SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN PUBLIC PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION

PHILIPPINE CIVIL SERVICE LAW

WITH OMNIBUS RULES IMPLEMENTING BOOK V OF E.O. NO. 292 AND OTHER
PERTINENT CIVIL SERVICE LAWS
HISTORY
- Ph CS was established on September 19, 1900. That day, the 2nd Ph Commission passes the first Civil
Service Law in the Ph.
- The three-member Philippine Civil Service Board evolved into a Bureau of Civil Service on October 26,
1905, under Act No. 1407 with a director and two assistant directors; a first-class bureau under E.O. 39
on June 23, 1936 with a commissioner having the rank of permanent Undersecretary and a Deputy
Commissioner under R.A. 2260 on June 19,1959; a three-man Civil Service Commission under
Presidential Decree No. 1 on September 24, 1972 and in the 1973 Constitution; and finally into the three-
member Civil Service Commission under the 1987 Constitution.
CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS ON THE CIVIL SERVICE
The 1987 Philippine Constitution enumerated these Salient Features on the Civil Service (9):
1. The civil service embraces all branches, subdivisions, instrumentalities, and agencies of the government,
including government-owned and controlled corporations with original charters.
2. Appointments in the civil service shall be made only according to merit and fitness to be determined, as
far as practicable, and except to positions which are policy-determining, primarily confidential, or highly
technical, by competitive examinations.
3. No officer or employee of the civil service shall be removed or suspended except for cause provided by
law.
4. No officer or employee of the civil service shall engage, directly or indirectly, in any electioneering or
partisan political campaign.
5. The right to self-organization shall not be denied to government employees.
6. Temporary employees of the government shall be given such protection as may be provided by the law.
7. No candidate who has lost in any election shall, within one year after such election, be appointed to any
office in the government or any government owned or controlled corporations or in any of their
subsidiaries.
8. No elective official shall be eligible for appointment in any capacity to any public office or position
during his tenure.
9. No elective or appointive public officer or employee shall receive additional, double, or indirect
compensation, unless specifically authorized by law, nor accept without the consent of the Congress, any
present, emolument, office, or title of any kind from any foreign government.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE
1. Equality of opportunity to join the service - all Ph citizens can join regardless of their religious beliefs,
sex, regional origin, or political affiliations.
2. Open competition for positions – skills and competence are passports to a career in Ph CS. Competitive
examinations are given so that positions may be filled only by the competent and qualified.
3. Standardization of compensation – the Congress shall provide for the standardization of compensation
of government officials and employees, including those in government-owned or controlled corporations
taking into account the nature of the responsibilities pertaining to, and the qualifications required for
their positions.
4. Carrer advancement – advancement on merit in the service is based on performance, education,
training, job experience, attitude, and potentials.
5. Security of tenure – no officer or employee in the cs shall be disciplined, suspended, or dismissed
except for cause as provided by law and after due process.
6. Political neutrality – no officer or employee in the cs, including the members of the AFP, shall engage
in any partisan activity or take part in any election except to vote.
 CATEGORIES OF POSITIONS
Positions in the Civil Service are categorized into (1) Career, and (2) Non-Career:
Career Service:
Characterized by:
1. Entrance based on merit and fitness, determined by competitive examination, or based on
highly technical qualification
2. Opportunity for advancement to higher career positions
3. Security of Tenure.
Positions Included:
1. Open Career Positions – Require prior qualification through an appropriate examination for
appointment.
2. Closed Career Positions – Scientific or highly technical roles, including faculty and staff at state
colleges and universities, which maintain their own merit systems.
3. Positions in the Career Executive Service – Include Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary, Bureau
Director, and similar ranks, all appointed by the President.
4. Career Officers – Appointed by the President, excluding those in the Career Executive Service,
such as Foreign Service Officers in the Department of Foreign Affairs.
5. Commissioned Officers and enlisted men of the Armed Forces - shall maintain a separate merit
system.
6. Personnel of government-owned or controlled corporations - whether performing
governmental or proprietary functions, who do not fall under the non-career service.
7. Permanent laborers - whether skilled, semi-skilled, or unskilled.
Non-Career Service:
Characterized by:
1. Entrance based on criteria other than standard merit and fitness tests for the career service.
2. Tenure limited by law, coterminous (appointment to position determined by law or determined
by the Commission to be primarily confidential in nature) with the appointing authority, or tied to
a specific project duration.
Positions Included:
1. Elective officials and their personal or confidential staff.
2. Secretaries and Cabinet Officials – Serve at the President's pleasure, along with their personal
or confidential staff.
3. Chairman and Members of Commissions and Boards – Hold fixed terms and have their own
personal or confidential staff.
4. Contractual Personnel – Hired through special contracts for specific tasks requiring technical
skills not available in the agency, lasting no more than one year, and work with minimal
supervision.
5. Emergency and seasonal personnel.
CLASSES OF POSITIONS IN THE CAREER SERVICE
a. First Level: Clerical, trades, crafts, and custodial positions which involve non-professional or
subprofessional work in a non-supervisory or supervisory capacity requiring less than four years of
college.
b. Second Level: Professional, technical, and scientific positions which involve professional, technical, or
scientific work in a non-supervisory or supervisory capacity requiring at least four years of college work
up to Division Chief level
c. Third Level: Positions in the Career Executive Service.
