Retrenched provincial gov’t hospital workers seek help

By: Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer said they are looking for ways to help casual employees whose employment have not been renewed by the new administration.

Ferrer confirmed to reporters that capitol casual employees who where retrenched from provincial government-managed hospitals sought his help.

Earlier l, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson extended the contracts that expired last month of majority of Capitol casual employees until December this year, especially those working in government-run hospitals to prevent disruption of health services.

But some employees lost their contracts and were reportedly replaced.

“As much as possible we should employ additional workers but should not displace anybody, madugang lang ta indi ta mangiban,” Ferrer said.

Ferrer said some of the retrenched Capitol workers asked for his help to be reinstated.

Meanwhile, Board Member Araceli Somosa, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s Committee on Health, said in a privilege speech during the recent session of the provincial board that there is no hiring of permanent hospital staff positions because the province exceeded the limit set by the Department of Budget and Management for personnel services in its annual budget.

Somosa said that the provincial government has already gone over the budget for Personal Services by P194 million.

“We are proposing a hiring freeze because next year, these employees will be counted under our PS budget and bloat it more,” she said.

She added that it may lead to the disapproval of the whole 2020 budget.

Earlier, the Commission on Audit had asked the provincial government of Negros Occidental to explain why it overshot the PS budget cap set by the DBM by over P500 million.

Somosa said the provincial government is “doing its best to address the manpower problems” of the Capitol-operated district hospitals.

Somosa offered an option which is to retain all employees on job order basis, but there should be no hiring of permanent employees.

Somosa also assured Ferrer that she will relay his concerns on retrenched Capitol employees to the consultant of the Hospital Operation Division and to Gov. Lacson.

“I trust that Governor Lacson knows these and I am hopeful they will be rehired,” Ferrer said.
Lacson earlier assured that that there will be no mismatch in the hiring of government employees.

“As much as possible, we would like to hire only employees needed by the various offices. We will do our best,” Lacson said.