Villanueva to CSC: Let's end endo in government

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva is calling on the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to address the high number of Job Order (JO) and Contract of Service (COS) employees in government and provide them with security of tenure especially if they have civil service eligibility.

"We have been raising the issue of unfilled positions in government during budget hearings since we became a senator in 2016, and the number of JOs and COS workers in government remains a problem. It's about time that we address the issue of contractualization in government," Villanueva said.

He added that while there are 170,688 unfilled government positions, the government has 642,077 employees under JO or COS, representing 26.07% of all government workers.

According to the data from the CSC, the top government agencies with the highest number of JO and COS employees are Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) (22,457), Department of Education (DepEd) (12,465), Department of Health (DOH) (8,188), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) (7,340) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) (5,487).

Data also shows that these agencies have the following unfilled positions: DPWH (3,180), DepEd (47,034), DOH (21,038), DSWD (381) and DENR (2,430).

The Senate Majority Leader noted that despite the high number of unfilled positions in different government agencies, most JO and COS employees are not qualified to apply for a permanent position in government because they do not have any civil service eligibility.

For his part, Villanueva filed Senate Bill No. 568 which will institutionalize the Skills Certificate Equivalency Program (SCEP) and grant civil service eligibility for graduates of technical and vocational education and training courses who are National Certificate (NC) holders issued by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

The Senator, an advocate for workers' rights, also filed Senate Bill No. 131 or the Civil Service Security of Tenure Act which will provide permanent appointment and automatic civil service eligibility to all casual and contractual government employees who have rendered at least five years in service in the national government and six years in the local government units and have at least a satisfactory rating for at least three years.

Villanueva also lauded the move of the CSC to give "preferential rating" for JOs and COS in the next civil service examination which will put into consideration their number of years in service.

"This is a welcome development on the part of the CSC to secure jobs for JO and COS workers in the government. Let's end endo in government once and for all," Villanueva ended.

Tapusin ang endo sa gobyerno, hirit ni Villanueva

Nanawagan si Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva sa Civil Service Commission (CSC) na tugunan ang mataas na bilang ng mga empleyado sa gobyerno na kabilang sa Job Order (JO) at Contract of Service (COS), at gawaran sila ng security of tenure lalo na kung sila ay may civil service eligibility.

"Pag-upo pa lang natin noong 2016 bilang senador, paulit-ulit na nating pinapalitaw kada budget hearing ang isyu na ito ng mga JOs and COS workers sa gobyerno. Panahon na para wakasan ang kontraktwalisasyon sa pamahalaan," sabi ni Villanueva.

Sinabi ng senador na habang ang pamahalaan ay may 170,688 na hindi napupunuang mga posisyon, kasalukuyang naman itong may 642,077 na empleyado sa ilalim ng JO at COS, na kumakatawan sa 26.07% ng kabuuang bilang ng mga manggagawa sa gobyerno.

Ayon sa datos ng CSC, ang mga ahensyang may pinakamataas na bilang ng mga empleyadong JO at COS ay ang Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) (22,457), Department of Education (DepEd) (12,465), Department of Health (DOH) (8,188), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) (7,340), at Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) (5,487).

Lumalabas din sa datos ng CSC na ang mga ahensyang ito ang may pinakamataas na bilang ng mga unfilled positions: DPWH (3,180), DepEd (47,034), DOH (21,038), DSWD (381) and DENR (2,430).

Sinabi ng Senate Majority Leader na bagaman mataas ang bilang ng mga unfilled positions sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno, hindi naman kwalipikado dito ang karamihan sa mga empleyadong JO at COS sapagkat wala silang civil service eligibility

Kaugnay nito, naghain si Villanueva ng Senate Bill No. 568 na nagtatatag ng Skills Certificate Equivalency Program (SCEP) na nagkakaloob ng civil service eligibility para sa mga graduate ng technical and vocational education and training courses na may National Certificate (NC) mula sa Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Bilang tagapagsulong ng kapakanan ng mga manggagawa, nag-file din ang senador ng Senate Bill No. 131 o Civil Service Security of Tenure Act na nagbibigay ng permanenteng appointment at automatic civil service eligibility sa lahat ng kaswal at kontraktwal na empleyado sa pamahalaan na nanilbihan ng hindi bababa sa limang taon sa national government, at hindi bababa sa anim na taon sa mga local government units, na may satisfactory rating o mas mataas pa sa nagdaang tatlong taon ng serbisyo.

Pinuri naman ni Villanueva ang pagbibigay ni CSC ng "preferential rating" para sa mga empleyadong JO at COS sa susunod na civil service examination, na may konsiderasyon sa bilang ng taon ng serbisyo. "This is a welcome development on the part of the CSC to secure jobs for JO and COS workers in the government. Tapusin na natin ang endo sa gobyerno," sabi ni Villanueva.