Innovations and Best Practices in the Philippine Civil Service Commission

172 Asian Review of Public ASIAN Administration, REVIEW OF Vol. PUBLIC XII, No. 1 ADMINISTRATION (January-June 2000) Innovations and Best Practices in the Philippine Civil Service Commission ERLINDA A. ROSAS, Civil Service Commission Philippines Introduction THAT GOOD governance is a sine qua non to achieving development needs no further amplification. Innumerable literature has been written by scholars on the subject, exploring and examining the salient connection between development and good governance. This paper focuses on the various innovations and initiatives being pursued by the Philippine government, specifically the Philippine Civil Service Commission (CSC), to engender an environment rooted on good and honest governance that will catapult the country well into development in the next millennium. Civil Service: A Glimpse of the Past The Philippine civil service system is understood to mean the branches, subdivisions, instrumentalities, and agencies of the government, including government-owned or controlled corporations with original charters. Local government units such as the provinces, municipalities and barangays, being the political subdivisions of the State, also form part and parcel of the system. The Philippine civil service traces its roots back in the year 1900, when the Americans, who then wielded and exercised political sovereignty over the country by virtue of their having annexed the Philippines under the Treaty of Paris, installed a civil service system patterned after their own. This does not mean, however, that there was no semblance of bureaucratic structure in the country before. The colonial predecessors of the Americans, the Spaniards, had their brand of administrative system, which served to consolidate their control and further their subjugation of the Philippines. High degree of centralism, fusion of Church and State, pervasive presence of political patronage, and absence of meritocracy characterized the Spanish colonial bureaucracy. For all its shortcomings, the civil service system ushered by the Americans profoundly influenced the course and direction of the Philippine civil service. The present Philippine civil service owes a great deal to its American forerunner for having introduced the principle of merit and fitness into the Filipino consciousness. As the Americans endeavored to cultivate an administrative culture based on professionalism and competence, they established an entity entrusted with the protection and safeguard of meritocracy in the Philippine bureaucracy. Known as the Civil Service Board,

Asian Review of Public Administration, Vol. XII, No. 1 (January-June 2000) INNOVATIONS AND BEST PRACTICES IN THE PHILIPPINE CSC 173 but later reorganized into a Bureau, its main tasks involved the administration of civil service examinations, and the promulgation of standards for appointment in the government service. The grant of self-autonomy in the 1930s, as a prelude to eventual independence, provided the necessary impetus for the adoption of a constitution -- the 1935 Philippine Constitution. The said Constitution gave rise to presidential system with governmental powers apportioned among the three branches -- the executive, legislative and the judiciary. More importantly, it firmly established the merit system as the basis for government employment. In the wake of these far-reaching developments, the Civil Service Bureau also underwent some changes, the most crucial of which was the broadening and expansion of is scope and jurisdiction to include the three branches of government, the national government, local government, and government corporations. Following the end of American rule and the subsequent grant of independence shortly after World War II, the Philippine legislature enacted in 1959 Republic Act No. 2260 otherwise known as the Civil Service Law. This was the first integral law on the Philippine bureaucracy, superseding the scattered administrative orders relative to government personnel administration, issued since 1900. This Act converted the Bureau of Civil Service into the Civil Service Commission, with department status. The 1970s and 1980s were decades of ferment and turbulence in Philippine contemporary history. The social, economic and political changes that had been wrought by the imposition of Martial Law are well known and thoroughly documented. Pertinent to the civil service system, however, three cardinal documents deserve mention. The first was the Integrated Reorganization Plan or IRP, which instigated such landmark reforms as the restructuring of the categories of service into career and non-career and creation of a pool of management technocrats. The second was the 1973 Philippine Constitution, wherein the Civil Service Commission (CSC) was elevated into a constitutional body, governed by a collegial body composed of a Chairman and two Commissioners. The third was Presidential Decree No. 807. It enshrined the CSC as the central personnel agency of the government charged with overseeing public personnel administration. The year 1986 was again another significant turning point. The People Power Revolution ousted the Marcos regime and brought back freedom into the country. Following the change in political leadership, there were several developments which had an impact on the Philippine bureaucracy. A sweeping reorganization took place. Existing statutes pertaining to civil service were codified and integrated into the Administrative Code of 1987. Most importantly, a new Constitution was ratified. Even as it reiterated the constitutional standing of the CSC, it also spelled out the mandate of the Civil Service Commission: to establish career service and adopt measures for the promotion of morale, efficiency, integrity, responsiveness, progressiveness and courtesy in the civil service. In present day parlance, and to adopt current buzzword, the primordial function of the CSC is in fostering good and honest governance towards national development.

