Letter to the editor - Open letter to the President of the Philippines and to the public

Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
President of the Republic of the Philippines
Malacañang, Manila, Philippines

All concerned Government agencies/offices

Dear Madam President:

This is an open letter intended also for the public to be sensible, logical and equitable on this issue I raise for the general welfare of the citizenry.

There are redundancies in government duties and functions in each and every of government agencies and offices here in our country. Because of these, the citizens, whether aware or not, have been suffering from these malpractices in government service to the Filipino people.

In my own views and analysis, these government agencies and offices have been competing in their principal duties and functions. To join and be a member with GSIS, SSS, Pag-ibig and Philhealth is compulsory. There is an outright deduction in the salary and wages of the Filipino people.

GSIS and SSS aside from retirement pension has loan packages in salary, housing and in giving health benefits and other multi-purpose loans and benefits. Pag-ibig also provides loans in housing and other multi-purpose loans and benefits. They give yearly dividends to the members. On the other side, Philhealth only provides health benefits and continuous membership even on your specified work retirement. No dividend.

I heard from Philhealth employees here in Cebu City, particularly those they categorized as contractors, that they have never been a member of GSIS or SSS (in case they are considered private employees) and Pag-ibig. Worse, if they are also not a member of Philhealth after being contracted for service for more than five or ten years.

DOLE provides laws, training, employment and loans through their attached agencies like TESDA, POEA, OWWA, NLRC and NCMB. TESDA offers free skills training and PESFA scholarships for vocational/technical courses, but OWWA provides scholarships for three-year and below courses and four-year and above courses. CHED offers four-and-five-year scholarships. Unlike DOST, they only offer scholarships related to the field in science and technology. And there are more government agencies that provide similar duties and functions and in similar services and benefits.

OWWA also offers loans for livelihood programs by facilitating this to other establishment. The results would end up like this:

*Duplications in government services

*Numerous income deductions

*Numerous staff and personnel in government services

*Numerous instruments, tool, machines and equipment being used

*Numerous varying transactions, documentations, policies and guidelines

*And other similar reversals, making the government service extravagant

No wonder when I found the government payroll there are numerous government employees that will take only a weekly take-home pay of less than five and three hundred pesos.

No wonder this government has many corrupt and other anomalous practices from the rank and file to the highest government officials.

Duplications in duties and services and duplications in rights and benefits should be trimmed down and with proper budget and appropriation. Are we not practicing austerity?

I know this will cause reactions and furor to those with numerous loans. But how will we rise from being drowned in economic quagmire and social and moral predicaments?

I hope our Senators and Congressmen in aid of legislation shall probe into this case. Lastly, our Madam President should call her technocrats to study, review, check and balance these malpractices for the common good of all the citizenry of this country.

(Sgd.) Erlando L. Majan
Government employee
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
Archbishop Reyes Avenue, Cebu City