Arroyo promotes all govt lawyers By Tarra Quismundo, Alex Pal Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 02:43:00

06/25/2010 Filed Under: Government, Civil & Public Services MANILA, Philippines In a move seen to cushion her from prosecution under the new administration, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has issued an 11th-hour order giving all lawyers in government executive service the third highest rank in civil employment, a former head of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) disclosed Thursday. Executive Order No. 883, which was signed by the President on May 28, grants the rank of career executive service officer (CESO) to all lawyers in executive departments, a level that usually takes 10 to 15 years for government servants to reach, said former CSC Chair Karina David. I can only suspect that its to ensure that lawyers from departments like the DoJ (Department of Justice) are beholden to the President and that they treat her kindly, David told the Inquirer Thursday. Seniority, merit ignored The executive order also effectively ignores seniority and the merits and fitness system in appointments as even new law graduates with no civil service experience can readily earn the CESO appointment. You get the political appointment not because of merit, but because you are close to the President. Everybody else aspiring for the limited positions will never go up. This destroys the merit and fitness system. It destroys the ranking system, David said. Unfair David said the move was unfair. I think GMA (Ms Arroyo) wanted to please some people. She sacrificed the integrity of the career service, the former CSC head said. David showed members of the media at a Philippine Press Institute forum in Manila Thursday a copy of the executive order she received from concerned civil servants. Officers and employees occupying legal positions in the government executive service who have obtained graduate degrees in law and successfully passed the bar examinations attendant thereto shall initially be granted the rank of CESO III or higher, with the corresponding salary grade and other privileges in the career executive service, read the presidential order sent to the CSC on June 11. Enactment of EO

David said the Career Executive Service Board (CESB), the governing body of the CES system, was set to meet on June 29, a day before the Arroyo administration ceases to be, to discuss the enactment of the executive order. Under the order, the CESB will confer the CESO rank based on the position of the officer or employee in government, academic honors and distinctions received, and bar or board examination rating. Once it takes effect, the order awards the CESO rank to lawyers currently employed in government executive offices, including the DoJ, its subordinate agency the National Bureau of Investigation and all other legal offices in departments and agencies under the executive branch, David said. Impact on GSIS That will be messy, David said, stressing that the instant promotion of lawyers in the executive branch, no matter how low his position might be at the moment, would elevate every lawyer to the rank of a regional director, with the corresponding salary increase and permanent status. In addition to forcing the government to pay the increased salaries of these lawyers, this will also have a drastic impact on the Government Service Insurance System, she added. Reading too much Malacaang Thursday said it seemed David was reading too much into the executive order. Deputy presidential spokesperson Gary Olivar said it was possible that Ms Arroyo issued the order because there was a shortage of lawyers in government service. The President wants to upgrade the status of lawyers in government service and make it attractive as a career option for lawyers, Olivar said in a phone interview. Incoming President Benigno Aquino III may repeal the order but CESO appointments already made before he takes oath may not be recalled, David said. Its really deceptive, David said. Managerial class The CESO rank is a managerial class in career service positions and covers senior government ranks such as undersecretary, assistant secretary, bureau director, bureau assistant director, regional director, assistant regional director, department service chief and other executive appointments of the same rank, the CESB said on its website.

Passing the CESO rank, according to David, normally takes a yearlong process, as any government officer must undergo an examination, a simulation exercise to test executive ability, an interview and then an evaluation of the CESB. Permanent appointment CESOs are paid under Salary Grades 28 to 30 and enjoys permanent government appointment, David said. So for example at the DoJ, all prosecutors will become CESOs and become permanent. And they owe their permanence to GMA. That will be their debt of gratitude, she said. The CESB is chaired by retired Court of Appeals Associate Justice Bernardo Abesamis. Former Health Secretary Francisco Duque is the CESB vice chair. The board has six members, namely Susan Solo, director IV of the Presidential Management Staff; Angelito Twano, director VIII of the Department of Public Works and Highways; Susana Vargas, deputy executive secretary for finance and administration; Antonio Kalaw Jr., president of the Development Academy of the Philippines; Proceso Domingo, chair of the Philippine Overseas Construction Board; and Jairus Paguntalan, director III of the Customs Investigation and Intelligence Service. With a report from Christine O. Avendao