174 ASIAN REVIEW OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Pursuing the CSC Mandate In keeping with this constitutional injunction, the CSC has its hands full implementing a host of innovations and programs in such areas of concern as total client satisfaction, upgrading of standards for middle level managers, and application of information technology in examinations. These programs are being overseen and managed by a CSC personnel complement of about 1,400 employees distributed in sixteen regional offices across the Philippine archipelago. Total Client Satisfaction -- The Mamayan Muna, Hindi Mamaya Na Program The Mamayan Muna, Hindi Mamaya Na (MMHM) Program, which translates literally in English into Citizens Now, Not Later, is essentially a client feedback mechanism meant to improve the delivery of public service. Launched in 1994, it is designed purposely to minimize if not totally eradicate discourtesy, arrogance and inefficiency in the public service. More particularly, it aims to achieve the following: 1. Institutionalization of courtesy and quick service to the public as standard norms of behavior among government employees; 2. Conferment of immediate recognition on employees for acts of courtesy and prompt delivery of services; 3. Provision of a redress mechanism for grievances against discourtesy and red tape in government agencies. In essence, the program operates this way: a client who feels dissatisfied with the service of a government agency can bring a complaint to the attention of the CSC, which in turn, mediates between the client and the agency towards effective resolution of the complaint. Conversely, a client can report a satisfactory service, which when duly verified by the Commission, can merit the employee who rendered that satisfactory service, a citation or reward. The CSC implements the program through a number of Mamamayan Muna Action Centers maintained in all of its sixteen regional offices, including one in the central office. These action centers are staffed by trained action officers, who receive requests for assistance, reports of good service, and suggestions from the public. To make the program more responsive, and as a way of institutionalizing it at the agency level, counterpart action officers in every agency, called Bilis Aksyon Partner or BAP, are identified. To date, there are 2, 910 BAPs nationwide. Two basic components comprise the Mamamayan Muna program. First is the Bilis Aksyon or Quick Action component. Viewed as the program s chief component, it serves as a quick administrative justice mechanism to provide quick redress to citizens, doing away whenever possible with all the requirements and formalities attendant to formal adjudicative process. Second is the Gantimpala Agad, which constitutes the reward component of the

Asian Review of Public Administration, Vol. XII, No. 1 (January-June 2000) INNOVATIONS AND BEST PRACTICES IN THE PHILIPPINE CSC 175 program. Its notable feature is that it immediately confers rewards and incentives to wellperforming employees as adjudged by the transacting public. The program has gone beyond its humble beginnings, as it now embraces several support systems, intending to widen its reach and coverage. These are: 1. A Mamamayan Muna Call Center, which is equipped with a twelve-hour telephone hotline for accommodating calls or messages from the public. The center is manned by a group of action officers who are empowered to take initial action on the reports/complaints that they receive. 2. The Mamamayan Muna Drop Box 724, which is installed at the CSC and its regional offices and other agencies as well for relaying feedback to the CSC. It is a sort of a catch basis for gathering suggestions and observations from the public, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, hence, the code 724. Reports received at the Box are collected daily, and are acted upon within seventy-two hours. 3. A one-hour radio program, dubbed as Mamamayan Muna Sa Himpapawid (Citizen-Now on the Air), which focuses on issues and concerns affecting public transactions, as well as programs and projects of various government agencies. The program, which seeks to bring the government closer to the people, is aired every Monday morning, between 9:00 and 10:00 A.M. over station DZRB. The program usually goes on remote broadcast from different government offices, although it is aired from the CSC Central Office during the first Monday of the month. The graph below sums up the number of reports received and acted upon under the aegis of the program, since its inception five years ago. Year Received Total Number of Report Acted Upon Complaints Good Service 1994 573 561 (97.91%) 12 ( 2.09%) 1995 4,950 2,587 (52.56%) 2,363 (47.74%) 1996 9,092 2,104 (23.14%) 6,988 (76.86%) 1997 3,495 3,069 (87.81%) 426 (12.19%) 1998 2,941 2,626 (89.29%) 315 (10.71%) Human Resource Interventions Towards Upgrading Skills and Competence An educated and well-trained government workforce is one of the underlying elements of good governance. For this reason, the CSC is steadfast in its commitment to adopt interventions that will upgrade the knowledge, skills and expertise of government personnel, especially

