Government agencies have until Oct. 31 to submit their Public Service Continuity Plan (PSCP), an all-hazard plan that aims to ensure continuous delivery of services to the public amid any disruption.
Acting as the lead convenor of the Sub-Task Group on Public Service Continuity of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 Task Group on Recovery, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) reminded the government agencies that the deadline for the submission of the PSCP is set on Oct. 31.
CSC Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala cited the need for the public sector to submit the PSCP to foster agility and responsiveness during the occurrence of any hazard – be it a pandemic, natural disaster, civil disturbance, or other related events.
“Ang pamahalaan ang takbuhan ng mga mamamayan sa gitna ng krisis. (The people caught in the middle of the crisis are seeking refuge from the government) So, while we have little control of when and where these events would occur, we can definitely prepare for them and mitigate their effects,” she said in a statement.
“Having a continuity plan would allow us to know what to do when the disaster or emergency strikes and to deliver the basic services and recovery strategies that the citizenry needs,” she added.
The CSC said pursuant to National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Memorandum No. 33 series of 2018, all government member agencies of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) councils at all levels and other government departments, offices, bureaus, services, units, and instrumentalities are enjoined to develop their own PSCP.
Memorandum Circular No. 12, series of 2021 dated July 27, 2021 extends the deadline of submission of PSCP until the end of October.
Under MC No. 12, government agencies are directed to submit their PSCP to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Capacity Building and Training Service, addressed to Undersecretary Ricardo B. Jalad, OCD administrator, through [email protected].
The CSC explained that the PSCP “works by highlighting internal capacities, recovery requirements, and strategies to minimize damage and loss to essential processes, ensure succession of leadership, and improve continuity capabilities of all government entities.”
The PSCP Guidebook offers a guide to the step-by-step development of essential sections of a complete PSCP. It can be downloaded through the DRRM Knowledge Center at https://drrmkc.ocd.gov.ph.