Wazzup Pilipinas!?
In the face of howling winds, torrential rain, and rising floodwaters, one would expect compassion, caution, and common sense from those entrusted with public service. But reality tells a different, far more troubling story.
While much of the country is submerged under the wrath of typhoons and monsoon rains, government agencies are dangling Compensatory Time Off (CTO) like a glittering bait—an incentive for employees to wade through danger, gamble with their lives, and clock in as if all is normal.
It’s not just outrageous. It’s absurd and inhumane.
What does this say about the state of our bureaucracy? When a few measly hours or days of leave become the carrot on a stick to drive workers into flooded streets and landslide-prone roads, it’s not just a misjudgment—it’s a moral failure.
A False Sense of Protection for the Privileged Few
Top-level officials, safe and dry within five-star hotels or air-conditioned government venues, issue memos encouraging attendance. But what about the journey? The commute that turns deadly when rivers overflow, jeepneys disappear, and even emergency services are stretched thin?
Those in power forget that not everyone has the luxury of a chauffeured vehicle. Many government workers are left to fend for themselves, trudging through knee-deep floodwaters just to punch in, all for the promise of a CTO that will likely be used when the weather is sunny and the danger long gone.
Is the Government Keeping Score or Saving Lives?
Let’s be clear: CTO is not a lifeline. It is a loophole—a convenient excuse to keep operations running even if it puts lives at risk. It's the kind of bureaucratic maneuvering that prioritizes appearances over people, protocols over protection.
Has the grind of government service become so mechanized, so blind to human reality, that staff must be bribed to choose duty over safety? Have we become so desensitized that we now equate a few hours off work as equal to the risk of drowning or electrocution in flood-prone cities?
The Real Score: Accountability, Not Attendance
The Philippine government must ask itself: What is the true cost of enforcing presence during a climate disaster? Every time a government worker is forced to report despite life-threatening conditions, the institution not only gambles with that person’s well-being—it loses the moral high ground it claims to hold.
It’s time to stop treating staff as disposable assets in times of crisis. The real measure of good governance is not how many warm bodies show up to work during a storm—it’s how leadership protects its people, especially those without titles, drivers, or corporate safety nets.
A Call for Compassion Over Compliance
This is not just about policy—it’s about humanity. CTO should never be a lure in times of disaster. It should never be a silent ultimatum whispered between the lines of government memos.
To the leaders hiding behind protocols while expecting others to march through chaos: remember, you don’t inspire loyalty by demanding sacrifice—you earn it by showing care.
In times of disaster, safety must always trump service. Compassion must outweigh compliance. And CTO? It should never be worth more than a life.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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