176 ASIAN REVIEW OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION middle-level managers, and equip them with new ones, in keeping with the principle that tomorrow s jobs cannot be done with yesterday s skills. LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM One of the interventions for human resource development is the Local Scholarship Program or LSP. It addresses the need for professional advancement of those serving in the government. Under the program, government personnel are afforded opportunities for education and training. The program consists of three streams to suit the varied educational and training needs of the different levels in the bureaucracy. Those aspiring for promotion to supervisory positions like division chiefs, can avail of the Local Scholarship Program for Master s Degree Course. The LSP-MDC enables them to pursue graduate studies on areas of study of their own choosing. While on it, they are considered on study leave with pay, enjoying such benefits and amenities as book allowance, thesis/research writing assistance, reimbursable cost of transportation, and payment of tuition and other school fees. Those wishing to enjoy the benefits of this particular grant need to pass a competitive examination and an oral interview conducted by the CSC. It should be added that the LSP-MDC is particularly useful in view of the recent imposition of master s degree requirement for division chief positions and their equivalent. On the other hand, the CSC provides government employees who have one year to go to obtain their college diplomas the chance to satisfy their deficiency through the Local Scholarship Program for Bachelor s Degree Completion (LSP-BDC). The LSP-BDC is similar to the LSP-MDC in that it entitles the grantees to a number of benefits including free tuition and other school fees as well as book allowance. It is hoped that this scholarship grant shall be instrumental in upgrading the level of professionalism of the men and women in the civil service. To cater to the skill development of those belonging to clerical and similar positions, there is the Local Scholarship Program for Skilled Workers in Government (LSP-SWG). Through the LSP-SWG, skilled workers can undergo short-term training courses, not exceeding six months, that will enable them to keep abreast of developments in their respective areas of technical expertise, with the CSC defraying the cost of their training, together with their travel and per diem allowances. To date, a total of 8,985 employees have availed of the above scholarship grants, with the LSP-SWG registering the highest number of grantees at 5,196. In the case of the LSP- MDC, there are 3,418 grantees, but only 1,483 have so far successfully completed their master s degree. BRIGHTEST FOR THE BUREAUCRACY PROGRAM Another initiative by the CSC, this time to get the right people into the bureaucracy, is the Brightest for Bureaucracy Program or BBP. Conceived in 1995, the BBP serves as a

Asian Review of Public Administration, Vol. XII, No. 1 (January-June 2000) INNOVATIONS AND BEST PRACTICES IN THE PHILIPPINE CSC 177 mechanism for recruiting young people of superior knowledge and skills into the government service. These include those who topped CSC- and PRC-administered examinations, honor graduates, and individuals of exceptional qualifications. The BBP ensures that the succeeding generations of government workforce are the cream of the crop, so to speak. As of December 1998, the program had already succeeded in placing seventy-three (73) bright young men and women in various government offices. About a hundred more are awaiting their turn for placement. Application of Information Technology in Examinations Civil service examinations stand as one of the prime pillars of merit system in the Philippine civil service. They serve as yardsticks for measuring fitness. Considering the importance of civil service examinations, the CSC has developed the Computer-Assisted Test (CAT) for both professional and sub-professional civil service examinations. The CAT, which is an application of information technology in test administration, enhances the quality of testing as it reduces the risks of cheating and other examination irregularities that are possible with conventional paper and pencil tests. Since its inception in 1995, the CAT is developing into a more popular mode for taking civil service exminations. Thus, all CSC regional offices are now equipped with said system, which enables them to conduct civil service examinations more frequently, in fact, on a daily basis. What makes the CAT attractive to the public is the significantly reduced time involved in the processing of test results. If before, examinees would have to wait from a minimum three to six months, now, with the CAT, test results are released within an hour. This innovation, among others, has earned the CSC the distinction of being the ASEAN Resource Center for Test Administration. Conclusion With all these innovations, the CSC still recognizes that much is still to be done to realize its mandate of achieving good governance. It shall not shirk from this duty, but shall continue to search for new and better ways so that by the turn of century, it can take pride for being in the forefront of good governance.