Weathermen also overworked, underpaid

President Arroyo isn’t the only one in government who is overworked and underpaid.

Congressmen learned yesterday that critical personnel of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) do not receive night differential pay.

Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro, whose department includes the two agencies, told the House appropriations committee that their personnel work almost around the clock seven days a week monitoring the weather and volcanoes that are acting up and should be getting night differentials.

She said they have been proposing that a small amount be added to their annual budget for the additional pay of Pagasa and Phivolcs personnel doing night duty, but the Department of Budget and Management and Congress have always rejected their proposal.

“We are told that we should just source the needed amount from our savings, but there are hardly any savings,” she added.

Dr. Prisco Nilo, Pagasa director, told reporters later that what his night personnel receive is overtime pay.

He said the night differential is about 20 percent of the basic hourly pay.

He added that his agency needs only P6 million a year for such differential.

Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., who heads an appropriations subcommittee handling the budget of the Department of Science and Technology, said he would look into the problem of Pagasa and Phivolcs.

During the hearing, opposition Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City and other members of the appropriations committee demanded equitable allocation of science scholars among congressional districts.

Under the law, Rodriguez said the DOST has to enlist at least two scholars from each town throughout the country.

However, he said many of the current science scholars come from Metro Manila and from rich families, prejudicing poor but deserving students in the provinces.

After Abante promised to look into the concerns of Rodriguez and other congressmen, the Cagayan de Oro lawmaker proposed that the appropriations committee increase the DOST budget.

“While the national budget would go up by P188 billion next year and state agencies will receive additional funds, the DOST would perhaps be the only agency that would suffer a decrease in budget,” Rodriguez said.

He said the one-percent reduction in the DOST budget, from P5.494 billion in 2008 to P5.441 billion in 2009, does not speak well of the kind of support Congress and the Arroyo administration give to science and technology.