Transfer to Clark to cost more, say DOTr employees

A group of employees from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has expressed doubts that the agency would save more from the transfer of its headquarters to Clark, saying rental alone would cost the government more than double what it is paying now.

In a press briefing held by the DOTr employees’ association on Thursday, union president Ulysses de Guzman said the agency currently spends around P21.8 million yearly to maintain its operations at Columbia Tower in Mandaluyong City.

Of this amount, more than P15 million is earmarked for the maintenance and rental of 18 units, while the remaining P6.8 million is for its 58 owned units.

Based on the data the union gathered from Clark Development Corp., De Guzman alleged that the DOTr’s transfer could cause their rental and maintenance cost to soar to at least P50 million.

On top of this, he said that the agency would have to spend more to fuel around 55 vehicles.

Earlier, Assistant Transport Secretary Leah Quiambao said the DOTr would earn around P9.3 million by transferring its headquarters to Clark, 100 kilometers away from Manila. The earnings would come from the lease of the DOTr’s units at Columbia, which the agency has occupied for two decades.

Apart from the financial cost, Beth Lunzaga of the DOTr’s project management service said the transfer of the agency to Clark could also “adversely affect” their families since they would now have to either live far from home or be on the road for most of the day.

As early as last year, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has floated the idea of his agency transferring to Clark in a bid to ease traffic as well as start the process of constructing a new national government center outside the already congested Metro Manila.

However, Lunzaga said Tugade has “not been transparent” and that the DOTr leadership had “no initiative” to inform them of its plans.

The employees’ complaints though appeared to have been too late as Tugade is expected to lead the flag-raising ceremony at the DOTr’s new Clark headquarters on Friday.

DOTr employees will hold a silent protest in the agency on Friday by wearing black shirts or black armbands.

In a statement released to the media on Thursday, Tugade said the DOTr had given its employees “due consideration” by giving such options as free shuttle service, flexible working hours and a four-day workweek.

“We even gave them the option to transfer and be detailed to our attached agencies without demotion in rank or salary,” Tugade said.

Earlier, Quiambao said talks were in progress for a possible subsidy on the employees’ accommodation. Tugade, however, appeared to oppose such subsidy.