House employees fear mass layoff once parliament in place

Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos warned yesterday that 1,200 regular employees of the House of Representatives may lose their jobs if the country shifts to a unicameral, parliamentary system of government.

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., she said, has not exerted any effort to consult the 3,662 House employees who could be effected, around 1,200 of whom are regular workers.

Marcos urged De Venecia to explain to the House employees the true state of their job status as far as security of tenure is concerned.

"The majority of employees want to continue their service here in Congress," she said.

"Obviously, they don’t want to lose their jobs. And if they are terminated from their jobs, these people should be on the priority list if they reapply for work."

Marcos said although there are a few who agree with the streamlining policy, many employees are worried over the government’s capacity to pay them a separation package.

"If budget is the issue, Manong Joe should better explain," she said.

"And if the mass layoff is connected with Cha-cha, the more it should be clarified with them. I pity the employees because they don’t know what’s in store for them after Cha-cha."

If the government were to shift to a unicameral, parliamentary form, the Senate and House would effectively be merged to create a parliament.

At least one House employee, who requested anonymity, said some workers there are against the administration’s move to shift to a unicameral legislature.

"We really don’t want Cha-cha because it only serves the interests of the politicians, but not the employees," the employee said.

"What if Cha-cha succeeds? What will they do to us? We don’t want to be put in a situation where we are given our separation pay, but we will end up with nothing because there is no job to sustain our everyday lives."