IBC-13 workers union claims mismanagement; OIC says doing best to pay dues amid financial woes

by ABS-CBN News, 22 Aug 2020

MANILA – The employees union of state-run IBC-13 on Saturday alleged mismanagement and unpaid dues to workers, claiming the network was on the verge of bankruptcy.

In a statement, the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation-Employees Union (IBC-EU) said that “the unending anomalies and irregularities” in IBC-13 has resulted in unpaid benefits.

The anomalies supposedly include a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with R-II Builders, the group said. The network, sequestered by government during the administration of the late Corazon Aquino, has a property deal with the private firm.

The Commission on Audit had earlier flagged the agreement, saying it was tilted heavily towards R-II Builders’ favor. The deal involves a transfer of 3.64 hectares of IBC-13 property in Diliman, Quezon City to the private firm.

“It is ironic that instead of collecting revenues, the company saw a seeming verge of bankruptcy due to a stingy deal. We cannot help but wonder why the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), mother department of IBC-13, and other concerned agencies bent to the agreement,” the statement read.

The group blamed the anomalies to a syndicate in the PCOO.

The union said network employees have not received any pay increase since 2008, despite a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

“The promised P278 million to cover for unpaid benefits of employees was never realized because until now the company’s financial obligations remain ceiling-high, both for active and retired employees,” the group said.

They also claimed that while rank-and-file employees have failed to get their benefits, those in confidential payroll have received theirs for 2018.

“Salaries of these confidential employees are also appallingly not constant as their rates increase or decrease every now and then, but the amount of their gross pay remains. Their monthly perks and allowances are far more than the annual pay an ordinary employee receives,” the union said.

Benefits for retired employees were also withheld.

“Some of them have already died deprived of the benefits from working almost half their lifetime with the company with commitment and dedication while the rest continue to fight and beg with IBC-13 for the financial benefits that are rightfully theirs,” they said.

The union also expressed doubt about the supposed partnership between the Department of Education and IBC-13.

“The management keeps its employees blinded about the agreement; no transparency whatsoever in any information divulged to the employees union,” they said.

“It is fervently hoped that with the present administration’s
slogan ‘Change is Coming,’ IBC-13 employees will finally get a long-overdue taste of real change and end to the syndicate’s reign at the state-run broadcast network.”

DOING BEST FOR EMPLOYEES

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, IBC-13 OIC Corazon Reboroso said she understands concerns of the employees, having been in the company for 32 years and seeing its struggles.

“We do what we can to help our employees,” Reboroso said.

She admitted that the network has been going through financial struggles, having lost most of its income from primetime blocktime shows from 2004. There was a brief reprieve- from 2011 to 2012- when it landed a fresh blocktime agreement, but there has been none since.

Because of the lack of revenues, the company and workers’ union agreed to have a moratorium on pay hikes under the collective bargaining agreement, Reboroso said.

“Walang pagkukunan ng pera sa IBC-13 so may agreement ang union and staff management for a CBA increase moratorium,” she said.

(IBC-13 has no source of income so there was an agreement between union and staff management for a CBA increase moratorium.)

She said the only pay increases the employees get are those approved by the wage board.

Reboroso said the network has been subsisting on funds released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). Long-stalled plans for the network’s privatization again had to be shelved because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

“Kung di kami nabigyan ni DBM ng budget, walang panggastos during the lockdown. Wala kami talagang pera kasi nung nawala primetime,” she said.

(If the DBM hadn’t given us funds, we won’t have a budget through the lockdown. We really don’t have money because we lost primetime [programs].)

She also said it was “unfair” to compare IBC-13’s situation with that of PhilHealth, currently facing a corruption investigation for alleged fund misuse. She said IBC-13 relies on its revenues, while PhilHealth is a fully-funded institution.

As to unpaid benefits, Reboroso said the network has been paying due benefits to entitled active and retired employees in tranches, depending on releases from its joint venture partner RII Builders.

She likewise denied allegedly hefty allowances to managers and confidential employees, saying some managers get less pay than subordinate supervisors who have been career employees.

Reboroso also said the network was working with the Department of Education to implement television-based education delivery, as classes will be held remotely this coming school year because of the continuing COVID-19 threat.