FILE PHOTO: Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos. Screengrab from Pandesal Forum
MANILA, Philippines — Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was planning to fill up the 180,000 available plantilla posts in the government if he wins in this year’s polls.
According to him, there are currently around 600,000 to 700,000 job order workers in the government despite the high number of vacant plantilla positions.
“May 180,000 unfilled plantillas kaya unahin natin iyong punuin at ayusin tapos silang mga job order workers sa national at LGUs (local government units) ay sisikapin din nating ma-regular nang naaayon sa pondo ng pamahalaan at itinatadhana ng batas,” Marcos said in a statement Thursday.
(There are 180,000 unfilled plantilla posts so we need to fill those up first and those hired job orders in the national and LGU levels have to be regularized depending on government funds and what the law prescribes.)
According to Marcos, regularization is a major issue not just for the private sector, but also for workers in the government “because some of them are only hired through job orders or contracts of service for one reason or another.”
Marcos pointed out that many government job order workers, especially those in the LGUs, are only earning around P10,000 per month. They also do not have the benefits received by workers on permanent status, he added.
“Iyong minimum wage nga natin mababa na, tapos mayroon pa palang mas mababa diyan at ang masaklap sila pa iyong nagsisilbi sa bayan bilang mga manggagawa ng pamahalaan,” he said.
(Our minimum wage is already low and you will see it’s even lower for some workers. What’s worse is they are the ones who are serving the country by working in the government.)
“Hindi ko lubos maisip kung paano nakakaraos ang ating mga JO workers ngayon. Aayusin natin iyan para naman maging masaya rin ang kanilang pamilya,” he added.
(I cannot imagine how our job order workers are getting by now. We will fix that so their families can be happy.)
Marcos said he plans to propose a law for government workers under job orders or contracts who consistently receive “excellent performance evaluations” for at least three consecutive years to be given the chance to be hired as permanent employees.
“Kung maganda naman ang kanilang rekord sa trabaho at consistent ang outstanding performance ratings, baka puwede na silang gwing regular kahit wala pang kaukulang eligibility,” Marcos said.
(If their work records are good and their outstanding performance ratings are consistent, then maybe we can make them regular even if they have not achieved eligibility.)
RELATED STORY
More than 13K contractual, job order workers in QC to receive health plans