Over 20,000 university faculty stuck in precarious job orders

MANILA — More than 20,000 faculty members across the Philippines remain trapped in precarious employment arrangements despite lengthy tenures at universities, a senior legislator said during budget deliberations on Thursday.

ACT Teachers party-list Representative Antonio Tinio raised the issue during the House committee on appropriations' budget hearing for the Commission on Higher Education. He cited data showing that academic staff employed on "job order" and "contract of service" terms have served their institutions for several years without securing permanent positions.

The employment arrangement leaves affected faculty members vulnerable to sudden dismissal and without the benefits and security typically afforded to permanent employees. The situation reflects broader challenges in the higher education sector, where budget constraints and hiring practices have created a two-tiered workforce system.

Tinio's intervention signals renewed legislative scrutiny of hiring practices and employment conditions in Philippine universities. The issue carries implications for both faculty welfare and the quality of higher education delivery across the country's academic institutions.