SENIOR officials of the Philippine Postal Corp. (PhilPost) have raised concerns over the ongoing power struggle within the state-owned corporation, causing psychological stress, anxiety, and low morale among employees.
In a strongly worded manifesto obtained by The Manila Times, the officials, led by three assistant postmaster generals and several unit and division heads of PhilPost, have called on government leaders, stakeholders and partners in governance to “aid them in their quest” for the immediate resolution of the leadership problem.
PhilPost is being wracked by the power struggle between Luis Carlos, who was appointed as Postmaster General last April 2023 but was sacked by the board of directors, and former Quezon City councilor Michael Planas, who was appointed as Chairman by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last month and was later appointed Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer thereafter.
PHILPOST IN CRISIS (From left) The Manila Times reporter Red Mendoza interviews Assistant Postmaster Generals Maximo Sta. Maria III, Benjie Yotoko and Lori Atal on the current leadership crisis at the Philippine Postal Corp. and other problems plaguing the agency at the newspaper’s office in Intramuros, Manila, on Aug. 8, 2024. PHOTO BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
In an interview with The Times on Friday, Assistant Postmaster General for Administration and Finance Benjie Yotoko said that with both Carlos and Planas reporting as Postmaster General, the employees are confused over whose order to follow.
“If one calls for a meeting, staff members face a damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don’t threat, so there will always be a legal implication that would earn a staff a show cause order and get charged,” Yotoko said.
“We are not choosing sides, all we want to do is to work for the corporation, for the public, for our family, Anyone of them can sit as PMG,” Yotoko said.
Acting Assistant Postmaster General for Management Support Services Maximo Sta Ana III said that the leadership issue came about when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed the board of directors and later appointed an acting postmaster general in Carlos, who only has a term of one year.
Sta. Ana said that having two leaders affected the post office in terms of decision-making, approvals, and external decisions.
“Since the post office is an aging population, the stress level is high, [there are] sleepless nights, the fear that is typical in a government [agency], what happens is that if we are not allies, we will be moved to a department beyond our scale, knowledge and location, that is what is happening, that’s why we came up with a manifesto,” Sta. Ana said.
Assistant Postmaster General for Operations Lori Ann Atal said that because of the leadership crisis, employees of PhilPost are on a “survival mode” as any wrong move could cost them their jobs.
(From left to right) The Manila Times reporter Red Mendoza interviews Assistant Postmaster Generals Maximo Sta.Maria III, lawyers Benjie Yotoko and Lori Atal on the current leadership crisis at the Philippine Postal Corp. and other problems plaguing the agency at the newspaper’s office in Intramuros, Manila on Aug. 9, 2024. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
(From left to right) The Manila Times reporter Red Mendoza interviews Assistant Postmaster Generals Maximo Sta.Maria III, lawyers Benjie Yotoko and Lori Atal on the current leadership crisis at the Philippine Postal Corp. and other problems plaguing the agency at the newspaper’s office in Intramuros, Manila on Aug. 9, 2024. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
(From left to right) The Manila Times reporter Red Mendoza interviews Assistant Postmaster Generals Maximo Sta.Maria III, lawyers Benjie Yotoko and Lori Atal on the current leadership crisis at the Philippine Postal Corp. and other problems plaguing the agency at the newspaper’s office in Intramuros, Manila on Aug. 9, 2024. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
(From left to right) The Manila Times reporter Red Mendoza interviews Assistant Postmaster Generals Maximo Sta.Maria III, lawyers Benjie Yotoko and Lori Atal on the current leadership crisis at the Philippine Postal Corp. and other problems plaguing the agency at the newspaper’s office in Intramuros, Manila on Aug. 9, 2024. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
(From left to right) The Manila Times reporter Red Mendoza interviews Assistant Postmaster Generals Maximo Sta.Maria III, lawyers Benjie Yotoko and Lori Atal on the current leadership crisis at the Philippine Postal Corp. and other problems plaguing the agency at the newspaper’s office in Intramuros, Manila on Aug. 9, 2024. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
(From left to right) The Manila Times reporter Red Mendoza interviews Assistant Postmaster Generals Maximo Sta.Maria III, lawyers Benjie Yotoko and Lori Atal on the current leadership crisis at the Philippine Postal Corp. and other problems plaguing the agency at the newspaper’s office in Intramuros, Manila on Aug. 9, 2024. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
(From left to right) The Manila Times reporter Red Mendoza interviews Assistant Postmaster Generals Maximo Sta.Maria III, lawyers Benjie Yotoko and Lori Atal on the current leadership crisis at the Philippine Postal Corp. and other problems plaguing the agency at the newspaper’s office in Intramuros, Manila on Aug. 9, 2024. PHOTOS BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
Sta. Ana said that the leadership issue at the Post Office prevents them from improving their services and competing with the private sector, especially in the age of digital disruption, and as a government-owned and controlled corporation, their profits are not keeping up with the technological advances needed to improve their services.
“It is very challenging for us, but our people, we are ready to take on the challenge but because of the limitations, and with this situation, this adds to the stress,” Sta. Ana said.
They said that their manifesto does not name any preference for a leader at the helm of the Post Office, as they only want to have a leader that would “take care of their people.”
The Times has reached out to both Carlos and Planas to respond to the manifesto of the employees but has yet to receive a response.
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