A business group has strongly supported a proposed bill in the Senate calling for the streamlining of government functions and reducing the “bloated” Philippine bureaucracy.
Jose Luis Yulo Jr., president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands (The Chamber), cited in a statement the proposed Senate Bill No. 244, “Rightsizing the National Government to Improve Public Service Delivery” by Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III as a good move to create a “right size” and efficient government service.
The bill primarily seeks to streamline government functions and reduce the already ‘bloated’ Philippine bureaucracy to enhance the government’s institutional capacity to improve public service delivery.
“The Chamber believes that the aims of the bill should also ensure that the ones who will remain are highly skilled and competent to do their jobs. Be it in work experiences, skills, talents and educational background,” said Yulo.
In the Economic Compass: Five Pillars, an Advocacy pioneered by the Chamber, specifically, Pillar III: The Philippine Government, the Best of the Citizens in the government is given much emphasis.
In relation to the proposed bill, Yulo noted that The Chamber’s Pillar III aims to ensure that those who will be appointed and elected are only those who are best fit to work in the government so that the country can truly practice 12 Principles of Good Governance (available on the internet).
He urged that a Standard Qualifications Template can be used in evaluating appointed and elected officials for easy reference comparison.
“Periodic performance evaluation based on Key Results Required needs also to be done,” he added.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III recently said that the Senate will revive its push to “rightsize” the country’s bureaucracy in light of its “bloated” toll on government resources. It was noted that salaries and benefits of government workers already take up about 33 percent of the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021.
Sotto said at the start of the plenary debates on the budget bill, that at P1.3 trillion, personal services (PS) – workers’ salaries and benefits – take up more than 60% of programmed appropriations in the proposed 2021 national budget.
Senator Sonny Angara, finance panel chief and the budget bill’s sponsor, also noted that PS accounts for about 33 percent of the P4.5-trillion proposed national budget in 2021, including automatic appropriations.
In addition, Senator Franklin Drilon noted that the allocation for PS exceeds even the P1.1 trillion proposed budget of the government’s Build, Build, Build infrastructure program. As such, the Senate Minority Leader has called for the setting aside of bills proposing the creation of 8 new government departments.
Senate Bill No. 244, titled “Rightsizing the National Government to Improve Public Service Delivery”, was filed by Sotto in July 2019, but it has been pending at the committee level.
Sotto said the Bill is “in line with the battle cry of the Duterte Administration to operate the national government with optional cost and efficient – human resources.” It will likewise give the President the “authority to abolish, create and transfer offices within the National Government, among others.”