THE House Committee on Appropriations, chaired by Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, on Tuesday terminated its review of the proposed 2025 budget of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) amounting to P1,000,550,000.
Committee senior vice chair and Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo emphasized the crucial role of the CSC in strengthening the government workforce.
“Bilang pangunahing ahensiya na may responsibilidad sa human resource, mahalaga na ang CSC ay patuloy na magsikap sa pagpapalakas ng kahusayan, integridad, at progresibong pananaw sa ating civil service,” Quimbo said.
In his presentation of the agency’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2025, CSC chairman Karlo Alexei Nograles focused on the development of human resource policies that address the challenges faced by civil servants during and after the pandemic.
According to him, the budget also supports the enhancement of the civil service system in line with RA 11032 and the implementation of CSC Resolution No. 2301123, which grants Career Service Eligibility.
The CSC is also advancing its digital initiatives, including the procurement of digital examination programs set to launch this year. He also reported that the CSC has responsibly utilized 98.02% of its budget from 2019 to 2023.
Among the CSC’s achievements are the provision of 720,822 examination slots, surpassing its 500,000 target, and the training of 56,722 civil servants.
The CSC will also hold its largest HR symposium in September.
During interpellation, Zamboanga Sibugay Rep. Wilter Palma expressed concerns about the 203,079 unfilled government positions.
Nograles explained that each agency’s HR office is responsible for filling vacancies, and the CSC’s PRIME-HRM program aims to assess and improve recruitment processes.
Palma urged the CSC to investigate the underlying causes of these vacancies of which Nograles responded that the CSC is in the final stage of signing a memorandum of agreement with the National College of Public Administration and Governance of the University of the Philippines with the aim of answering the concern.
ACT-Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro called for a reassessment of obsolete vacant positions and qualifications. She also emphasized the need to increase teachers’ salaries to address career progression concerns.
General Santos City Rep. Loreto Acharon inquired about the status of the flexible work arrangement initiative.
Nograles said that while guidelines were issued during the pandemic, the updated guidelines are still pending as they are being aligned with energy and fuel conservation efforts of the government. He clarified that agency heads have discretion over work arrangements.
Bulacan Rep. Salvador Pleyto expressed satisfaction with the CSC’s recent resolution on Career Service Eligibility – Preference Rating (CSE-PR).
Before the briefing concluded, Quimbo emphasized the need to include mental health concerns in the CSC policies.
Nograles reported that CSC is already working on it, saying that there should be no discrimination against mental health issues.
