Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has ordered the regularization of 254 city hall employees working on a contractual basis only for over 20 years.
These workers can now enjoy the regular employee benefits after hurdling the Human Resource Merit Promotion and Selection Board (HRMPSB) hearing.
“The time has come for Quezon City to depoliticize appointments and promotions and adhere to meritocracy,” Belmonte said.
She made it clear that her administration abides by merit and fitness as determined by the selection board.
“We ought to give our deserving and hardworking city hall employees the security of tenure and all entitlements prescribed by the law. And we hope that this will motivate them to become more productive civil servants,” Belmonte said.
Board members include first- and second-level employee representatives, while Belmonte and Vice Mayor Gian Sotto are the appointing authority and the chairperson for the executive and legislative departments, respectively.
According to Ronald Tan, officer in charge of the Human Resource Management Department, among the recently regularized were Precy Linag, a Barangay Pasong Tamo teacher for 22 years, and 30 other city hall employees who were working as contractuals for nine years or longer, but with short-term renewable contracts that denied them the security and benefits of regularized employees.
“The delay in the regularization of some of our employees may be attributable to the fact that the previous administration conducted screening and regularization only at the end of their term,” he said.
Apart from the security of tenure, regularized government personnel can receive fringe benefits, a 13th month bonus, a performance-based bonus and allowances.
