Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said today, March 3, that a win-win solution is being sought in response to the call of Capitol employees for the removal of Anabelle Palic as Provincial Human Resource Management Office (PHRMO) head.
The officers and members of the Progressive Alliance of Capitol Employees, and job order and contract service workers, in a petition submitted to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, are calling for the removal of Palic as PHRMO head for her alleged “tyrannical attitude, inhuman treatment and her being the cause of miseries of the lives of the provincial government workers”, PACE president Renelo Lastierre said.
He said they are asking the governor to reassign Palic to another position so she cannot continue to oppress the provincial government employees.
Palic should be considered persona non grata or unwanted at the Capitol for all the misery she is causing the workforce, the petition said.
“We want somebody whose heart is for the employees,” Lastierre added.
If Palic remains at her post they will explore other options, although they are confident the governor will act on the matter because of his concern for the welfare of the provincial government workers Lastierre said.
Lastierre said he hopes they do not have to reach the point “where we will have to hold a prayer rally, boodle fight, and wear black ribbons.”
Diaz said he received the PACE petition signed by the Capitol employees today.
“It is more of an expression of sentiments on the part of about 479 petitioners. It remains to be an internal show of sentiments on the part of the employees, there is no ground for any administrative action,” Diaz said.
“We will see if there is a win-win solution for this and if we can make the necessary adjustments to restore the trust and confidence of our employees to the Human Resource Management Office,” he said.
The employees need to feel that the person who heads the PHRMO really takes care of their welfare, he added.
“We will listen, it’s an internal matter and we will deal with it as such,” Diaz said.
Palic, when reached for comment, said she had not received a copy of their petition so she could not comment on it.
Lastierre said Palic has mercilessly required employees who were quarantined for COVID-19 to file leave of absences in violation of the Civil Service Commission policy making it non-deductible to those subjected to quarantine by virtue of the government preventive policy.
The petition also cited alleged inhuman policies imposed on retirees such as making them produce 10-year copies of their Individual Employee’s Performance Commitment (IPCR) despite the fact that the PHRMO should be the repository of these documents.
Retirees are also being made to complete their provincial government clearance before the PHRMO endorses their papers to the Government Service Insurance System. The clearance is not needed for the PHRMO to endorse the retirees’ papers to the GSIS, Lastierre said.
Palic has been “heartless” in the treatment of health workers who have put their lives in danger during the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.
Health workers have complained against delays in the release of their special risk allowance, non availment of longevity pay, unreasonable transfer, discrimination and insensitiveness to nurses, the petition said.
The petition also cited the alleged deliberate delay in the preparation and release of the plantilla of job order workers causing the slowdown in the processing of their salaries.
Despite the culture of fear and possible retaliation PACE must speak out for the workers, Lastierre said.
“The provincial human resource officer should make the lives of the employees comfortable in the processing of their benefits so their work at the Capitol will be productive,” he said.*