Prov’l gov’t considers hiring of job orders

CEBU, Philippines - Instead of hiring employees from manpower agencies for provincial government-run offices, the capitol is now looking at the possibility of hiring instead job order employees.

Provincial General Services Office (PGSO) head Eva Encabo said yesterday that she appealed to the Provincial Board (PB) to have their outsourced employees fill up vacant positions in their respective offices, in line with the provincial government's aim to have more regular employees rather than casual workers.

"I was raising the point nga duna lang untay bisan gamay sa atong office naay regular positions," she said.

Her request failed to get the nod of the PB. However, Encabo said that provincial government, instead, will be hiring job order (JO) employees and medical  without agencies.

Encabo expressed her satisfaction, saying that everything would be in order with this system.

"Their (PB) assurance nga wala gyo’y ma-vacuum for they will be working out with changing the agency to JO which will be taken care by the Provincial government na. So ang mga personnel nato di na maguol," she added.

LBP Service Corporation, which provides some of the casual employees of provincial government-run offices, will end its contract with the capitol on February next year.

If the proposal to have JO's would push through, applicants will have to undergo screening through the Provincial Selection Board.

In an interview with the media, Cebu Governor Hilario Davide said that he would have to review the proposal of hiring JO's.

Davide earlier emphasized a realistic budget for next year in which it has been pointed out that outsourcing has been costly.

Further, Davide emphasized that there is enough budget for hiring of regular personnel. He assured that by next year, outsourcing will be phased out and filling up regular vacant positions in different departments will follow.

"Naa man tay gitawag nga funded positions. We made some adjustments," he added.

Next year's budget for Cebu's district hospitals was cut to P294.7 million. This is P134 million lower than the P429.5 million budgeted from this year.

Encabo, in a budget hearing yesterday, projected P111 million for year 2014 to regularize outsourced employees. This is lower than the P121 million set aside for this year.

For her office, Encabo said they will no longer open vacant job positions to give way to the hiring of medical staff for provincial government-run hospitals. 

 "That's why kami dinhi sa executive, (we) will not open our vacant positions because we will be preparing the nurses. Their (capitol) drive ron is to fund the positions of nurses and doctors," PGSO head Eva Encabo said.— (FREEMAN)