Preferential hiring of appointive gov't workers in new posts OK'd

MANILA – The House of Representatives on Monday approved on second reading a measure providing preferential appointment to government employees and officers holding valid appointments to new positions in the implementation of government reorganization.

During the plenary session, the chamber approved through voice voting House Bill 7027, which seeks to amend Section 4 of Republic Act No. 6656, or an Act to Protect the Security of Tenure of Civil Service Officers and Employees in the Implementation of Government Reorganization.

The proposed amendment provides that appointive officers and employees holding valid appointments shall be given preference for appointment to the new positions in the approved staffing pattern of comparable rank to their former position, or the next higher rank position.

The bill further proposes that in case there are not enough comparable positions or positions next higher in rank, they shall be given preference to appointment to positions next lower in rank.

Bohol Representative Kristine Alexie Tutor, sponsor of the measure, said the government should be able to retain people who have served as appointive officials and as employees with valid appointment because they are already familiar with government policies, operations and procedures.

She said under the current law and regulations on government reorganization, appointive officials and employees who do not have a permanent appointment are not covered by the preference for appointment to new positions in the new approved staffing pattern.

She further noted that there are "hundreds of thousands of contract of service and job order (JOs) employees waiting for an appointment to plantilla positions.”

“Kapag naisabatas ang HB 7027, mapoproteksyunan pa rin nito ang seguridad sa trabaho ng mga may regular at permanenteng posisyon sa serbisyo sibil sapagkat matitiyak nitong magkakaroon pa rin sila ng trabaho sa pamahalaan sa matapos ang government rightsizing and government reorganization (If HB 7027 is enacted into law, it would protect the security of tenure of those with regular and permanent positions in the civil service because it will ensure that they would still have a work in government after the government rightsizing and government reorganization)," Tutor said.

“Hinggil naman sa mga empleyadong may status na non-permanent, ikukunsidera sila sa mga bakanteng posisyon kapag nailagay na sa pwesto ang mga dati nang may regular at permanenteng posisyon (As for those employees with a non-permanent status, they would be considered for the vacant positions once those with regular and permanent positions have been assigned in new posts),” she added.