Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto. INQUIRER.net file photo / RYAN LEAGOGO
MANILA, Philippines — Fifty-three individuals, who are working as contractual employees in Pasig City Hall for more than 20 years, are now enjoying regular employment status.
“Kahapon lamang, 53 ang empleyadong na-regularize natin! Lahat sila, kwalipikado, at higit pa rito, MAHIGIT 20 TAON nang casual sa City Hall,” Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
(Just yesterday, 53 employees were regularized. Everyone is qualified and aside from this, these casual employees have been working for more than 20 years at the City Hall.)
Sotto said this as he featured one of the employees at the Pasig City Hall, Roberto Rodrigo, who was recently regularized after being under contractual status for 43 years.
The 30-year-old mayor underscored that there was no politics involved in his decision to regularize more than 50 workers.
“Pinapatay natin ang palakasan o “patronage” sa pamahalaan. [We are stopping patronage system in the government],” Sotto said.
He also cited reports that some workers are scared that their employment contract will not be renewed if they will vote for the “opponent” during local elections in Pasig.
“Dati, lagi silang tinatakot na makikita kung sino ang binoboto nila at di na sila ire-renew kapag dun sila sa ‘kalaban,’ [Some workers are scared that their votes will be revealed and that their contracts won’t be renewed if they vote for the rival candidate],” Sotto said.
“Ngayon, wala nang ganitong takutan. Nagsimula na rin tayo sa regularisasyon ng mga kawani nating kwalipikado, para sa seguridad at dignidad sa trabaho,” he added.
(There will be no threats anymore. We will start the regularization of our qualified workers to ensure their job security.)