The Civil Service Commission (CSC) must conduct its eligibility examinations online as soon as possible to help displaced workers find new jobs in government.

(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles made this appeal Sunday as he highlighted the glut of vacant positions in government that currently jobless Filipinos could apply for.
“I hope the sense of urgency is not lost on the CSC. Napakaraming bakanteng posisyon sa pamahalaan na maaari sanang ibigay sa mga nawalan ng trabaho dahil sa pandemya (There are a lot of vacant positions in government that could be given to those left unemployed by the pandemic)," said the lawyer-solon.
He said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) staffing summary shows that out of 1,862,543 permanent positions in government, 177,874 have yet to be filled. The figure includes both civilian and military and uniformed personnel.
He said the CSC exam, which is a requirement for appointment in government, has yet to be held this year after the CSC suspended the March exams due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The postponement affected more than 293,000 people who were supposed to take the exams in some 66 locations nationwide.
The CSC announced in June that it will not conduct the exams this year. The agency holds two tests annually.
Nograles said that instead of postponing the exams to 2021, the Commission should have used the past months to adapt to the situation like what other government entities have done.
“So many of our government offices have shifted online. Our courts have online hearings, and so does Congress. Let’s not be an obstacle to the desire of our kababayans (countrymen) to find meaningful work in government,” he said.
"We have so many brilliant men and women in government, and we could have even enlisted the help of the academe and private sector, to come up with a workable system to hold the exams online,” noted Nograles.
He advised the CSC as well as other government agencies not to assume that everything would go back to normal come 2021.
The CSC has said it is currently working with the IATF in finding alternative ways to administer the exams.