding improvements in city services erodes that trust, regardless of official clarifications. For General Santos City to truly progress, transparency must go hand in hand with efficiency, accountability, and service that the public can see and feel.
The COA report is not merely a bureaucratic formality—it is a mirror reflecting how taxpayer money is being used. And for GenSan, it is a mirror that shows the city has work to do, beyond hiring figures, to prove that public service is more than just a payroll.