Arroyo on Rationalization

‘No dislocation of gov’t workers’

MANILA, Philippines — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said “no one shall be dislocated” in the government workforce when a rationalization program is implemented.

Should a state worker’s position be declared redundant, he or she can opt to stay in office until his regular retirement, with the position abolished only after the person holding it retires, she said.

“In the light of the global crisis, in the implementation of the rationalization program of government, no one shall be dislocated,” she said in a speech before the Kiwanis Club in Cebu City on Friday.

“If an employee occupying a position that has been declared redundant opts to stay in government service, the position shall only be abolished upon the regular retirement of the employee,” she said.

But the state worker in a redundant position may still opt for early retirement, in which case, his or her position will be abolished immediately after retirement, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. told reporters in Malacañang.

Andaya said P1 billion was appropriated for the separation benefits of early retirees this year. – By Joel Guinto, INQUIRER.net