Senators slam RPN-9 for not paying employees

MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Panfilo Lacson raised concerns yesterday over the failure of the government to fully compensate some employees of the defunct RPN-9 television.

Estrada and Lacson questioned the officials of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) under Secretary Herminio Coloma, who was defending their P1.312-billion budget for next year before the Senate.

Speaking through finance committee chairman Sen. Franklin Drilon, PCOO executives explained that there were 213 RPN employees were served notices of retrenchment through the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Oct. 1.

“It is basically a retrenchment due to the continued financial losses incurred,” Drilon explained.

According to Drilon, PTV-4 and RPN-9 are not making money compared to another government television station, IBC-13, which was able to enter a blocktime agreement with AKTV, generating around P50 million in revenue for this year.

Drilon, however, explained that out of the 213 RPN employees, about half have accepted termination benefits. “They were informed. It was a very difficult decision to make, but given the financial condition of RPN-9, there was really no choice but to undertake a retrenchment program,” Drilon said.