“We consulted with the Civil Service Commission before the final decision was made to transfer our main office to Clark. There is no problem with providing our personnel with shuttle between Manila and Clark,” said assistant secretary for legal affairs Leah Quiambao in an interview with Punto yesterday.
Quiambao said the (CSC) also did not object to DOTr’s shouldering the shuttle service cost of the employees.
Asked whether the DOTr could make exceptions to the transfer plan, Quiambao said all main office personnel are expected to report regularly to their new offices in this freeport by yearend.
She said, however, that a satellite office with a few personnel would still be maintained at the Columbia Towers where the DOTr owns some 50 units. “We could use this satellite office for emergency meetings with attached agencies,” she added.
A total of 125 personnel under the office of Transportation Sec. Arthur Tugade first reported to their Clark office last Friday. Last Monday, however, only about 50 of the employees reported to work, a security guard said.
No flag ceremony was held, but Transportation Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Reiner Paul Yebra said that the DOTr holds flag ceremonies only on the first Monday of each month.
Quiambao reiterated that the only option for those refusing to transfer to Clark would be to seek transfer to attached agencies of the DOTr in Metro Manila, such as the Land Transportation Office or the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board “without diminution of salaries or benefits.”
As of yesterday, air conditioning and wifi systems were still being installed in the newly rehabilitated DOTr main building, one of the 11 buildings being rehabilitated by the stateowned Clark Development Corp. (CDC) which manages this freeport. Tugade used to be the president of the CDC during the past Aquino administration.
At least two trucks of the Philippine Coast Guard were also seen ferrying the employees who reported to work yesterday.
“The arrangement for transport is still temporary at this point, but we have a plan on regular means for shuttle service for over 600 employees at the main office,” Quiambao said.
She again debunked criticisms that holding office at Clark would be more costly, as she noted that the units owned by the DOTr at Columbia Towers would even generate a net income of P9.3 million annually because lease rates in Metro Manila is 50 percent higher than in Clark.
The DOTr area in Clark is under a lease agreement with the CDC at the cost of P300 per square meter monthly for 25 years.
The CDC is spending P59 million for the rehabilitation of the DOTr main building alone.
Protesting DOTr employees have maintained the Facebook page “DOTr No to Clark Transfer” which, as of yesterday, had 235 members. The page aired the employees concern for their health arising from travelling greater distance to Clark as well as reduction of time that could be spent with their families.
Quiambao said, however, they would have flexible work time, including options for a fourday per week work in two batches: those that would report only from Monday to Thursday, and those reporting only from Tuesday to Friday.
She also said the employees would also have two daily options of reporting from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. or from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tugade was not in his new office here yesterday morning, but Quiambao said her boss was already in Clark.
