MANILA – Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian has welcomed the creation of up to 5, 000 regular positions for the agency’s employees.
During the continuation of Senate deliberation on DSWD’s proposed budget for 2025, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Assistant Secretary Leonido Pulido III told the Senate Committee on Finance chaired by Senator Imee Marcos on Monday that there is a continuing effort with DSWD “in order to start the regularization of at least 4, 000 to 5, 000 of the existing contractual positions.”
“Madame Chair, kung ‘yun po ang report ng DBM (if that is the report of the DBM), we will be very happy,” Gatchalian said in response to Pulido’s statement.
Gatchalian said they are hopeful that the positions will be created by this year.
During the budget deliberation, Gatchalian told the committee that the agency has so far converted a total of 6, 135 contract of service (COS) to contractual employees from the time he was appointed as DSWD secretary.
Based on the Civil Service Commission’s 2017 Omnibus Rules on Appointments and other Human Resource Actions, as amended (2029 edition), a contractual position is an “appointment issued to a person whose employment in the government is in accordance with a special contract to undertake local or foreign-assisted projects or a specific work or job requiring special or technical skills not available in the employing agency, to be accomplished within a specific period.”
A person holding a contractual position is entitled to the same benefits enjoyed by regular employees.
Under the Joint Circular No. 1 of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Commission on Audit (COA), and the DBM, contract of services or job order workers are not covered by Civil Service laws and rules.
Section 7.4 of the JC No. 1 states that “The services of the contract of service and job order workers are not covered by Civil Service law and rules thus, not creditable as government service. They do not enjoy the benefits enjoyed by government employees, such as leave, PERA (Personnel Economic Relief Allowance), RATA (Representation and Transportation Allowance) and thirteenth month pay.”
A COS refers to the engagement of the services of an individual, private firm, other government agency, non-government agency or international organization as consultant, learning service provider or technical expert to undertake special projects or jobs for a specific period.
In a budget hearing on September 16, Gatchalian said the agency will continue pushing for more plantilla positions for the job security of its employees, especially those who are under COS and job orders (JOs) and have been with the department for a long time.
“Madame, what we did was we went ahead. I volunteered to engage DBM. So, we did engage the DBM and we sent a copy to the Senate, as well, of our request to DBM. We had numerous meetings,” he said.
Gatchalian said the agency is embarking on the gradual transition of COS and JOs into more stable positions, particularly the personnel of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). (PNA)