The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) plans to ask lawmakers in Congress to allow President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to “rightsize” or streamline the government bureaucracy to save funds.
DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, in a Super Radyo dzBB interview, said the DBM will be “checking the bureaucracy’s 187 agencies, departments, offices, and bureaus, including government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) — which employ an estimated two million personnel — for redundant or overlapping functions.”
“As of now, we have yet to identify agencies that we can remove or merge but this will include a total of 187 agencies in the government. It also includes GOCCs not covered by the GOCC Governance Act,” she said, in the radio interview. “We want to prepare a proposal for Congress to give the President power to rightsize or reorganize the government agencies.”
The DBM chief said should five percent of public servants will, for example, be affected by the rightsizing plan, the government could save an estimated P14.8 billion annually. This amount, she said, can then be reallocated to other priority projects.
Pangandaman, who earlier vowed to craft a 2023 budget that will promote a broad-based and inclusive economic recovery and growth, said those who will lose their jobs may apply in the new positions that may be opened by the government under the rightsizing program, GMA News reported.
“Those affected will be provided with retooling programs. The Civil Service Commission will be with us here. Those who will retire will be provided with retirement benefits,” she said.
The first two executive orders of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. abolished the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, and the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson.
Senator Chiz Escudero meanwhile said rightsizing in the government “is the right path to take” insofar as the administration is concerned.
He said the government just has to pour in the time to study which positions are redundant or unnecessary. Escudero also noted the government should make sure that those that may be affected are given proper compensation on top of whatever benefits from GSIS to help them get by and start anew amidst these trying economic times.
“I rightsized the Provincial Government too when I sat as Governor not only to save money but also to make the delivery of services more efficient, including ISO 9001-2015 certification of our systems and processes,” related Escudero who then served as governor of Sorsogon before running for senator in the last elections.
Sen.Loren Legarda said she fully supports the proposal of DBM to rightsize the bureaucracy.
In fact, Legarda said she filed a similar measure during the 17th Congress when I was the Senate Finance Chair.
“There are government agencies that have functions that overlap or are redundant,” she said. “This makes them ineffective and inefficient, and these also entail unnecessary expenses.”
According to Legarda, government efforts must be redirected toward carrying out its fundamental duties for the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.
With this, Legarda said she will refile the measure in the 19th Congress and see to its fruition.
For his part, Sen. Sonny Angara said he thinks the call to streamline the bureaucracy has been there for some time and is probably overdue. With Macon Ramos-Araneta
