Aristotle Aguirre, a mayor in the Philippines has passed an order that all civil and local government servants are required to have a smile on their faces while they are serving the people, or else, they stand to lose six months’ salary or even their jobs.
Aguirre is the mayor of Mulanay town in Quezon province, on the main island of Luzon in the Philippines.
During an interaction with the media, Aguirre said that he has seen people complaining about the rude behaviour of local civil servants, and therefore, he decided to introduce the ‘smile policy’ for all employees. He further mentioned that mostly coconut growers and fishermen in the town have reached out to the authorities and have expressed that whenever they visit the town hall to pay their taxes or seek help, the staff does not serve them well.
The mayor says that the policy will be monitored by the HR team. Any violations will be dealt with strictly.
Aguirre just wants to create a cheerful and happy environment for the people of the town, which is why he ended up taking this decision.
Mulanay is not the first town in the Philippines which has addressed this issue. Kevin Anarna, mayor of Silang, south of Manila (capital of Philippines), has also instructed employees not to frown, promising an improved and new style of service.
