MANILA, Philippines – Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) OIC-Secretary Emmanuel Leyco pushed for the regularization of contractual employees in department, in the face of government rightsizing talks.

In his speech during the 67th anniversary celebration of DSWD, Leyco said on Friday, February 2, that Contract-of-Service (COS) and Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) employees under projects should be regularized, as their work is not among “temporary interventions.”

“Meron sa kanilang mga 10 taon, 15, 20. Samakatuwid, kung kinakailangan natin sila taun-taon, sila ay permanenteng pangangailangan ng DSWD. (There are COS and MOA employees serving for 10 years, 15, or 20. Therefore, if we need them yearly, they are a permanent need for DSWD),” Leyco said.

He noted that the projects of COS and MOA employees are not simply short-term interventions. Poverty, disasters, and national emergencies, after all, always require their department’s services. (READ: Contractual frontliners fear losing jobs in proposed gov’t rightsizing)

“We need to declare that our interventions are permanent – giving social protection and quick relief to our citizens – because we should always be ready to respond to their needs. If that is so, employees and officials of the DSWD should be regular employees,” Leyco said in Filipino.

Leyco said that the department will study the permanent interventions of DSWD and look at which tasks require regularization in 2019. “We will ask the higher levels of government to make them regular employees,” he said.

Recognition

On Friday, DSWD conferred awards on long-standing employees of the department across the country – both permanent and contractual.

Sixty-eight employees who have rendered 10 to 40 years in the department were given the “Loyalty Award” to acknowledge their commitment in public service.

Meanwhile, 8 COS and MOA employees who have worked for more than 15 years were recognized by the Office of the Secretary as “Gawad Kalihim Awardee,” noting their important role in accomplishing project goals.

The Gawad Kalihim Awards was first introduced in 2017 for the invaluable contributions of employees in continuing the mandate of DSWD.

Laying off

The DSWD is among those with the most number of frontline workers who are under contractual employment arrangements.

Only 10% of DSWD workers are permanent employees while 35% are casual and contractual employees who have no job security but are given benefits like their plantilla counterparts. (READ: Contractual gov’t workers oppose hiring through manning agencies)

Many COS employees fear that they may lose their jobs as rightsizing talks were made a priority measure during President Rodrigo Duterte’s second State of the Nation Adress in July 2017. (READ: 6 priority bills of Duterte in SONA 2017)

Since they do not have security of tenure, their fears grew as House Bill (HB) Number 5707 or the Rightsizing the National Government Act was approved on 3rd and final reading.

Another issuance that they worry about is Joint Circular No. 1, series of 2017 issued by the Civil Service Commission, the Department of Budget and Management, and the Commission on Audit. It orders government agencies to review their structure and identify appropriate manpower needed.

Leyco acknowledged on Friday that there are talks within DSWD employees asking for security of tenure. 

“I hope that the national government recognizes our (employees’) loyalty and hard work by giving security of tenure and ample living wages,” Leyco said.

As of July 2016, around 592,162 persons in the 2.4-million-strong Philippine bureaucracy are under fixed-term arrangements.– Rappler.com