MANILA: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in collaboration with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), has committed to the Senate Committee on Finance that it will regularize approximately 4,000 to 5,000 contractual employees by the end of this year.
According to Philippines News Agency, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian informed the Senate panel that the employees slated for regularization are primarily those working under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a conditional cash transfer program aimed at reducing poverty by providing financial assistance to qualified low-income families. In addition to the 4Ps workers, the secretary highlighted that there are also other social workers throughout the department who are not part of 4Ps but are included in the regularization plans.
During a previous budget hearing, Senator Raffy Tulfo raised concerns about the presence of over 6,000 service contract (COS) and job order (JO) employees at DSWD, some of whom have been with th
e agency for more than a decade. This longstanding issue of contractual employment has been a point of contention, drawing attention to the need for more stable employment terms for these workers.
DBM Assistant Secretary Leonido Pulido III assured the committee that the DBM has been actively coordinating with DSWD to implement a submitted three-year plan aimed at addressing these employment concerns. “Hopefully by this year, Madam Chair, we’re looking at 4,000 to 5,000. We’re coordinating with the DSWD through the Office of the Secretary,” Pulido stated, expressing confidence in meeting the target for the year.
Since Secretary Gatchalian’s appointment, the DBM has successfully converted 6,135 COS employees to contractual status, which is a step towards more secure employment but still short of full regularization.
The DSWD and its attached agencies are proposing a budget of PHP 229.8 billion under the 2025 National Expenditure Program, which underscores the government’s commitment to enhancing social welfa
re services across the country.