Wednesday, April 11, 2007 CSC to gov’t workers: Don’t join campaigns
GOVERNMENT workers who engage in partisan political activities risk losing their jobs, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) warned.
CSC 7 Director David Cabanag Jr., in a recent advisory, stressed that government employees are prohibited from directly or indirectly engaging in any partisan political activity.
Cabanag said the prohibition covers permanent appointees, coterminous employees, casuals and contractual employees and other government workers whose appointments are approved by the CSC.
Consultants of elected officials and employees whose nature of employment is covered only by job orders and contracts of services are exempted from the prohibition, CSC Assistant Regional Director Edith Luzano said yesterday.
The CSC regional office issued the advisory after receiving reports that some government employees may have engaged in political activities.
“Employees with job orders and contracts of service are not considered government employees, which means they are not covered by the prohibition, as well as the consultants. Those who are working for politicians but are not paid by the government are also exempted,” Luzano told Sun.Star Cebu.
Among other acts, government employees are prohibited from holding political caucuses, conferences, meetings, rallies, parades or other similar assemblies to solicit votes. They are also barred from undertaking campaign propaganda for or against a candidate.
Government workers are also not allowed to make speeches, announcements or commentaries or hold interviews for or against the election of any candidate for public office.
Businessman and Cebu City south district congressional candidate Jonathan Guardo earlier accused the ruling Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan of involving government employees in their campaign sorties in the barangays.
If proven guilty, those who joined the campaign may be charged with engaging in partisan political activity or grave misconduct and dismissed from service.
Their retirement benefits they also be forfeited and may be perpetually disqualified from joining government service.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Regional Attorney Lionel Castillano said they could not come up with a set of guidelines on who among the government workers are not allowed to join campaign sorties.
The matter, he said, is best left to the CSC to decide on.
“Although this is also included in election laws, the matter on who is considered a government employee or not should be identified by the CSC,” he said in an interview. (LCR)
