Extend midnight appointees’ terms – CSC

CIVIL Service Commissioner Francisco Duque said Wednesday he had recommended to President Benigno Aquino 3rd not to fire 2,254 government officials on October 31, the extension deadline he gave under Memorandum Circulars 1 and 2 to those perceived to have been extended “midnight appointments” by the former Arroyo administration.

Duque told the Senate Committee on Finance, which was hearing the Civil Service Commission (CSC) budget—that these 2,254 officials should be given time to get their Career Executive Service Officer (CESO) eligibility or the needed CESO rank.

“Those without any eligibility should be given year to get the needed CESO eligibility and give two years for those with CESO eligibility but are in the process of getting the needed CESO rank,” he said.

Sen. Edgardo Angara said that a number of those affected officials could have risen from the ranks and it was possible that they merely did not get the CESO eligibility and CESO rank in time.

President Aquino initially ordered the immediate termination of the services of all those appointed by former President Gloria Arroyo who assumed office after March 9. He later extended the deadline to October 31. A case has been filed before the Supreme Court questioning the legality of the two memorandum circulars.

Duque said that those with CESO eligibility should enjoy security of tenure even if they still have not achieved the needed CESO rank.

Angara said that the authority of the CSC on the bureaucracy should be upheld.

“Under the Constitution, the CSC is mandated to determine the security of tenure of government employees. This should not be a political question,” Angara said.

At the same hearing by the Senate Committee on Finance, Angara called for a review of the Commission on Audit (COA)’s practice of placing a resident auditor in each government office.

He said that the resident auditor could easily be co-opted by the office he is supposed to investigate.

“The best way is for an audit to be conducted by an outsider. There should be an arms-length investigation of the organization,” he explained.

Sen. Franklin Drilon, the committee chairman also asked the COA review pre-audit system, saying that it has been causing much delay and corruption. He said that a strong COA is needed to curb corruption.

“COA should also submit a performance-based system where we can measure its performance based on its output on disallowances, suspensions, and charges; and an action plan in coordination with the Ombudsman,” he said.

A COA report said that government officials incurred P4.7 billion in illegal expenses or disallowances in 2008. –Efren L. Danao Senior Reporter, Manila Times