Recto raps gov't agencies for failing to hire enough personnel
Published Jul 10, 2019 01:38 pm
By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto on Wednesday scored government agencies over their lack of personnel despite the additional resources already allotted by Congress.
Senator Ralph Recto (JOHN JEROME GANZON / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Once the proposed 2020 national budget reaches the Senate, Recto said the chamber will scrutinize not only the implementation of government projects, but also how fast the agencies are hiring much-needed personnel, such as teachers, policemen, health personnel and engineers.
While lawmakers traditionally focus “on problems in project implementation, of equal importance are the delays in personnel hiring,” the Senate leader said.
“One can rapidly build classrooms or hospitals, but if there is a lack of teachers and nurses, then there is a mismatch in available infrastructure and human resources. That can also be said of roads, if we have the funds but lack the engineers to build them,” he added.
Recto lamented that "personnel hiring in government has always been hobbled by red tape, lack of qualified applicants and delays in the release of funds," resulting in some 246,596 job vacancies in government in the end of 2018.
He cited, for instance, the Philippine National Police (PNP), which reported almost 26,000 policemen positions vacant in the middle of last year.
"If all of these positions are filled, and distributed equally to the country's 1,489 towns, each will have an additional 17 policemen. If 20 percent of the slots will be allotted to cities, each will receive 35 new policemen,” Recto pointed out.
Based on the 2019 national budget, the PNP was expected to will create 10,000 new positions, while the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, 2,000; and the Bureau of Fire Protection 3,000.
At the Department of Education (DepEd), some P32 billion had been included in its 2019 budget to, among others, “fill up vacancies and create new teaching positions."
The DepEd, Recto said, is still grappling with surge of new hires required by the additional school years mandated by the K-to-12 program.
Citing government data, he said that the DepEd received funding for 188,078 teacher items from April 2016 to August 2018, but only 114,019 had been filled as of September last year.
"So mayroong natira na mga 74,000 pa. I hope that their catch up resulted in the hiring of 75,000 more teachers since then. Or at least malaki nabawas sa backlog, because this year, dinagdagan pa ‘yan ng 10,000 new positions,” he appealed.
The Department of Health (DOH), meanwhile, has also been given P8.6 billion to retain or recruit 435 doctors, 15,893 nurses, 324 dentists, 441 medtechs, 4,000 midwives, and 3,508 other health workers under its Human Resources for Health (HRH) Deployment program.
Recto also noted the shortage of positions requiring technical expertise, particularly for the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program.
The Department of Public Works and Highways was reported placing at 1,500 the number of engineers it needs.
The plan to build multiple rail lines in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, including a subway in Metro Manila, would need at least 30,000 workers, Recto said.
"What I mentioned are for new positions. Agencies do not require congressional authority for the replacement of the holder of the position who has resigned, retired, was fired, separated from, or died in office,” Recto said.
Senator Ralph Recto (JOHN JEROME GANZON / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Once the proposed 2020 national budget reaches the Senate, Recto said the chamber will scrutinize not only the implementation of government projects, but also how fast the agencies are hiring much-needed personnel, such as teachers, policemen, health personnel and engineers.
While lawmakers traditionally focus “on problems in project implementation, of equal importance are the delays in personnel hiring,” the Senate leader said.
“One can rapidly build classrooms or hospitals, but if there is a lack of teachers and nurses, then there is a mismatch in available infrastructure and human resources. That can also be said of roads, if we have the funds but lack the engineers to build them,” he added.
Recto lamented that "personnel hiring in government has always been hobbled by red tape, lack of qualified applicants and delays in the release of funds," resulting in some 246,596 job vacancies in government in the end of 2018.
He cited, for instance, the Philippine National Police (PNP), which reported almost 26,000 policemen positions vacant in the middle of last year.
"If all of these positions are filled, and distributed equally to the country's 1,489 towns, each will have an additional 17 policemen. If 20 percent of the slots will be allotted to cities, each will receive 35 new policemen,” Recto pointed out.
Based on the 2019 national budget, the PNP was expected to will create 10,000 new positions, while the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, 2,000; and the Bureau of Fire Protection 3,000.
At the Department of Education (DepEd), some P32 billion had been included in its 2019 budget to, among others, “fill up vacancies and create new teaching positions."
The DepEd, Recto said, is still grappling with surge of new hires required by the additional school years mandated by the K-to-12 program.
Citing government data, he said that the DepEd received funding for 188,078 teacher items from April 2016 to August 2018, but only 114,019 had been filled as of September last year.
"So mayroong natira na mga 74,000 pa. I hope that their catch up resulted in the hiring of 75,000 more teachers since then. Or at least malaki nabawas sa backlog, because this year, dinagdagan pa ‘yan ng 10,000 new positions,” he appealed.
The Department of Health (DOH), meanwhile, has also been given P8.6 billion to retain or recruit 435 doctors, 15,893 nurses, 324 dentists, 441 medtechs, 4,000 midwives, and 3,508 other health workers under its Human Resources for Health (HRH) Deployment program.
Recto also noted the shortage of positions requiring technical expertise, particularly for the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program.
The Department of Public Works and Highways was reported placing at 1,500 the number of engineers it needs.
The plan to build multiple rail lines in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, including a subway in Metro Manila, would need at least 30,000 workers, Recto said.
"What I mentioned are for new positions. Agencies do not require congressional authority for the replacement of the holder of the position who has resigned, retired, was fired, separated from, or died in office,” Recto said.