VP Duterte backs rightsizing of bureaucracy, but not anytime soon

FILE PHOTO: Vice President Sara Duterte. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte has expressed support for the proposed rightsizing of the bureaucracy, but she does not see it happening soon.

Earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s economic team favored the recommendation to rightsize the bureaucracy to remove redundant, ineffective, and inefficient government bodies which could help save funds.

While Duterte expressed support for the proposal, she said it might not happen right away.

“I don’t see it happening in the short term dahil mahirap po mag-rightsize ng buong government. Nahirapan nga kami sa doon sa LGU (local government unit) namin, all the more dito na buong national government,” Duterte, former Davao City mayor, said in an ambush interview in Manila.

(I don’t see it happening in the short term because downsizing is difficult. We struggled in our LGU, all the more here in the national government.)

“But, I think it’s a good direction sa ating Pangulo para po nare-review natin kung lahat ba nung mga empleyado at lahat ng mga posisyon ay useful siya doon sa mga agencies and offices,” she added.

(But, I think it’s a good direction for our President to review if all employees and positions are helpful to the agencies and offices.)

Duterte, the concurrent Education chief, was asked if positions in the Department of Education would be affected by the proposed rightsizing.

She answered: “Hindi pa po ganyan ka-in depth ang discussion sa rightsizing. It was just initially sinabi ng pangulo na i-explore po para sa gobyerno.”

(The discussion on rightsizing is not that in-depth yet. The President just initially said to explore the proposal for the government.)

Senators have also expressed support for the proposed rightsizing to improve the government’s efficiency.

/MUF/abc