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GOVT. EMPLOYEES SLAM P101.5 BILLION AQUINO PORK BARREL
Submitted by courage_phil on Wed, 09/28/2011 - 03:24.
QUEZON CITY—The national center of government employees, the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) today expressed outrage over Noynoy Aquino’s proposed P101.5 billion pork barrel for 2012, saying it was unconscionable considering the deplorable poverty experienced by government employees and the people.
The said amount was tagged in the 2012 proposed budget as the “miscellaneous personnel benefits fund” culled from savings due to the large number of unfilled positions in all branches of government. According to COURAGE, the fund would most likely serve as the president’s pork barrel.
“As of 2010, the total number of casual, contractual and coterminous public sector employees has swelled to 139, 052. Instead of using this amount as the President’s pork barrel, why not harness it to provide security of tenure to all these employees by regularizing them or by hiring new employees on a regular basis? We are enraged over such a large amount appropriated solely for Aquino’s pork barrel, while the rank-and-file employees continue to survive in abject conditions amidst the soaring prices of basic commodities. For instance, the clothing allowance provided for state workers have been pegged at a measly P4, 000 per year—an amount unchanged since 2000,” said COURAGE National President Ferdinand R. Gaite.
“We challenge the Aquino administration to allocate the MPBF towards providing immediate economic relief for the country’s 1.3 million government workers. We stand firm by our call for a substantial wage increase, particularly a P6,000 increase to the minimum pay of all government employees,” Gaite concluded. ###
For September 15, 2011
Reference: Ferdinand R. Gaite, National President
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