The Commission on Audit (CoA) has called out the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for hiring job order (JO) workers tasked with performing similar functions and duties as its regular employees, but being paid below the required minimum wage.

As of the year-end of 2023, the MMDA had 2,098 JO personnel assigned to various MMDA offices, the majority of whom — 1,875 — are designated to the office of the assistant general manager for operations.

Audit findings revealed that, of the total figures, 204 JOs held 24 similar positions and job descriptions to the MMDA’s regular employees, in violation of Joint Circular 2, series of 2020 of the CoA and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Under the joint circular, the hiring of JOs shall be limited to emergency or intermittent work to perform manual tasks, which are not part of the regular functions of an agency. It mandates that JOs should not — in any case — be required to carry out duties originally obligated to regular employees.

“The hiring of JOs is to augment the regular workforce of the MMDA. This is an indication that the hiring of JO workers was not limited to intermittent or emergency jobs and manual tasks that were not part of the regular functions of the MMDA,” state auditors said.

Further, CoA disclosed that 1,049 JOs were only compensated P844.78 each, which is way below the daily wage of the equivalent position to which they are being hired/rehired. The said JOs were also deprived of an additional premium of up to 20 percent of their salary.

“Had the daily salary rates been adjusted accordingly based on Salary Standardization Law V- 4th Tranche, they would be entitled to additional compensation if the adjustment had been made to their daily salary rates and premiums of 20 percent of their wage/salary,” it stated.

“[JOs] assist the government in ensuring the smooth, effective, and efficient delivery of services to the public. Thus, it is imperative for the management to ensure that the compensation offered to these workers is in accordance with existing rules and regulations,” it added, noting that adequate compensation enhances morale and improves the satisfaction of these personnel in the workplace.

Data submitted by the MMDA to the CoA likewise showed that there were three different daily salary rates applied for eight JO workers with comparable positions under Salary Grade 23, but the former argued that this is still subject to clarification/reconciliation.

According to the state auditing body, there were also 58 plantilla items relative to the positions held by those 204 JO workers that were still vacant or not yet filled as of last year.

The MMDA, however, asserted that they had already tapped the DBM to assist them in addressing the lack of permanent positions in the agency.

Nevertheless, it assured auditors that it would undertake necessary steps to gradually decrease the number of JOs, including undergoing a review and assessment of current manpower, the “no replacement” policy for terminated or resigned JOs, and the hiring of JOs into casual positions.

The MMDA also claimed that at least 55 casual employees were hired from the JO workers last year.

“As part of compliance with the CoA-DBM IC No. 2, s. 2020, the salary of the JO workers has been partly adjusted in accordance with the MMDA Memorandum. Likewise, the MMDA gives a gratuity benefit of P10,000.00 each per annum to the JO personnel, which is charged against the MOOE of the MMDA,” the audit report reads.