STATE WORKERS UP AGAINST OFFICE TRANSFER, MASS LAY-OFF

Submitted by courage_phil on Tue, 09/15/2009 - 00:22.

QUEZON CITY- “If there is anyone who
must be separated from the government and resign, it is Pres. Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo and not the lowly-paid employees.” This was the statement of
TANGGOL TRABAHO, an alliance for job security and tenure, during a press
conference today to express their vehement opposition to the Executive Order
682. The Order mandates the transfer of all Region 4B offices of different
agencies, presently based in the National Capital Region (NCR), to Calapan
Mindoro. The leaders of the employees unions of the Region 4 B of the
Department of Agrarian Reform, Health, Interior and Local Government and
Environment and Natural Resources were in attendance to discuss their position
on the issue.

 

The Arroyo administration argued that
the office transfers would result in the creation of new government centers in
the outskirts of Luzon, therefore, decongest Metro Manila and spur economic
development in the countryside.  “Progress for whom? The offices’ main clients
who are supposed to benefit from the transfer would be more inconvenienced
because there are no direct trips from Calapan. They would have to go to Manila
first before they can proceed to any of the MIMAROPA islands. This is nothing
but an elaborate design of the government to conceal its failure to provide
genuine development for the Filipino people,” said Santi Dasmariñas, Jr.,
Tanggol Trabaho Spokesperson.

 

The leader also pointed out that the
office transfers would lead to the constructive dismissal of thousands of
employees who will opt to resign rather than uproot their families in the NCR.
“Pres. Arroyo is really hell-bent to streamline the bureaucracy. Since the
state workers’ collective efforts have stalled its plan to implement the EO 366
or the Rationalization Plan early this year, it resorted to other deceptive
mechanisms. It is deplorable that this government tries to pit the employees
against the people by propagating lies that those who oppose the plan are
anti-development. As public servants, it is incumbent upon us to expose and
oppose any anti-people policy of the government,” stated Dasmariñas.

 

The government employees said that the
implementation of the office transfers is being railroaded in time for the
election ban in November. “The government has allotted millions of pesos for
the construction and lease of new offices in Calapan while it claims of insufficient
budget for the employees’ salaries and benefits. This multi-million project
would mean hefty commissions and kickbacks for the staunch supporters of this
proposal. Who knows this is another venue for the Arroyo government to bankroll
the administration’s campaign for the 2010 elections?” explained Dasmariñas.

 

TANGGOL TRABAHO is set to hold several
actions for the immediate junking of the EO 682. “Our experiences have taught
us that we can defeat any oppressive and repressive policy through our concerted
actions. We have done it before. Nothing can stop us to do it again,” added
Dasmariñas. #