Ranking solon bats for regularization of over 800 DSWD workers
Saying that implementers of social protection programs deserve security of tenure, House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Nonoy Libanan has made an aggressive push for the regularization of more than 800 workers from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Libanan made the call Tuesday, Sept. 6, during the House Committee on Appropriations' deliberation on the proposed 2023 budget of the DSWD. DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo, who led the agency's contingent to the briefing, has said that he is eyeing the regularization of 846 posts.
Libanan, citing official data, bared during the briefing that out of DSWD’s 32,842-strong workforce nationwide, only 3,286 workers have regular positions.
Meanwhile, 15,811 personnel from the DSWD central office are reportedly under contract of service (COS) or job order (JO) workers. This makes up nearly half of the agency’s working population, the minority leader pointed out.
Tulfo said the DSWD had previously requested the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to convert 846 COS positions to regular positions. Processing is reportedly underway.
Libanan said that keeping government employees in contractual or JO positions is not only “insensitive” but also goes against the DSWD’s core principle of compassion and care for the welfare of the Filipino nation.
According to Libanan, non-regularization of employees also negatively impacts the agency’s overall quality of workflow especially when hardworking COS and JO employees decide to resign to seek greener pastures.
“The DSWD, being one of the most important agencies of the Philippine government, should have more institutional support to be able to regularize hardworking individuals and boost their morale,” he said, noting the urgency of the matter considering the impending rightsizing of government offices.
Hailing DSWD as one of the most important government agencies in the country, Libanan pledged support in securing sufficient budget allocation from the DBM for the DSWD to regularize COS and JO workers.
“Just give us the information that we need so we can request for the creation of permanent positions,” he told Tulfo.