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Friday, March 29, 2024

Zubiri seeks caucus on ‘rightsizing’

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Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said he will seek a meeting of the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Zubiri, who is expected to become the next Senate President, said he plans to discuss the “direction” of the Chief Executive’s priority measures in the 19th Congress.

“What is important is that we convene the LEDAC right after the SONA so we can discuss the direction and request of the executive department in terms of legislation,” Zubiri, quoted by a GMA News report, said.

Zubiri was asked about his position on Marcos’ plans to rightsize the government, as proposed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Zubiri said the plan to rightsize government agencies needed to be expounded on by the economic managers, particularly the DBM and the Department of Finance (DOF), GMA News reported.

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“I shall seek clarification first with the DBM and the DOF before I make any further comment on rightsizing,” he said.

Earlier, DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said DBM plans to ask lawmakers in Congress to allow Marcos Jr. to “rightsize” or streamline the government bureaucracy to save funds.

Pangandaman said the DBM will be “checking the bureaucracy’s 187 agencies, departments, offices, and bureaus, including government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) — which employ an estimated two million personnel — for redundant or overlapping functions.”

“As of now, we have yet to identify agencies that we can remove or merge but this will include a total of 187 agencies in the government. It also includes GOCCs not covered by the GOCC Governance Act,” she said, in the radio interview.

“We want to prepare a proposal for Congress to give the President power to rightsize or reorganize the government agencies.”

The DBM chief said should five percent of public servants will, for example, be affected by the rightsizing plan, the government could save an estimated P14.8 billion annually.

This amount, she said, can then be reallocated to other priority projects. Pangandaman, who earlier vowed to craft a 2023 budget that will promote a broad-based and inclusive economic recovery and growth, said those who will lose their jobs may apply in the new positions that may be opened by the government under the rightsizing program.

“Those affected will be provided with retooling programs.  The Civil Service Commission will be with us here. Those who will retire will be provided with retirement benefits,” she said.

The first two executive orders of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. abolished the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, and the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson.

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