Casual or contractual employees who have rendered at least five years in government service will have a chance to become regular employees if Senate Bill 234 filed by Sen. Robinhood Padilla is passed into law.
These employees, Padilla said, can avail of the corresponding benefits given to government workers. Padilla’s proposed measure grants civil service eligibility under certain conditions to government employees appointed under casual or contractual service in the career service.
“It is high time that we grant eligibility to our committed casual or contractual employees of the government in order to open opportunities for higher salaried positions, boost their morale and keep them motivated, and enhance their productivity to the benefit of the public,” Padilla said.
“For the longest time, the government has gained notoriety for denying its employees opportunities to be regularized,” he added.
Citing data from the Civil Service Commission, he noted some 660,390 out of 2.4 million government employees in 2017 (27 percent) were under “job order” or “contract of service” status.
“Most of our casual or contractual government employees cannot seek regular employment because they are not civil service eligible,” Padilla lamented.
Covered by the bill are casual or contractual employees occupying first level career civil service positions in the clerical, trades and custodial service involving non-professional or sub-professional work in a non-supervisory or supervisory capacity.
Government employees who will qualify should meet conditions including a certificate of no pending administrative case; and should not have been convicted by final judgment of an offense or crime involving “moral turpitude, disgraceful o immoral conduct, dishonesty, examination irregularity, drunkenness or addiction to drugs.”
They should also not have been dishonorably discharged from the military service or dismissed for cause from any civilian position in the government.
On the other hand, Padilla said there have been special laws, regulations and orders authorizing the CSC to grant eligibility to “qualified individuals” including Bar/Board eligibility, Barangay Health Worker Eligibility, Barangay Nutrition, Scholar Eligibility, Barangay Official Eligibility, Electronic Data Processing Specialist Eligibility, Foreign School Honor Graduate Eligibility, Honor Graduate Eligibility, Sanggunian Member Eligibility, Scientific and Technological Specialist Eligibility, Skills Eligibility Category II, and Veteran Preference Rating.