Voting 292-3, the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on its third and final reading the measure to “rightsize” or streamline the government bureaucracy to save funds.
The lower chamber passed House Bill 7240 which focuses on streamlining the operations of different agencies in the Executive branch.
The bill covers agencies under the executive department, except for the teachers and those in medical-related posts in government agencies under the executive department, including hospitals and medical facilities; military and uniformed personnel, and positions in the government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions which are already under the jurisdiction of the Governance Commission for GOCCs.
The bill states that rightsizing, however, is optional for the legislature, judiciary, constitutional commissions, Office of the Ombudsman, and other local government units.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his first State of the Nation Address delivered on July 25, urged Congress to support his administration’s priority legislative measures, including the rightsizing bill.
Under the Department of Budget and Management’s rightsizing plan, the Marcos administration will determine which among the 187 government agencies with about two million personnel may be streamlined through merging, restructuring, or abolition.
The DBM earlier said the proposal will help the government save a significant amount of the budget that may be used to fund priority projects in various sectors such as health and agriculture.
Under the bill, a Committee on Rightsizing the Executive Branch (CREB) would be created to oversee the implementation of the program.
The CREB would be mandated to develop policies, frameworks, indicators, strategies, and mechanisms to be adopted in the implementation of the National Government Rightsizing Program (NGRP).
It is mandated to develop and prepare the overall change management program, including communication plans, appropriate Organizational Development Program, and other mechanisms to effectively manage the transition and ensure smooth implementation of the NGRP.