ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said on Thursday that 225,300 government workers stand to lose their jobs if the Government Rightsizing Bill, which has been approved on the third and final reading on Wednesday, is enacted into law.
“In its first year of implementation, 255,295 government employees will be affected, or 16 percent of the total government bureaucracy,” he said.
Castro’s sentiments were shared by Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao, who said that the bill could result into poor service to the public due to the reduction in the number of government workers.
Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles, author of the bill, had said that his proposal was designed to improve and make the delivery of services more efficient.
Nograles, the House committee on appropriations chairman, said the proposed rightsizing law could give the government a chance to reshape it into a “lean and mean” bureaucracy.
“This measure would correct the overlapping and duplication of functions of our government offices and their staff. This will ensure the long-term sustainability of our government service through resource mobilization and cost effective public expenditure management.”
Nograles added that the measure would cover all agencies of the executive branch, including departments, bureaus, offices, commissions, boards, councils, and all other entities attached to or under their administrative supervisions, government-owned or -controlled corporations not covered by Republic Act No. 10149 or the GOCC Governance Act of 2011.