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OmbudsmanvsCSCCaseDigestPhilippineLegalMatters

OmbudsmanvsCSCCaseDigest
G.R.No.162215,July30,2007

FACTS:

The qualification standards set for Director II positions in the Central Administrative Service and
Finance and Management Service of the Office of the Ombudsman pursuant to Civil Service
CommissionMemorandumCircularNo.1datedJanuary24,1997areasfollows:

Education:Bachelorsdegree
Experience:3yearsofsupervisoryexperience
Training:Nonerequired.
Eligibility : Career Service Executive Eligibility (CSEE)/Career Executive Service
(CES)

However,inthecaseofKhemN.Inokvs.CivilServiceCommission(G.R.No.148782,July2,2002),
the Supreme Court held that the Judiciary, the Constitutional Commissions, the Office of the
Ombudsman and the Commission on Human Rights are not covered by the CES governed by the
CareerExecutiveServiceBoard.SaidDecisioneffectivelygrantedthepetitionofMr.Inokforsecurity
oftenureasDirectorIIIoftheCommissiononAuditdespitetheabsenceofaCESeligibility.

Thus, Ombudsman Simeon V. Marcelo wrote a letter dated July 28, 2003 to the Civil Service
Commission(CSC),requestingtheapprovaloftheamendmentofqualificationstandardsforDirector
IIpositionsintheCentralAdministrativeServiceandFinanceandManagementServiceoftheOffice
oftheOmbudsman,asfollows:

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Education:Bachelorsdegree
Experience:3yearsofsupervisoryexperience
Training:Nonerequired.
Eligibility : Career Service Professional/Relevant Eligibility for Second
LevelPosition

CSCissuedOpinionNo.44,s.2004disapprovingtherequestonthegroundthatDirectorIIposition,
beingthirdleveleligibility,iscoveredbytheCareerExecutiveService.TheCommissionarguedthat,
asthecentralpersonnelagencyofthegovernment,itismandatedbytheConstitutiontoadminister
alllevelsinthecivilservice,includingthatofthethirdlevel.

TheOfficeoftheOmbudsman,thus,filedapetitionforcertiorariseekingtosetasideandnullifyCSC
Opinion No. 44, s. 2004. The Office of the Ombudsman asserts that its specific, exclusive and
discretionaryconstitutionalandstatutorypowerasanindependentconstitutionalbodytoadminister
and supervise its own officials and personnel, including the authority to administer competitive
examinations and prescribe reasonable qualification standards for its own officials, cannot be
curtailedbythegeneralpoweroftheCSCtoadministerthecivilservicesystem.Anyunwarranted
andunreasonablerestrictiononitsdiscretionaryauthority,suchaswhattheCSCdidwhenitissued
OpinionNo.44,s.2004,isconstitutionallyandlegallyinfirm.

ISSUES:

Whetherornotthe Director II positions in the Central Administrative ServiceandtheFinanceand

ManagementServiceoftheOfficeoftheOmbudsmanarecoveredbytheCareerExecutiveService

HELD:

No. Book V, Title I, Subtitle A, Chapter 2, Section 7 of EO 292, otherwise known as The
AdministrativeCodeof1987,provides:
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SECTION7.CareerService.TheCareerServiceshallbecharacterizedby(1)
entrancebasedonmeritandfitnesstobedeterminedasfaraspracticableby
competitive examination, or based on highly technical qualifications (2)
opportunity for advancement to higher career positions and (3) security of
tenure.

TheCareerServiceshallinclude:

(1) Open Career positions for appointment to which prior qualification in an

appropriateexaminationisrequired

(2) Closed Career positions which are scientific, or highly technical in nature
these include the faculty and academic staff of state colleges and universities,
and scientificand technical positions in scientific or researchinstitutionswhich
shallestablishandmaintaintheirownmeritsystems

(3) Positions in the Career Executive Service namely, Undersecretary,

Assistant Secretary, Bureau Director, Assistant Bureau Director, Regional
Director, Assistant Regional Director, Chief of Department Service and other
officersofequivalentrankasmaybeidentifiedbytheCareerExecutiveService
Board,allofwhomareappointedbythePresident

xxxxxxxxx(emphasissupplied)
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Thus,theCEScoverspresidentialappointeesonly.

UndertheConstitution,theOmbudsmanistheappointingauthorityforallofficialsandemployeesof
the Office of the Ombudsman, except the Deputy Ombudsmen. Thus, a person occupying the
positionofDirectorIIintheCentralAdministrativeServiceorFinanceandManagementServiceof
theOfficeoftheOmbudsmanisappointedbytheOmbudsman,notbythePresident.Assuch,heis
neitherembracedintheCESnordoesheneedtopossessCESeligibility.

To classify the positions of Director II in the Central Administrative Service and the Finance and
ManagementServiceoftheOfficeoftheOmbudsmanascoveredbytheCESandrequireappointees
thereto to acquire CES or CSE eligibility before acquiring security of tenure will lead to
unconstitutionalandunlawfulconsequences.Itwillresulteitherin(1)vestingtheappointingpower
forsaidpositioninthePresident,inviolationoftheConstitutionor(2)includingintheCESaposition
notheldbyapresidentialappointee,contrarytotheAdministrativeCode.

Section6,ArticleXIoftheConstitutionprovides:

Sec.6.TheofficialsandemployeesoftheOfficeoftheOmbudsman,otherthan
the Deputies, shall be appointed by the Ombudsman according to the Civil
ServiceLaw.

ThisiscomplementedbySec.11ofRA6770,otherwiseknownasTheOmbudsmanActof1989.

UndertheConstitution,theOfficeoftheOmbudsmanisanindependentbody.Asaguarantyofthis
independence,theOmbudsmanhasthepowertoappointallofficialsandemployeesoftheOfficeof
the Ombudsman, except his deputies. This power necessarily includes the power of setting,
prescribingandadministeringthestandardsfortheofficialsandpersonneloftheOffice.

To further ensure its independence, the Ombudsman has been vested with the power of
administrative control and supervision of the Office. This includes the authority to organize such
directoratesforadministrationandalliedservicesasmaybenecessaryfortheeffectivedischargeof
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the functions of the Office, as well as to prescribe and approve its position structure and staffing

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pattern. Necessarily, it also includes the authority to determine and establish the qualifications,
duties,functionsandresponsibilitiesofthevariousdirectoratesandalliedservicesoftheOffice.This
must be so if the constitutional intent to establish an independent Office of the Ombudsman is to
remainmeaningfulandsignificant.

Qualification standards are used as guides in appointment and other personnel actions, in
determiningtrainingneedsandasaidintheinspectionandauditofthepersonnelworkprograms.
They are intimately connected to the power to appoint as well as to the power of administrative
supervision. Thus, as a corollary to the Ombudsmans appointing and supervisory powers, he
possessestheauthoritytoestablishreasonablequalificationstandardsforthepersonneloftheOffice
oftheOmbudsman.

Since the responsibility for the establishment, administration and maintenance of qualification
standardslieswiththeconcerneddepartmentoragency,theroleoftheCSCislimitedtoassisting
the department or agency with respect to these qualification standards and approving them. The
CSCcannotsubstituteitsownstandardsforthoseofthedepartmentoragency,speciallyinacase
likethisinwhichanindependentconstitutionalbodyisinvolved.

PetitionGRANTEDandOpinionNo.44,s.2004SETASIDE.(OmbudsmanvsCivilService

Commisison,G.R.No.162215,July30,2007).

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