Palace issues EO to stop abuse of personnel funding in gov't

President Benigno Aquino III has signed an executive order creating a computer system that will help manage government manpower and prevent the abuse of savings generated from the funds for state employees. Aquino signed EO No. 31 which directs the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to create a database that will allow the government to determine the real number of people working under them. “(This database will ensure that) only the appropriate funds for filled positions will be included in the national budget and be released accordingly," Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said on Thursday. Under EO 31, the Government Manpower Information System (GMIS), a computer-based management information system that tracks employee records in the executive, legislative and the judiciary departments, will be replaced by the Comprehensive Database on Government Manpower (CDGM). The CDGM will also cover military personnel under the Department of National Defense, uniformed personnel of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (mainly the Philippine National Police), the Philippine Coast Guard, casual and contractual government workers, and employees of government-owned and -controlled corporations and government financial institutions. The CDGM will also be linked with the personnel information systems of the Civil Service Commission, the Government Service Insurance System, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Under the EO, the DBM is given three years to establish the enhanced information system on government personnel, while the heads of departments and agencies of the national government are required to immediately submit a complete list of their employees, regardless of their status. “The government is doing everything to ensure that we maximize our resources, and that begins with spending only what is necessary and avoiding extraneous costs because every peso counts," said Ochoa. “If daang matuwid (the “straight path," President Benigno Aquino III’s campaign slogan for moral rectitude) will save money lost to graft and corruption, daang matipid (“thrifty path") will help government save money lost to wastage and inefficiency," he added. The government employs 1.3 million workers and spends one-third of its P1.645 trillion national spending package on payroll alone.—JV, GMA News