DBM threatens to scrap unfilled gov’t positions

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is urging government agencies to fill vacant positions in the bureaucracy or risk abolition of unfilled roles.

As of July 30, there were around 264,000 authorized positions in the government that are yet to be filled, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said on Wednesday.

“The DBM will be issuing a circular directing all agencies to fill all authorized positions available to them or risk abolition of positions left unfilled after five years from creation,” Diokno said in a forum in Manila.

The DBM intends to verify with concerned government agencies which positions can be scrapped.

“We are going to ask them ano ‘yung gusto niyo i-abolish dito? Para mag-clean up na rin.”

“Pero ‘yung mga necessary positions such as teachers, lawyers, they should be filled up,” Diokno noted.

Making up a huge portion of the empty positions are teaching and related roles with more than 125,000 vacancies, or 47.4 percent of the total, according to the Budget chief.

More than 90,000 vacant positions are for general civil servants, or 34.2 percent of the vacancies in government.

More than 34,000 vacancies, or 13.0 percent of the total, are for military and uniformed personnel.

Medical and allied Medical jobs have 14,000 vacancies, or 5.3 of the total.

Diokno noted it is difficult to attract qualified applicants to work in the government, which is a major reason for the backlog.

“We cannot deliver our programs and services as efficiently and effectively as possible without our civil servants there doing the work,” he said.

“This vacuum is unacceptable ... We are funding these positions, so we want them to be filled,” Diokno said and urged individuals to apply and work for the government.

“Your country needs you. We want qualified individuals to apply and help contribute to a better functioning bureaucracy.”

The DBM expects to create more positions for government employees under the 2019 budget.

“Around 10,000 new positions for teachers, 10,000 new positions for policemen, 3,000 positions for firemen, and 2,000 positions for jail officers are slated to be opened in 2019,” he said. —VDS, GMA News