H. No. 3156 / 48 OG No. 8, 3225 (August, 1952)

[ REPUBLIC ACT NO. 771, June 20, 1952 ]

AN ACT CLASSIFYING THE POSITIONS OF OPERATORS, LINEMEN, TECHNICIANS, ENGINEMEN, TRAFFIC SUPERVISORS, AND INSPECTORS OF THE BUREAU OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND FIXING THE RATES OF COMPENSATION FOR EACH CLASS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled: SECTION 1. Telegraph and radio stations of the Bureau of Telecommunications shall be classified, according to the volume of business they handle annually and their annual income or revenue, by numerical units as follows:

1. Stations having 800,000 units or more;
2. Stations having 200,000 units or more but less than 800,000 units;
3. Stations having 100,000 units or more but less than 200,000 units;
4. Stations having 50,000 units or more but less than 100,000 units;
5. Stations having 30,000 units or more but less than 50,000 units;
6. Stations having 20,000 units or more but less than 30,000 units;
7. Stations having 15,000 units or more but less than 20,000 units;
8. Stations having 10,000 units or more but less than 15,000 units;
9. Stations having 5,000 units or more but less than 10,000 units;
10. Stations having 3,000 units or more but less than 5,000 units;
11. Stations having 1,000 units or more but less than 3,000 units; and,
12. Stations having less than 1,000 units.In computing the numerical units corresponding to each station, the volume of business handled annually shall be given a weight of seven-tenths and the annual income three-tenths. The numerical units corresponding to each station shall be the sum of the products of the number of telegrams handled therein multiplied by seven-tenths and the total annual income in pesos multiplied by three-tenths.

SEC. 2. The minimum and maximum rates of annual compensation for chief operators, assistant chief operators, supervising operators, operators-in-charge, senior operators, operators and junior operators; chief wire supervisors, district wire supervisors, senior linemen, and linemen; chief technicians, assistant chief technicians, senior technicians, technicians, and junior technicians; chief enginemen, enginemen, and junior enginemen; chief telephone traffic supervisors and telephone traffic supervisors; and telegraph and telephone, and radio inspectors shall be as follows:

SEC. 3. There shall be three classes of operators: namely, junior operator, operator, and senior operator.

1. Junior Operator—A junior operator is one who, having graduated from a recognized radio or telegraph operator's school, or completed a radio or telegraph operators' training course in any army training school, or rendered satisfactorily at least one year of paid full-time work as an operator, has qualified in a test given for the Position by the Bureau of Civil Service.
2. Operator—After rendering two years of satisfactory service, a junior operator of the Bureau of Telecommunications may be promoted to operator: Provided, however, That an employee who has actually been performing the duties of an operator in the Bureau of Telecommunications during the last two years prior to the approval of this Act shall be classified as operator.
3. Senior Operator—After rendering five years Of satisfactory service, an operator of the Bureau of Telecommunications may be promoted to senior operator; Provided, however, that an operator who has actually been performing the duties of senior operator in the Bureau of Telecommunications during the last two years prior to the approval of this Act shall be classified as senior operator.

SEC. 4. There shall be three classes of technicians: namely, junior technician, technician, and senior technician.

1. Junior Technician—A junior technician is one who, having graduated from a recognized radio, telegraph, telephone or mechanical school or completed a radio, telegraph, telephone or mechanical training course in any army training school, or rendered satisfactorily at least one year of paid full-time work as a technician, has qualified in a test given for the position by the Bureau of Civil Service.
2. Technician—After rendering two years of satisfactory service, a junior technician of the Bureau of Telecommunications may be promoted to senior-operator: Provided, however, That an employee who has actually been performing the duties of a technician in the Bureau of Telecommunications during the last two years prior to the approval of this Act shall be classified as technician.
3. Senior Technician—After rendering five years of satisfactory service, a technician of the Bureau of Tele communications may be promoted to senior technician: Provided, however, That a technician who has actually been performing the duties of a senior technician in the Bureau of Telecommunication during the last two years prior to the approval of this Act shall be classified as senior technician.

