Employees of state-run People’s Television Network (PTV-4) staged a lightning protest Thursday afternoon to demand their regularization after years of being stuck as Contract of Service (CoS) workers.

Members of the People’s Television Employees Association said staffing reorganizations have left many employees stuck in CoS status for up to two decades.

“One of us just died yesterday without becoming a regular employee,” PTEA board chair Aljune Urrutia said.

PTEA president Florante Gacis said mismanagement and the constant turnover in the network leadership have left employees overworked and underprotected. Some drivers, he noted, have long been working as cameramen without a change in their status.

The group also alleged there were “ghost projects” within the network, with some cases already forwarded to the Ombudsman.

They appealed to Malacañang to intervene, saying that many workers were nearing retirement age without having attained job security.