DSWD vows to regularize more contractual workers

MANILA, Philippines — Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian assured senators yesterday that the DSWD would push for the regularization of employees who are under contracts of service (COS) and job orders (JO) and have been with the agency for a long time.

According to Gatchalian, the DSWD has been requesting for funding allocation for the regularization of COS and JO personnel.

The DSWD has submitted a three-year plan to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to regularize COS and JO employees.

“Every budget season, we propose a higher number for regularization of our employees. But I do understand the DBM’s position on tight fiscal space,” Gatchalian said.

The DSWD considered the length of service of its personnel under COS and JO positions in the submitted plan.

“We will keep on lobbying… We will keep on pushing for more plantilla positions,” Gatchalian said.

He made the statement during the DSWD’s budget deliberations by the Senate finance committee chaired by Sen. Imee Marcos on Monday.

During the hearing, Sen. Raffy Tulfo assailed the DSWD after learning that 6,038 COS and JO employees have been working in the agency for more than a decade.