SEC. 5. There shall be two classes of enginemen: namely-junior engineman and engineman.

1. Junior Engineman—A junior engineman is one who, having graduated from a recognized mechanical school, or completed a mechanical training course in any army training school, or rendered satisfactorily at least one year of aid full-time work as a mechanic or engineman, has qualified in a test given for the position by the Bureau of Civil Service.
2. Engineman—After rendering two years of satisfactory service, a junior engineman of the Bureau of Telecommunications may be promoted to engineman: Provided, however, That an employee who has actually been performing the duties of an engineman in the Bureau of Telecommunications during the last two years prior to the approval of this Act shall be classified as engineman.

SEC. 6. A postmaster or employee of the Bureau of Posts who is assigned to handle the telegraph or radio service in a station where the Bureau of Telecommunications has no operator shall be paid a compensation of not exceeding twenty pesos a month from the appropriation of the Bureau of Telecommunications in addition to his regular salary in the Bureau of Posts. An operator of the Bureau of Telecommunications who is at the same time assigned as postmaster shall likewise be paid a compensation of not exceeding twenty pesos a month from the appropriation of the Bureau of Posts in addition to his regular salary in the Bureau of Telecommunications. SEC. 7. Upon the approval of this Act, the present rates of compensation which are not in conformity with the salary scale provided herein shall be adjusted in the following manner:

1. If the employee is receiving a compensation less than the minimum rate of the salary scale to which his position is allocated, his compensation shall be adjusted to the minimum rate, and if by virtue of his length of service he is entitled thereto, he shall also be given the additional benefit provided for hereunder, as the case may be:
   1. His salary shall be increased by one grade over the minimum rate of the salary prescribed for his position if he has to his credit a service of not less than five but not more than ten years;
   2. His salary shall be increased by two grades over the minimum rate of the salary prescribed for his position if he has to his credit a service of not less than ten but not more than fifteen years:
   3. His salary shall be increased by three grades over the minimum rate of the salary prescribed for his position if he has to his credit a service of. not less than fifteen but not more than twenty years;
   4. His salary shall be increased to the maximum rate of the salary prescribed for his position if he has to his credit a service of more than twenty years.
2. If the employee concerned is receiving a compensation within the range of the salary scale to which his position is allocated, his compensation shall be adjusted as follows:
   1. His salary shall be increased by one grade over his present compensation if he has to his credit a service of not less than five but not more than ten years;
   2. His salary shall be increased by two grades over his present compensation if he has to his credit a service of not less than ten but not more than fifteen years;
   3. His salary shall be increased by three grades over his present compensation if he has to his credit a service of not less than fifteen but not more than twenty years;
   4. His salary shall be increased to the maximum rate if he has to his credit a service of more than twenty years.
3. If the employee is receiving a compensation in excess of the maximum rate of the salary scale to which his position is allocated, his salary shall not be reduced while he occupies the same position.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, no adjustment of salary shall be made in excess of the maximum provided in the salary scale to which the position is allocated. SEC. 8. Every two calendar years after the approval f this Act, telegraph and radio stations of the Bureau of Telecommunications shall be reclassified in the manner provided for in section one hereof. The new classification shall be included in the General Appropriation Act for the fiscal year following such reclassification. SEC. 9. To carry out the provisions of this Act, the sum of six hundred ten thousand pesos or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated. The appropriation for the Bureau of Telecommunications authorized in the General Appropriation Act for the fiscal year ending June thirty, nineteen hundred and fifty-three, is hereby converted into a lump-sum appropriation to be re-itemized, together with the sum herein appropriated, in accordance with the classification of the positions and standardization of salaries provided for in this Act in a special budget to be approved by the President pursuant to the provisions of section 7-I(4) of Commonwealth Act Numbered Two hundred and forty-six, as amended by Commonwealth Act Numbered Three hundred and seventy-four. SEC. 10. All laws or portions thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed.SEC. 11. This Act shall take effect on July one, nineteen hundred and fifty-two. Approved, June 20, 1952.

Source: Supreme Court E-Library