The Department of Finance is expected to report on the government’s projected revenue this week, but Inos said they don’t foresee any additional work-hour cut for the remaining months of the current fiscal year which ends on Sept. 30.
What the administration is now doing is “preempting” any additional obligations like the purchase of supply and materials and other non-personnel expenditures, Inos added.
“We also try to curtail personnel expenditures by way of severely limiting overtime and other premium pays,” he said, adding that this will be on top of the austerity measures already in place.
The only overtime work that may be allowed is those involving critical services like Public Safety and Public Health, he said.
Public Health, Inos added, is one of the “sacred cows” because the government cannot compromise the health of anyone.
However, he said, some operations of Public Safety and Public Health will have to be revisited. “We have to see how we can be more efficient while cutting down overtime cost.”
Inos said the administration has to be diligent when spending for supplies even for essential government services.
For hospital supplies, Public Health should buy only those that are needed for the duration of the fiscal year, he added.
Inos at the same time disclosed that the 700 new hires in the government are young people referred by the Workforce Investment Agency.
But Inos noted that these are federally funded temporary employees.
