THE Civil Service Commission (CSC) reminded incoming elected and appointed officials to observe the rules on the appointment and movement of personnel to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of public services.

When the new officials assume their posts on June 30, public officials should take note that all appointments in the civil service shall be made only according to merit and fitness, CSC Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala said.

She specifically cautioned officials against nepotism, placing government employees on floating status and reassigning them just because they are not their political allies, as it may violate civil service rules.

In a press conference yesterday, she reminded government officials of certain provisions of the law and policies pertaining to the movement of staff, especially after an election.

Transition seminar

“All appointments in the civil service shall be made only according to merit and fitness. This means the most qualified, or those that have the right set and level of competencies appropriate for the position, should be issued appointments, whether new appointment or promotion,” she said.

The minimum credentials—eligibility, education, experience, and training—must be met at all times, Bala said.

To help achieve this, the human resource (HR) officers of national and local government units and government agencies should already have a list and profile of their personnel.

“By this time, they should have already the profile, who are occupying positions, where they are assigned, what are the functions. This would be the basis whether or not the mayor can move them, especially if these people have a permanent appointment,” Bala told a news conference yesterday.

She and other top officials of CSC are in Cebu for the 2016 Public Sector HR Symposium at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel.

With the theme “Managing transitions through strategic human resource and organization development,” the three-day seminar aims to prepare HR personnel in government to manage transitions and changes in time for the assumption of the new set of officials.

“So assuming that some local chief executives would bring in their people because these people were supportive of their campaign, we should ensure that our civil servants are also protected. We have civil service rules and laws that are in place to ensure that public service will not be hampered,” Bala said.

Exceptions

She also reminded appointed and elected officials that any personnel movement or action taken against any personnel should respect the Constitutional right to security of tenure of career service officials and employees with valid appointments.

Citing the 1987 Constitution, Bala said that no officer or employee of the civil service shall be removed or suspended except for cause provided by law.

“Civil servants who will find themselves unjustly terminated, suspended, or removed from their official workstations may seek legal recourse from the CSC,” she continued.

As for appointment of relatives to government positions, the CSC reminded officials of the rule on nepotism, or the prohibition to appoint members of the family within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity, and up to fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity for local government officials.

Nepotism is a grave administrative offense punishable by dismissal from the service on first offense.

But CSC Commissioner Robert Martinez said there are exceptions to the rule.

He said elected and appointed officials may appoint relatives to highly confidential positions, but other civil service rules will still prevail.

The CSC officials cited as an example the position of the provincial, city or municipal administrator, a position held by a person who has the trust and confidence of the chief executive.

“The administrators are not covered by nepotism. The mayor can appoint his son or sibling as administrator, but they still need to comply with other qualification standards based on the Local Government Code for the position of administrator, that means training, education, experience and eligibility,” said Bala.

They urged the public to file complaints for nepotism against elected or appointed officials who appoint their relatives to government positions.

Since elected officials and presidential appointees are covered by CSC rules but are beyond the disciplinary jurisdiction of the commission, complaints against them will have to be filed before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Aside from the rules on appointment and personnel movement, the CSC also reminded government officials and employees to always abide by the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees and the Anti-Red Tape Act.