BACOLOD City – Mayor Greg Gasataya has appointed permanent heads for the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) and the City Agriculture Office (CAO) in a move aimed at strengthening public service delivery and improving the implementation of the city’s development programs.
Appointed were Dr. Anna Maria Laarni Pornan as City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer and Maricar Quiro as City Agriculturist, after serving for years as officers-in-charge (OICs) of their respective offices.
Gasataya said the appointments would provide the two offices with stronger leadership and greater authority in implementing the city’s programs and initiatives.
While OICs can oversee day-to-day operations and implement projects, the mayor noted that they have limited authority compared with permanent department heads.
“Now that they have been appointed, I expect them to give their all. If they have been performing well in the past, they should double their efforts in implementing the programs and plans we have for this year and the years ahead,” Gasataya said.
Quiro served as officer-in-charge of the City Agriculture Office for the past three years before receiving her permanent appointment.
Pornan has been serving as Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer IV since March 2021. She assumed the role of OIC of the CDRRMO in April 2026 before being named its permanent head.
Quiro was designated as OIC during the administration of then mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, now Bacolod Lone District representative and House deputy speaker.
Pornan, meanwhile, was designated as OIC during the administration of former mayor Evelio Leonardia.
Gasataya said several City Hall offices remain under officers-in-charge, including the Bacolod Traffic and Transport Management Department (BTTMD) and the Office of the Building Official (OBO).
He expressed confidence that permanent appointments for those offices would also be made once all requirements have been completed.
For the OBO, Gasataya said the appointment process requires compliance with documentary requirements prescribed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“As soon as the necessary documents are complete, there should be no problem with the appointment,” he said./PN
