Former Department of the Interior and Local Government secretary and senatorial candidate Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos, Jr. is seeking to provide regular gratuity pay and incentives for about 832,000 contract-of-service (COS) and job order (JO) workers in government.
Abalos said if he wins his goal is to ensure that Filipinos working under contract of service and job order would be entitled to gratuity pay, especially during Christmas.
Citing his experience as mayor of Mandaluyong City, Abalos lamented how disheartening it is to see that during Christmas, COS and JO workers do not receive any incentives because doing so is in violation of the COA and DBM circulars.
“Ako naranasan ko nung mayor ako, talagang awang-awa ako na kung minsan sariling pera ko dahil di ko magastos yung sa City Hall dahil baka mamaya mapahamak ako. That's a circular of COA at DBM,” Abalos narrated.
Unlike regular government employees holding permanent, casual, temporary, co-terminus, and positions, job order and contract-of-service workers do not receive standard employment benefits.
Based on 2023 data from the Department of Budget and Management, job order and contract of service employees make up 29.68% of the government workforce. Around 580,000 work in local government units and about 173,227 in national government agencies.
A contract of service (COS) engages individuals, firms, or other entities as consultants, learning service providers, or technical experts for special projects within a defined period while a job order (JO) refers to piece work or intermittent/emergency jobs performed for a short duration on specific tasks.
“Sa lokal na pamahalaan at pati national government, meron tayong tinatawag na mga regular employees, meron tayong mga casual, merong contractual at meron mga job order. Apat po yan. Pero pagdating sa benepisyo, minimum benefits, ang kawawa lalo na yung dalawa. Yung job order at government service contractors,” said Abalos.
Aside from local government units (LGUs), which have 580,323 JO and COS workers, other agencies with the same job arrangements are national government agencies with 173,227; state universities and colleges with 44,168 workers; government-owned and -controlled corporations with 28,667 and local water districts with 6,427 workers.
“Huwag kayo mag-alala sa mga nakikinig po ngayon, yung mga job order o mga service contractors. Basta nandiyan na po tayo, gagawa tayo ng batas na maski incentive pay, gratuity pay, meron po kayo n’yan. You deserve it,” Abalos assured during the Alyansa Para sa Pagbabago’s campaign rally in Negros Occidental. PR
