Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur’ Abalos Jr. visited the wake of the five rescuers who perished in Bulacan during the onslaught of Super Typhoon Karding.
"The DILG is one with the Bulacan LGU, headed by Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando, and the entire nation in honoring them through a special tribute and recognizing what they have done: putting first and ensuring the safety of their kababayans who were in dire need of help," Abalos said during this visit on Friday night, Sept. 30.
Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (BPDRRMO) rescuers Narciso Calayag, Jerson Resurreccion, Marvy Bartolome, George Agustin and Troy Justin were killed while on a rescue mission and were later found buried by a collapsed wall in their boat in San Miguel town on Sept. 26.
Sen. Joel Villanueva found out that the fallen rescuers were casual employees of the provincial government prompting him to say that this is unfair and should serve as a wake up call to the lawmakers.
He added that the case of the five fallen rescuers with regard to their employment status is common all over the country.
“All over the country, magugulat kayo (you will be surprised), 10, 15, 20 years of service and they’re still casual workers. This is so unfortunate. We have been raising this particular issue almost every year, especially during budget season," Villanueva said in a previous interview with ABS-CBN News.
Villanueva noted that he has filed the Civil Service Security of Tenure bill anew, which seeks to end ‘endo (end of contract)’ for casual and contractual workers in the government. (Chito A. Chavez)