Hundreds of Davao street sweepers fear job loss

DAVAO CITY, Philippines –Hundreds of street sweepers in the country’s largest city expressed fear that they may lose their jobs due after the Commission on Audit (COA) questioned the huge number of contractual and job order workers hired by the city government.

Street sweeper Teresita Bughaw, a member of the city’s pool of cleanliness and maintenance workers for the past 14 years, is among those who have expressed fear that the city government may trim down the number of employees under contract of service and job order in response to the COA report.

COA has questioned Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for hiring 11,246 contractual workers in 2014 which cost the city coffers P708 million. 

Bughawis works from 4 am to 11 am cleaning the two-kilometer stretch of public road from Catalunan Grande Barangay Hall to Maharlika Highway ending at the Diversion Road.

“Nahadluk mi paggawas sa report ngagi question dawang daghan nga trabahante, basin hinoon tanggalon mi, wala na jud mi trabaho, unsama hitabo sa among pamilya?Ang akong anak makaundangug eskwela?” a teary-eyed Bughaw said.

(We are afraid when we learned that the hiring of employees is being questioned now. We might lose our job, what will happen to our family? Our children might be forced stop schooling.)

Bughaw used to work at the Monte Maria Poultry Farm, which was shut down by the city government after the company was found to have violated a local environment law. The city government absorbed the displaced workers, including Bughaw.

Bughaw receives a P6,600 monthly pay, spent on the basic needs and education of her 5 children. Her husband is a jeepney driver, but not on a regular basis.

No space for more plantilla workers

Marcelino Escalada, officer-in-charge of the City Planning and Development Planning Office (CPDO), said the local government “cannot hire security personnel, traffic enforcers and those in solid waste management specially the sweet sweeper and garbage collectors as plantilla workers.”

“[This is] because the city might hit the 45% ceiling for personnel services as prescribed by the Department of Budget and Management, that will deplete the funds of the city,” said Escalada, who was chief of the City Human Resource Management Office (CHRMO) for 10  years.

Escalada said the payment for the job order and contract of services are drawn from the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses of the hiring offices.

Erwin Alparaque, the new CHMRO chief, said the local government has put in place a “clear policy” in the hiring of employees under job order or contract of services or Civil Service Memorandum Circular No. 020790.

Alparaque said the persons that the LGU prioritizes for such work are single parents, rebel returnees and “those who need government interventions.”

Lielani Parel, Chief Human Resources Specialist of Civil Service Commission (CSC) XI said: “Job orders and contractual employees are not considered government employees. They are hired based on specific works which need to be done and the general rule is that their salaries are taken from the MOOE but on how it is disbursed, it is the COA which determines.”

Duterte earlier brushed off the COA report, saying that he knows how many workers the city needs. “I can hire 20,000 employees depending on the need of my city. I am the mayor here. For as long as the money does not go to my pocket, and my people are working.” – Rappler.com