Habitually tardy, absentee gov't officials, employees, this is for you

MANILA - Local government employees will have to straighten up and get their acts together as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and local government units (LGUs) will strictly monitor observance of government hours, particularly cases of habitual absenteeism and tardiness and loafing from duty during regular office hours.In a directive, DILG Secretary Ismael ‘Mike’ D. Sueno rallied all local chief executives (LCEs) to monitor strict compliance of all public officers and employees within their respective jurisdictions. The government catalyzes change. Ang gobyerno ang nagbibigay daan sa tunay na pagbabago. How can that be possible if government employees are not reporting to work or are habitually absent or tardy? We should not shortchange the taxpayers, he said. It is not only monetary corruption and red-tape that we must clean the government from but just as important is cleaning the acts of government employees, he added.Under the Omnibus Rules Implementing Book V of Executive Order No. 292, officers and employees of all departments and agencies except those covered by special laws shall render not less than eight hours of work a day for five days a week or a total of forty hours a week, exclusive of time for lunch.Officers and employees who have incurred tardiness and undertime regardless of the number of minutes per day, ten times a month for two (2) consecutive months in a semester shall be subject to disciplinary action.Frequent unauthorized absences or habitual absenteeism, tardiness in reporting for duty, and loafing from duty during regular office hours are grave offenses punishable by suspension of six months and one day to one year for the first offense and dismissal from the service for the second offense.Moreover, frequent unauthorized tardiness or habitual tardiness is a light offense punishable by reprimand for the first offense, suspension of one to 30 days for the second offense, and dismissal from the service for the third offense. It is committed when an official or employee incurs tardiness, regardless of the number of minutes, 10 times a month for at least two months in a semester or at least two consecutive months during the year.Strict monitoringIn the case of barangays, they will be submitting a list of their delinquent or non-complying public officers and employees on a quarterly basis (in April, July, October and January) to their respective city or municipal mayors, copy furnished the city or municipal DILG Local Government Operations Officers or City Directors.Meanwhile, municipalities or component cities will be reporting to their respective provincial governors, copy furnished their DILG Provincial Directors.As for highly urbanized cities, independent component cities and or provincial governments, they will be submitting a quarterly report to their DILG Regional Directors, copy furnished the DILG Secretary.