Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cesar Chavez on Monday said there will be a decrease in the number of Contract of Service (COS) positions by **the end** of this year to allow the regularization of all remaining positions by 2025.

In his presentation of the PCO budget at the House of Representatives, Chavez underscored the regularization of the 217 COS personnel as part of the reorganization process and the proposed new organizational structure, which was submitted in May 2024 and is currently being reviewed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

“The PCO has already submitted to the DBM our proposed new structure last May 2024. According to the DBM, it is now being reviewed. Should it be approved, there will be hopefully a decrease in number of COS positions by the end of 2024 and hopefully, no more COS positions by 2025,” Chavez said.

“There are a total of 217 COS personnel who we also aim to be regularized through the ongoing reorganization process.”

The COS personnel, as highlighted by the Communications Chief, represent a fraction of the 485 positions as of June 30, 2024. He disclosed that there are 267 plantilla positions, with 207 filled and 60 still unfilled, and that PCO-Human Resource Management is in the process of filling at least fifty percent of the vacancies by the end of 2024.

“Our office, the proper itself, has a total of 485 positions as of June 30, 2024. Of the 267 plantilla items, 207 are filled and 60 are unfilled. For the unfilled positions, the PCO HRM is currently screening applicants for the vacant positions in the hope of filling up at least fifty percent of vacancies by the end of this year,” Chavez said.

The PCO Secretary emphasized that the hiring process for filling the vacant positions will strictly follow the rules and regulations set by the Civil Service Commission.

“The hiring process will be of course subjected to the existing rules and regulations set by the Civil Service Commission,” he said. PND