Senator grills PRC over long-term regional director posts

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Raffy Tulfo on Wednesday grilled the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), which is under the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), over regional directors who have remained in their posts for years, with some allegedly staying for decades.

During the Senate finance committee’s 2027 DOLE budget hearing, Tulfo questioned why the PRC does not regularly reshuffle its regional directors, saying prolonged tenure in one post could lead to familiarity and possible collusion with review centers.

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“Sa lahat ng mga government agencies, nagkakaroon ng reshuffle. Sa inyo, lifetime. What makes you so special?” Tulfo asked PRC officials.

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(Across all government agencies, there are reshuffles. But in your agency, it’s for life. What makes you so special?)

Tulfo argued that other government agencies rotate their directors and questioned why PRC officials could remain in the same regional posts until retirement.

Permanent positions

The PRC chairperson, Charito Zamora, acknowledged that some regional directors had been in their positions for years.

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Zamora explained that when she assumed office in 2022, the regional directors were already in their respective posts and that some had remained because they continued to perform their duties well.

“Mga permanent positions po sila,” Zamora added.

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(They are permanent positions.)

Tulfo rejected this explanation, saying good performance should not automatically mean that an official remains in the same position indefinitely.

“Hindi ibig sabihin na since you’re performing well, lifetime regalo ko na sa’yo ‘yan, sa’yo na ’yan hanggang habambuhay,” he said.

(Just because you’re performing well doesn’t mean I’ll give you that position for life—it’s yours forever.)

Tulfo alleged that some PRC regional directors had ties to review centers, including claims that officials received “retainer’s fees” from such establishments.

“Itong mga alipores mo diya, mga Poncio Pilato mo dyan, madaling makipasabwatan sa mga review centers. Ngayon, magbibigay sila ng leakage,” Tulfo said.

(These people of yours there, your ‘Pontius Pilates,’ can easily collude with review centers. Now, they will provide exam leaks.)

He did not identify specific PRC officials or provide evidence during the hearing to substantiate the allegations.

Tulfo earlier asked acting Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino why the department had not ordered a reshuffle of the PRC’s regional directors.

Eligibility

Tolentino said DOLE’s relationship with the PRC was limited to policy matters and that the department secretary did not have jurisdiction to reshuffle the commission’s regional directors.

Meanwhile, Tulfo pointed out that directors and other senior officials in many government agencies are required to be eligible under the Career Executive Service (CES).

He questioned why this was not the case for the PRC.

“You set the standard, you do the vetting… and yet kayo na nagse-set ng standard, kayo pala yung palpak,” he said.

(You set the standards, you do the vetting… and yet, the ones who are setting the standards turn out to be the ones who failed.)

Zamora explained that the CES Board had previously issued a resolution declassifying the PRC positions from those covered by the CES eligibility requirement.

Tolentino, for his part, suggested that the PRC write to the CES Board to seek a review of the existing eligibility requirements for its director-level positions.

Zamora later committed to reshuffling the regional directors after Tulfo pressed her on the matter.

“As to the reshuffling of the regional directors, Your Honor, we will do that,” Zamora said.