Senatorial candidate Benjamin Abalos Jr. delivers a message to Quezon City employees.
Former Interior Secretary and senatorial candidate Benjamin 鈥淏enhur鈥� Abalos Jr. vowed to push for legislation that will boost the compensation and take-home pay of all contract and job order workers in the government.
Abalos pledged to craft policies granting gratuity pay and incentives to all of these contract and job order workers.
Unlike regular government employees holding permanent, casual, temporary, co-terminus positions, job order and contract-of-service (COS) workers do not receive standard employment benefits, according to Abalos.
As a former mayor of Mandaluyong, Abalos witnessed the struggles of Job Order (JO) employees.
鈥淚n local government and even in the national government, we have what we call regular employees, casual, contractual and job order. There are four categories,鈥� said Abalos.
鈥淏ut when it comes to benefits, the latter two are particularly disadvantaged with minimum benefits,鈥� he lamented.
鈥淓very Christmas, I feel sorry for JO workers because they receive nothing. You know that, even those in contract-of-service receive nothing as well,鈥� he said.
Citing data from the Department of Budget and Management, job order and contract-of-service employees make up 29% of the government workforce.
Over 580,000 work in local government units and about 173,227 in various national government agencies.
鈥淜aya kung minsan, sariling pera mo na lang ang ibinibigay para lang may karagdagang panghanda sa Pasko ang mga JO employees. Kasi kung hindi, lahat may bonus, pero sila, uuwi nang wala,鈥� he said.
(Sometimes, you have to use your own money just to help JO employees prepare for Christmas. Because if not, everyone else gets bonuses, but they go home with nothing.)
These workers remain ineligible for bonuses and security of tenure, unlike regular and casual employees due to regulations set by the Department of Budget and Management and the Commission on Audit, Abalos noted.
鈥溾�榊an unang-una kong gagawin 鈥� magsusumite ng batas para sa pagkakaloob ng gratuity at incentive pay para sa mga JO sa gubyerno, para hindi na magkaroon ng problema pa kailangan magkaroon ng batas,鈥� Abalos explained.
(That鈥檚 the first thing I will do 鈥� I will file a bill for the provision of gratuity and incentive pay for JO workers in government.)
鈥淜asi kahit gusto ng mayor, kung walang pondo at hindi pinapayagan ng Commission on Audit at DBM, hindi sila pwedeng maglabas ng pondo baka mademanda pa siya,鈥� he explained.
(Because even if the mayor wants to help, without funding and approval from the Commission on Audit and DBM, he cannot release funds or he might face legal issues.)
Among national agencies, the Department of Public Works and Highways employs the highest number of contract-of-service (COS) and job order (JO) workers at 29,275.
This number is followed by the Department of Health with 18,264; the Department of Education with 15,143; the Department of Social Welfare and Development with 13,770; and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources with 10,990.
Abalos cited data from the DBM in 2023.