FAJARDO, MICHELLE B.
LEGAL RESEARCH – 1Q
         Topic: The Effects of Contractualization on Employment Security
       Even though the Philippines is one of Asia’s brightest investment spots, the
country’s poverty rate remains high. Inclusive growth has become a farfetched dream due
to the lack of decent jobs and the existence of a high youth unemployment. In the present,
labor unions and political allies have tried to raise the issue of contractualization in the
government, making a socio-economic problem a political and legal one. President
Rodrigo Duterte had promised to put an end to the problem of contractualization, and now
in office, he is urging the government to uphold the mandate of the Constitution: “to
provide job security to all workers”. According to the data provided by the Civil Service
Commission (CSC), as of July 2016, there are 592,162 temporary employees combined
with Job Orders (JO) and Contract of Service (COS), nearly a quarter of the 2.4 million
workers comprising the Philippine bureaucracy.
       One of the legal provisions that governs the Job Order and Contract of Service
workers is the Revised Omnibus Rules on Appointments and Personnel Actions
which defines JOs and COS employment:
              “Rule XI, Section 2 (a). Contract of service covers lump sum work or
              services such as janitorial, security, or consultancy services where no
              employer-employee relationship exist.”
              “Section 2 (b). Job order covers piece of work or intermittent job of short
              duration not exceeding six (6) months on a daily basis.”
       The issues surrounding contractualization must be addressed from an academic
perspective to create a deeper understanding from which future governmental decisions
or actions will be based upon. Contractualization is a recurring phenomenon in the
Philippines, and the effects of it on the workers’ employment security must be met with
academic curiosity.