The right staff

Let me say this outright: Government rightsizing is long overdue. Now, there seems to be an orchestrated noise from various groups against this proposal of the Marcos administration, and true to form, spreading fear of massive job cuts and layoffs in government.

This stereotyping has to stop. Rightsizing is not downsizing. It is actually a move that should have been undertaken long ago in our push toward modernization and economic progress.

Unfortunately, anything about progress is anathema to some, especially to those who are antigovernment and anti-progress. Perhaps, they really want this country to regress, maybe in the hopes of gaining power because they believe the masses will side with them.

But then again, they remain to be just that -— noise.

You see, rightsizing is a program of the Marcos administration intended to achieve a lean, efficient and responsive government workforce. The goal is very basic — introduce a lean but highly efficient, agile, and swift-responding bureaucracy.

The aim is to comprehensively review the functions of each agency vis-a-vis its manpower complement, and see whether there is duplication or overlapping of functions.

Because at the end of the day, a bloated and double-layered bureaucracy is a great disservice and a burden to our citizenry.

It’s akin to having three househelps where one can suffice, or having three drivers for just one car. The waste of resources and effort will only equate to inefficiency and poor service.

Likewise, in today’s digital age, the government should be at the forefront in harnessing technology to enable better and faster public service. More importantly, it should eliminate all-encompassing corruption so prevalent in our current bureaucratic maze.

Now as for the fake news being propagated that two million jobs will be lost, this is the real score:

The two million mentioned were not actual job cuts but rather the total number of government employees in the country. No less than Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman confirmed this.

Meanwhile, the 5 percent mentioned is not a target but an example to highlight a point.

What Secretary Pangandaman said was

— assuming that

5 percent of the two million will be reduced — that should translate to P14 billion worth of savings from personnel services. That’s money that can be allocated for other priority programs and projects of the government like health care, agriculture support, and infrastructure, among others.

But let me repeat — government rightsizing does not automatically mean a reduction in the number of personnel in government agencies. Rightsizing is streamlining. It is about strengthening the entire organization through the implementation of structural and procedural reforms that will ensure the government’s efficiency and productivity.

And that is why I see nothing wrong in the proposal to give the President the power to study the bureaucracy and review the mandate and functions of existing agencies. How could something that right be so wrong?

Once more, with feelings, this plan is long “overdue.” Overlapping and redundant functions contribute to ineffective and inefficient service, which likewise entails unnecessary expenses and waste of resources.

I do hope that this proposal is seriously pursued until the attainment of its objective. It will be a centerpiece program that would give this administration the real chance to prove its sincerity and aspiration for good governance and better public service.

Its time has come. And we should start now.

“You see, rightsizing is a program of the Marcos administration intended to achieve a lean, efficient and responsive government workforce.

“At the end of the day, a bloated and doublelayered bureaucracy is a great disservice and a burden to our citizenry.