By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Following pronouncements by President Rodrigo Duterte during his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) in regards to streamlining bureaucracy, the Progressive Alliance of Capitol Employees (PACE) expressed their endorsement for the move, saying they support having “the right person in the right position.”
“We will remain vigilant in monitoring the kind of ‘right-sizing’ the government will implement,” said PACE spokesperson Renelo Lastierre.
However, he also noted, the government should ensure the security of tenure for regular employees is not affected.
Lastierre explained, the move to streamline bureaucracy will mean more resources will be freed up, which he said would translate into “more benefits for us.”
In his SONA, the president said governments needed to “trim the excess fat and add more muscle.”
The House of Representatives responded last week by passing a bill that gives the president authority to reorganize bureaucracies by strengthening agencies, phasing out programs better carried out by the private sector, and transferring or integrating certain functions.
Recently, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) reported 16 percent of the 1.6 million government positions, or 255,295 state workers, would be affected in the first year if the measure passes the Senate and is signed into law./WDJ