Senate to review speed of hiring new teachers, cops, health personnel — Recto

MANILA, Philippines — In its review of 2020 national budget proposals, the Senate will scrutinize “how fast” government agencies are hiring teachers, policemen, and health personnel, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said Wednesday.

Recto explained that delays in hiring personnel are important indicators of problems encountered in project implementation.

“One can rapidly build classrooms or hospitals, but if there is a lack of teachers and nurses, then there is a mismatch in available infrastructure and human resources,” Recto said in a statement.

“That can also be said of roads if we have the funds but lack the engineers to build them,” he added.

He noted that based on the 2019 national budget, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is expected to create 10,000 new positions while the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) are expected to generate 2,000 and 3,000 jobs, respectively.

The Department of Health (DOH) has also been given P8.6 billion to retain or recruit 435 doctors, 15,893 nurses, 324 dentists, 441 medical technologists, 4,000 midwives, and 3,508 other health workers under the Human Resources for Health program.

Meanwhile, at the Department of Education (DepEd), around P32 billion were allocated to “fill up vacancies and create new teaching positions,” Recto said.

The Senator, however, noted that government hiring has always been “hobbled by red tape, lack of qualified applicants, and delays in the release of funds.”

Hence, the forecast is that there will be 246,596 job vacancies by the end of 2018, he said.

Citing PNP data, Recto also noted that in the mid-2018, around 26,000 policemen positions were vacant.

DepEd, meanwhile, has received funding for 188,078 teacher items from April 2016 to August 2018. However, only 114,019 positions have been filled up as of September last year.
He also noted a “shortage for positions requiring technical expertise.”

With the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program, which includes building multiple rail lines, the government would need at least 30,000 workers, Recto noted.

He also cited some reports that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) needs 1,500 engineers.

“What I mentioned are for new positions. Agencies do not require congressional authority for the replacement of the holder of the position who has resigned, retired, was fired, separated from, or died in office,” he said. (Editor: Eden Estopace)