By Filane Mikee Cervantes/PNA
MANILA — In a bid to regularize more than 600,000 contractual employees in the government, two party-list lawmakers filed a measure granting civil service eligibility to those who have rendered at least three consecutive years of government service.
Kabayan Party-list Reps. Ron Salo and Paul Hernandez filed on Nov. 20 House Bill 8620, otherwise known as the “Automatic Civil Service Eligibility Act”, which is aimed at the regularization of contractuals, casuals, and job order employees in government. A copy of the bill was sent to House media on Thursday.
Data from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) showed that in 2017, over 660,000 out of the 2.4 million government workers were hired as contractual or casual workers.
Under the bill, government employees who have rendered at least three consecutive years of service, or at least five non-consecutive years, whose appointment status is either contractual, casual, or job order shall be granted civil service eligibility that will qualify them for regular appointment in their current position.
“This legislative measure will provide these employees with all the entitlements as prescribed by law, and give them security of tenure,” the lawmakers said in their explanatory note.
“This will enhance their job motivation, allow them to focus on their jobs, and become even more productive. Ultimately, their regularization will redound to the benefit of the public,” they added.
Salo said the contentious issues involving some contractuals, particularly on meeting educational and hours of training requirements, can be addressed in the implementing rules to be issued by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
“The degree and training hour issues appear to be difficult to address because many of our casuals, contractuals and job orders may lack the same. However, these may be compensated by their experience and actual performance of the functions of the position in which they shall be granted this privilege,” Salo added.
At present, those vying for plantilla positions in government must possess civil service eligibility through passing an examination which is conducted twice a year.
Last week, the CSC, Commission on Audit, and the Department of Budget and Management issued Joint Circular No. 1, series of 2018, allowing government agencies to engage the services of new job order (JO) and contract of service (COS) workers and renew existing contracts of JO and COS workers until December 31, 2020.
It also provides that effective January 1, 2019, the payment of services rendered by JO and COS workers shall be equivalent to the daily wage of comparable positions in government and a premium of up to 20 percent.
