The government must be mindful of its moral responsibilities as an employer of the country's 1.5 million public sector workers - making it the biggest employer in the country. Oftentimes, in the debate on workers' rights, it is often forgotten that civil servants are also part of the labor force and should therefore have the same rights as workers in the private sector.  They are the stewards of governance and through their work in policy-making and programs implementation, public hospitals, public schools, infrastructure, to mention a few - they greatly help make social justice happen, they bring services to the poor and needy, they save lives and broaden opportunities for the disadvantaged.  But how can they be expected to do their jobs effectively if their rights at work are constantly under attack, and they are both underpaid and overworked?

Civic education is crucial in the struggle to fight corruption and promote good governance, according to PSLINK General Secretary Annie Enriquez-Geron.

"For the past years, we Filipinos have had to contend with a worsening crisis in democracy and growing corruption," said Enriquez-Geron.

She noted that while there have been so many efforts to fight corruption, little change has been achieved. She cited the need for a more proactive approach in dealing with governance issues.

"Oftentimes as trade unionists and activists we get stuck with the idea that to improve governance or weed out corruption, we need to change our laws or institute this new policy or that," said Enriquez-Geron. She pointed out how activists tend "to forget to look at our education system and how it can be shaped in order for the nation to produce upright and socially responsible citizens."