POSITION CLASSIFICATION
1. Professional Supervisory Category – Positions in this category involve managerial tasks such as
planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and overseeing activities within an organization or unit.
These roles require a degree of professional, technical, or scientific knowledge, as well as managerial or
 supervisory skills. Typically, these positions necessitate intensive knowledge acquired through the
completion of a bachelor's degree or higher. Salary grades for this category range from 9 to 33.
2. Professional Non-Supervisory Category – This category includes positions that require the exercise of
a particular profession, or the application of knowledge acquired through formal training in a specific
field. Roles may involve research and the application of professional methods across various functions,
including technological, economic, social, industrial, and governmental areas. These positions demand
thorough knowledge in arts and sciences, typically obtained through at least four years of college
education. Salary grades for this category range from 8 to 30.
3. Sub-Professional Supervisory Category – Positions in this category involve supervisory functions over
a group of employees engaged in technical, manual, or clerical work that is less complex than professional
work. These roles require training and moderate experience or significant experience and knowledge in a
limited subject matter or specific skills in arts, crafts, or trades. Generally, these positions require
knowledge acquired from secondary or vocational education or up to two years of college education.
Salary grades for this category range from 4 to 18.
4. Sub-Professional Non-Supervisory Category – This category encompasses positions involved in
structured work supporting office or fiscal operations, or roles engaged in crafts, trades, or manual labor.
These positions usually require skills acquired through training and experience or the completion of
elementary, secondary, or vocational education, or up to two years of college education. Salary grades for
this category range from 1 to 10.
RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, AND APPOINTMENT
Recruitment and Selection of Employees
- To join the civil service, you must have undergone the screening process your agency has evolved for
recruiting and selecting its personnel. This may include tests of fitness in accordance with standards and
guidelines set by the CSC as the central personnel agency of the government.
Qualification Standards
- Qualification standards define the minimum requirements for positions, including education, experience,
civil service eligibility, and physical fitness. Appointing authorities assess qualifications based on these
standards.
- They guide civil service exams, appointments, training needs, and personnel audits, promoting
professional growth and the career system.
- Departments are responsible for establishing and maintaining these standards with assistance from the
Civil Service Commission and the Wage and Position Classification Office.
Career Service Examinations
- The appropriate examination required for appointment to positions in the career service are those given
by the CSC or affiliates of the CSC.
- To be admitted for examination, you must apply with the CS Regional Office or Local Examination
Committee.
- At least 18 years of age but not over 50 years old on the day of the examination.
- Should meet the education requirement and other factors that are considered in an examination such as
experience, aptitude, capacity, skills, character, physical fitness, and potential.
- if you’re taking CSE as a professional, you should have a college degree, and if sub-pro, should at least
have two years of college.
- To pass the exam, you must obtain at least 80%.
- Bar and Board exams for the exercise of professions are considered CSEs. Except for positions requiring
highly specialized knowledge that are not covered by any professional examinations
- The existence of the Indigenous Peoples – Civil Service Examination (IP-CSE)
Civil Service Eligibility
- Passing either civil service bar or board examination means that you’re eligible for CS.
- Can also be conferred civil service eligibility through special laws or CSC resolutions or issuances. In this
case, you don’t have to take any written exam.
- These include:
o Honor Graduates under P.D. 907
o Scientific and Technological specialists under P.D. 997
o Barangay Nutrition Scholars under P.D. 1569
o Barangay Officials under BP 337
o Electronic Data Processing (EDP) specialists under P.D. 1408
o Those occupying trades and crafts position under M.C. 10 and Res. No. 435 and M.C. 42, s. 1993
under the CSC-NMYC Skills Certificate Eligibility Program
o And government employees under provisional or temporary status who have rendered at least 7
years of efficient service by Feb. 8, 1990, under R.A. No. 6850
- Eligibilities acquired from passing an examination are effective upon release of results. Others that are
granted by the Commission are effective on the date stated on the grant.
Types of Appointment
- Appointments may be either through certification, promotion, transfer, demotion, reinstatement, or
reemployment. By their employment status, they may be permanent, temporary, provisional, contractual,
casual, seasonal, or emergency. (Section 26)
• Permanent Appointment – you met all the requirements for the position
• Temporary Appointment – if you are not a CS eligible but you meet the other requirements of the
position. Your appointment, however, will not be for more than 12 months, unless renewed. Can be
replaced if a qualified CS eligible becomes available.
• Substitute Appointment – is obtained when you are issued a temporary appointment to the position of a
regular incumbent who is unable to perform the duties of his post. Your appointment is good only until
the return of the regular incumbent.
• Provisional Appointment – applies only to public school teachers and members of the police force.
• Contractual Appointment – is issued only where the desired expertise is unavailable among the regular
staff. Maximum of 12 months unless renewed.
• Casual, Emergency, or Seasonal Appointment – is good only when such services are essential, and the
regular staff of the employing agency is insufficient to carry out the demands of the service.