A RANKING member of the Representatives has lauded President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s move to extend the employment of contractual workers in the government service whose contracts are due to expire in December this year.
“Napakaagang pamasko ito para sa ating mga COS (contract of service) at JO (job orders) sa pamahalaan. Marami-raming mga kababayan natin ang makikinabang sa direktibang ito. Ngayon, makapagtatrabaho sila nang walang pangamba na pagkatapos ng taon ay mawawalan sila ng kabuhayan (This is a very early Christmas for our COSs and JOs in government. Many of our countrymen will benefit from this directive. Now, they can work without fear that by the end of the year, they will lose their livelihood), “ said Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles, chairman of the House Committee on Labor and Employment.
The President’s move was seen to benefit around 832,812 COS and JO employees who comprise 29.68 percent (as of June 30, 2023) of the government workforce. The figure marks a 29.71-percent increase from 2022.
Nograles also expressed his full support for the President’s pronouncement for government agencies to develop COS and JO workers’ skills and capabilities by re-educating and training them with the help of higher learning institutions, and enabling them to pass the civil service examination.
“Of course, we want our civil service to be composed of competent people who are able to fulfill the unique demands of public service.”
“Kung mabibigyan ng karampatang training ang ating mga JO at COS, mabibigyan sila ng pagkakataon na makuha ang mga plantilla positions na nahihirapan rin tayong punuin (If our JOs and COS can be given competent training, they will be given the opportunity to get the plantilla positions that we also have difficulty filling),” Nograles said.
Allowing JO and COS employees to attain plantilla positions would eliminate their precarious situation, as they would be entitled to various benefits not otherwise granted to temporary employees such as insurance and leave benefits, Nograles added.
COS refers to the engagement of the services of an individual, private firm, other government agency, non-government agency, or international organization as a consultant, learning service provider, or technical expert to undertake a special project or job within a specific period.
Meanwhile, JO, refers to piece-work (pakyaw), intermittent or emergency jobs to be undertaken for a short duration and for a specific piece of job.
The five national government agencies with the highest number of COS and JO workers are the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), 29,275; Department of Health (DOH), 18,264; Department of Education (DepEd), 15,143; Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), 13,770; and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), 10,990.