Editorial- May 20, 2006

Malacañang Transgression of CES Law

One of the conditions obtaining in countries under the parliamentary form of government is a strong government bureaucracy. The government personnel from the lowest rank up to the highest non elective official in a ministry are not affected in any way in case there is a change of leadership at the top.
Government personnel are so professionalized to their jobs. Prime Minister and Minister of a ministry may come and go, but personnel in the bureaucracy are left to continue doing their respective jobs. They are like cats and dogs which when its master left, it remains in the house. When another master comes, it welcomes the new master.
But not in the Philippines, not yet. How then can the Philippines shift from the presidential to the parliamentary form of government when the Philippines bureaucracy is not prepared for it?

Politicization of Career Service

In Resolution No. 619 of the Career Executive Service Board (CESB) on March 20, 2006 the members were alarmed of Malacañang personnel actions affecting Career Executive Service Officers (CESO) that have transgressed laws, rules and regulations and undermined the principles of professionalism and meritocracy.
To support this indictment, the CESB cited the case of DepEd undersecretary Luz who refused to honor post dated checks issued by the President’s social Fund for the scholarship program of Zambales Rep. Antonio Diaz. These checks were said to have been issued in return for Rep. Diaz’ opposition to Arroyo’s impeachment. Luz was sent a “thank you letter” and an order transferring him to another office.
Another transgression of Malacañang was the easing out of an executive in a government corporation and replacing him with a non – eligible outsider with strong political backing. In 2002, Crisostomo, after he opposed the suggestion to put his agency under the Department of Housing, left the government after serving the Pag Ibig Fund for more than 17 years.
As of February 2006, some 843 CESOs and CES eligibles are occupying non-CESO positions inspite of the 6,388 positions in the career executive service.

Bloating the Bureaucracy

At the time President Joseph Estrada was driven out of Malacañang, there were 63 under secretaries and 64 assistant secretaries in 19 departments. Today, the Arroyo administration has 85, undersecretaries or 22 more than Estrada’s and 72 assistant secretaries or 12 more that Estrada’s. Arroyo has bloated the bureaucracy despite her repeated pronouncements to trimmed the fat in the government.
According to the records in the Department of Budget and Management, there were 1.2 million permanent positions in the national government in 2005. This is 47,555 more than what Estrada has in 2000. Moreover, Arroyo has 677 positions which are exempt from the salary standardization law which did not exist at the time of Estrada. Arroyo has also doubled to 1,617 part time positions.
The CESB viewed with grave concern the apparent politicization of the career service “as a non CES eligible occupying a CES position is deemed as a political appointee who serves at the pleasure of the President.” In an inventory done by the CESB, it was shown that of the 2,583 CES positions, 2,122 positions are occupied of which 1,227 or 58 percent have a third level eligibilities while the remaining 895 or 48 percent are filled up by non eligibles.

How Does CES Operate

The Career Executive Service operates on the rank concept similar to the Armed Forces and the Foreign Service. The rank defines status, compensation and security of tenure. To become eligible for the CES, one must pass management aptitude test battery. This is followed by a series of simulation exercises designed to measure managerial capability potential. A formal interview by a CESB or by a panel will be conducted and performance validation on the job.
After one passes all the requirements, he is conferred CES eligibility. His name is included in a list of eligibles where the CESB gets the name to be recommended to the President to be given a CESO rank. There are six CES ranks with corresponding salary grades ranging from 25 to 30 being the highest and the salary starting from P28,875 a month to P34,323, the highest.
With the approval of Resolution 619 of the CESB that expressed alarm over the transgression of the Career Executive Service law, rules and regulations, Malacañang is gradually replacing the current members of the CESB with men subservient to Malacañang.
In view of these, the Arroyo government will convert the Philippine bureaucracy into an inverted pyramid, pay more money to assistant secretaries and undersecretaries and other high positions, give rise to conflicts over turf competition for more attention, thereby creating discord and disunity in department offices. The present bureaucracy is not suited and prepared to perform its functions in a parliamentary form of government. /MP