Child of jueteng

I had lunch with two government employees yesterday. They were talking about the latest cost cutting measure of the government, which is to streamline the number of government employees in all government offices.

This is what I know, based on what they told me:

1. The government will choose the names of people to be reassigned or to be transferred to another department / area.
2. Most likely, these will be the people who are under the retirable age.
3. The employees can be transferred to a department which they aren't familiar with (e.g. from DTI to DOH). Or they can be transferred to other areas (from Manila to Palawan).
4. Should they resign because they don't like their new positions / area assignments, they get nothing. Except for the GSIS benefits yata.

My heart really went out to the two government employees. They told me how all the people in their department would contribute money to buy soap, dishwashing liquid and toilet bowl cleaner because the government cannot afford it. They told me how they would all contribute money to pay the salary of one of their gofer, whose employment renewal contract has not been approved by the civil service for six months now. They do it out of pity, because the gofer and his wife have been working in their department for six months now, unpaid. And for all their years of service, for all their unreimbursed expenses, this is how the government pays them back -- through retrenchments and unreasonable reassignments.

"But at least you still have the GSIS benefits right," I asked.

"Most of the GSIS benefits have been removed," they said. The benefits they'll be getting are worthless.

Aaaah... I get it. So that's where Winston Garcia's P35B in savings came from. When I first saw that article in PDI (I didn't bother reading it), I actually thought I might have judged this Garcia guy a bit too hastily. But after my lunch yesterday, I realized-- I have never been and will probably never be wrong, about my impression of government officials -- they are always, ALWAYS corrupt.

I just can't stomach the fact that there are actually people who feel it's their right to receive salaries of P50,000 and above, who feel it's their right to spend millions on "government cars," who think it's okay to send their families and relatives abroad for questionable business trips, when other people in their offices are working for six months, UNPAID. How does one justify a P99,000 salary to employees receiving nothing for six months?

"The government has no money. We all know where the money went," they said. O ayan, I didn't even have to say anything.

Their advice for people thinking of going into government service?

"Please don't."