Consistent and routinary delays have hounded UP Diliman (UPD) security guards the moment Star Special Corporate Security Management Inc. (SSCSMI) took over as one of UPD’s security agencies in May. Despite a slew of dialogues, protests, and petitions over the past months, the agency has not once faced them, leaving the resolution of their salary delays unsettled.
The guards received their first October salary on Friday afternoon. However, their first payout was expected on Tuesday, SSCSMI gave them only P3,000 because the agency cannot remit their salary due to alleged nonpayment of other clients. This amount is a far cry of the usual P13,000 to P15,000 that guards ought to receive each payout every 10th and 25th day of the month.
The security agency has a cash bond deposited with UPD, which is where the guards’ salaries may be taken if SSCMSI fails to pay on time. However, it is unclear if UPD has already tapped the account.
Because of the incessant delays and insufficient compensation, labor groups Alliance of Contractual Employees in UPD and the Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Guardia (SNG) had to protest and relay their woes to Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Roehl Jamon, Friday morning. Jamon stated his openness for constant discussion with the guards should the need arise.
Jamon, who on his first day as vice chancellor ordered the demolition of the guards’ kampuhan, did not personally respond to a set of questions sent by the Collegian. An office staff, in a phone call, reiterated that Jamon has already faced the guards, and that ultimately, the issue of delayed salary is on SSCSMI.
After UPD’s termination of the contract of the previous security agency Femjeg in August 2022, the guards built the kampuhan to symbolize their triumph against the former security agency who had issues on mass layoffs and delayed pay.
But it seems that their long-standing woes never went away. Once again, UPD's security guards still face labor issues even under a new agency.
The guards were immediately met with delayed pay and benefits in their first payout, said Abel*, a security guard under SSCSMI. He added that in the agency’s five months in UPD, SSCSMI has only paid in the guards' social security accounts in May and June, even though deposits are supposed to be made monthly. The guards' salaries, meanwhile, sometimes take two weeks to be credited in their bank accounts.
"Araw-araw kailangan ng P400 na baon at pamasahe ng mga anak ko. Walang trabaho yung misis ko at kailangan niyang umuwi dahil kakamatay lang ng tatay niya kahapon. Delayed yung sahod kaya napilitan akong magsangla ng [gamit] ko para may pamasahe,” said Abel, who has been a security guard in UPD for 23 years now.
In a day, he works for 12 hours and earns P1,056. But because his shift is from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., he is unable to regularly go home, and instead spends his days in a makeshift resting area behind the building he guards. Abel rarely sees his four children, as he is only granted four days off a month. Due to the delays, he said he must borrow money or loan items just to make ends meet and provide for his family.
Since Abel entered UPD in 2000, the delayed pay has always been a perennial issue. Despite countless protests and petitions both to the agency and the UPD administration, not much has changed over the years.
"Nagbabanta nga [yung SSCSMI] na kakasuhan nila kami pag nag-rally kami. [Pero] kung inayos lang nila yung pasahod nila, hindi tutungtong sa ganito. Sila dapat ang kasuhan. Wala naman kaming pagkukulang sa trabaho namin," said Abel.
The delays are, in fact, caused by the agency’s improper compliance with UPD's billing process, the Collegian previously reported. SSCSMI must deposit their contribution to the guards’ PAG-IBIG, PhilHealth, and Social Security System with the invoice necessary to acquire payment from UPD. The agency has not fulfilled the requirements, thus UP has not paid them.
“[U]maasa po kami na inyo pong nalalaman ang nilalaman ng Terms of Reference (TOR) ng kontrata ng security services po ng UP Diliman,” SNG wrote in a post addressed to Chancellor Edgardo Vistan, Jamon, and Kit Buenaventura, acting director of the Public Safety and Security Office. "Ang hanapbuhay ng mga gwardya ay hindi dapat pinaglalauran, bagkus ito ay ating pinoprotektahan."
The TOR essentially mandates that the security guards be paid on time. The Collegian has asked university officials for a copy of the TOR between UPD and SSCSMI, but no response has been given yet as of writing.
"Napamahal na ko sa UP. [Pero] dapat higpitan [ng UP] ang pagpapapasok ng mga agency para hindi magkaroon ng aberya sa pasahod, at maging mas mahigpit sa pagpapatupad ng penalty kapag may delay," said Abel. "Sana ang UP ay magising na sa katotohanan." ●
*Not his real name
Editor's note: This article was updated to remove some details about the source which may compromise his safety and job security.
