MANILA, Philippines — Gabriela Women’s Party cited Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto’s move to regularize 53 contractual city hall employees as a commendable example in upholding public sector workers’ right to security of tenure.

Gabriela said it  directs the spotlight to thousands of hardworking employees in the public sector — who are rendering their service for years but remain cursed by contractualization and denial of higher pay and benefits.

“We encourage other mayors to follow Mayor Sotto’s lead to break the pattern of patronage which has long hounded LGU employees. DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano should shepherd LGU heads towards this end instead of whipping LGUs to silence criticism and dissent,” Gabriela said in a statement recently.

As for the House of Representatives, it should prioritize the passage of House Bill 248 seeking to end “Endo” in the public sector, and House Bill 475 seeking to regularize around 84,000 daycare workers nationwide, they said.

“Most of our daycare workers are trapped in volunteer status with very measly pay despite their all-around service to the local communities,” Gabriela also said. (STACY  ANG/IAMIGO/Currentph.com)