Government employees are often stereotyped as a “lazy bunch,” clocking in and just doing Facebook throughout the day, then clocking out on the dot.
There is nothing farther from the truth, at least from what I saw, when I was still doing the primetime news, among the workers at the People’s Television Channel 4 (PTV4) with their nose to the grindstone.
Unfortunately, all is not well at PTV4 these days as far as the government network’s hardworking rank and file are concerned.
Over a year passed since President Duterte’s 2017 State of the Nation Address when PTV4’s lowly regular employees were promised a salary increase.
I learned that they even organized an indignation rally to be held during the 2017 SONA but called it off when Secretary Martin Andanar, of the Presidential Communications Operations Office promised an upgrade of P6,000 in compensation. The government radio-television network is under the stewardship of PCOO.
Well, 2018 SONA has passed last July but no salary increases came. Manong Digong’s 2019 SONA comes after the May mid-term elections but no pay raise is in sight for our poor PTV4 friends.
Instead, a P6,000 salary increase was awarded to some 70 supervisors and managerial level employees. More pay for officials who work less.
But, the pay raise that Sec. Andanar had promised is nowhere in sight for the 90 lowly-paid personnel like camera men, lightmen, gaffes, production assistants, administrative assistants, utility personnel, engineering etc.
The salary rates of these persevering laborers are hardly even at the subsistence level. Less pay for more work for these people who are the backbone of our broadcast operation.
Sec. Andanar knows that work at a TV station is no pasttime by any stretch of imagination. Surely, he must have a very good reason for raising the salaries of the officials of PTV while leaving the lowly employees waiting desperately for an increase who knows when.
It seems like my good old friend, Sec. Martin, have forgotten his humble beginnings. Here’s one piece of advice Mart: “Never leave your feet on the ground, because when you fall, it will really hurt.”
“Sayang ka!”