BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Lone opposition Councilor Wilson “Jun” Gamboa, Jr. said he will file a resolution before the Sangguniang Panlungsod condemning the termination of the 60 employees of Bacolod City Water District (BACIWA).
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On Monday 4 January, terminated employees were barred from entering Baciwa’s premises.
Gamboa said the action of the Baciwa board against its employees was a violation of their right as civil servants.
He said only the Civil Service Commission and not the Baciwa board can terminate the said employees because they are government workers who are under the commission’s jurisdiction.
On 29 December, Baciwa terminated 60 of its employees for “redundancy” after the district entered into a 25-year joint venture agreement (JVA) with PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp., a private entity.
PrimeWater took over the operations of Baciwa on 16 November.
The Baciwa Employees Union, however, protested the termination of the employees due to redundancy.
It said, “the ‘redundancy’ have no basis in fact and in law and relies on the opinion of an agency which, because it was party to what, for all intents, was the surrender of public service to private interests, can hardly be relied on to undertake a sober and unbiased assessment of the situation”.
