President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday reassured that rightsizing the bureaucracy is not aimed at terminating employees, but serves as a tool to upskill and reskill the current government workforce.

In a press release, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Marcos made this assurance at a sectoral meeting on the updates of the National Government Rightsizing Program (NGRP) held at Malacañan Palace.

The President ordered a further assessment of the executive branch to determine redundant positions and functions that could be merged.

The Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) likewise updated the status and salient features of the proposed National Government Rightsizing Bill.

Present during the sectoral meeting were Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo, Press Secretary Cheloy Garafil, and DBM Undersecretary Wilford Will Wong and Director John Aries Macaspac.

PLLO chief Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza and Assistant Secretary Rose Virginie were also present during the sectoral meeting.

In his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July last year, Marcos cited the NGRP as among his administration’s priority measures.

He described it as “a reform mechanism that seeks to enhance the government’s institutional capacity to perform its mandate and to provide better services while ensuring optimal and efficient use of resources.”

“Compared to previous government reorganization efforts, the NGRP will entail a comprehensive strategic review of the functions, operations, organization, systems, and processes of the different agencies, and massive and transformational initiatives in agencies concerned, such as mergers, consolidation, splitting, transfer and even the abolition of some offices,” Marcos said.

“The rightsizing efforts will also involve the conduct of a comprehensive strategic review of functions, programs, and projects that will cut across various agencies.”

In response to the President’s SONA pronouncement, several bills on rightsizing were filed in Congress.

On March 14, the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading a bill that would allow Marcos to right-size the government bureaucracy.

House Bill 7240 or the proposed Act Rightsizing the National Government, was passed with 292 votes, three against, and zero abstentions.

Rightsizing is defined under the bill as “the process of analyzing and designing the appropriate roles, mandates, structures, functions, sizes, systems, as well as processes of government agencies to ensure effective, responsive, and efficient service delivery.”

The measure authorizes the President to right-size the executive branch to eliminate redundant, duplicate, and overlapping functions.

To oversee the implementation of the program, the Committee on Rightsizing the Executive Branch shall be established.

Meanwhile, the three bills on the NGRP that were filed in the Senate remain pending at the committee level.

Since assuming office in June last year, Marcos has already abolished several government agencies through executive orders in line with rightsizing, such as the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission and Office of the Cabinet Secretary. (PNA)