JULY 6, 2011

NR # 2457B

Solon wants government contractualization investigated

A party-list solon has asked the House Committee on Civil Service and Professional Regulation to investigate the institutionalized practice of contractualization in government service, which undermines job security and service tenure of government employees. In House Resolution 1174, Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano also wanted the committee chaired by Rep. Andres Salvacion Jr. (3rd District, Leyte) to determine the possible culpability of the national government and other concerned authorities for the spread of institutionalized contractualization and other forms of labor flexibilization. To justify his move, Mariano cited data from the Civil Service Commission showing an increase in the number of non-career personnel in government service from 159,887 in 2008 to 161,146 in the 2nd quarter of 2010. Casual employees comprised 60.8 percent or 97,951 personnel of the 2010 figures, while contractual and co-terminus employees totaled 21,315 or 13.2 percent and 19,624 or 12.2 percent, respectively, Mariano said. Majority of the non-career personnel are found in the national government offices, government-owned-and-controlled corporations and the local government units, Mariano said. While there was a noted increase in the number of non-career personnel-casuals, contractual and co-terminus employees, job orders (JOs), Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) status of employment and others, the CSC also observed separations in the non-career service were dominated by casual employees, he said. These casual employees totaled 144 or 53.3 percent of overall separations, while separated co-terminus employees totaled 60 personnel, or 22.2 percent, and separated contractual employees totaled 20 or 7.4 percent, Mariano added. One of the several government offices, which have extensive contractual, casual and other non-permanent appointments that should be investigated, is the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, according to Mariano. Mariano said there are at least 2,000 contractual employees of MMDA that had been terminated from service since February. Another is the Department of Social Welfare and Development where there are more than 2,000 project-based and regular MOA-based employees with no-employeeemployer relationship with the agency, Mariano said. Casual and contractual were renewed based on the availability of positions as of March this year, while vacant casual positions were demolished as of December 2001, Mariano noted. At the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Mariano said at least 200 contractual employees were forced to accept job order status to continue working in government. Thirteen contractual employees from the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Corporate Office, whose length of service spans more than 10 years, were terminated this January, Mariano said. It is the same situation reported at the Intramuros Administration where the 43 casual employees, who have been in service from 13 to 17 years, were downgraded to job

orders, Mariano declared.With this institutionalized practice, the national government implements widespread contractualization and other forms of labor flexibilization, Mariano said in filing the resolution. Mariano wanted the House to conduct the probe to determine not only the extent of contractualization in the bureaucracy and the culpability of government agencies for the contractualization but also its effects on employment, job security and length of service of government employees. (30) mmr