GUEST COLUMNIST

Last September, government employees all over the country commemorated the 123rd Philippine Civil Service Anniversary with a month-long celebration. This year’s theme highlighted the importance of cultivating dynamism in the public sector as a crucial component of building an agile, future-ready civil service.

Why turn the spotlight on dynamism? For an institution established in 1900, the Philippine Civil Service faces the challenge of addressing the governance issues of today and meeting the demands of the future. The programs and policies introduced by our predecessors 10 or 50 years ago may no longer be applicable a few years from now. Thus, as the needs of the people change, the civil service must also evolve accordingly.

There had never been a bigger impetus to innovate than the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Every sector was compelled to radically alter its operations to adapt to this unprecedented environment. Among the most profoundly impacted sectors was our education system. With the indefinite closure of schools, teachers and students were forced to swiftly transition to online classrooms. While remote or distance learning was not an entirely novel concept, it has rapidly evolved from an unconventional mode of instruction to a widely accepted alternative to traditional education, particularly when time and geographical constraints hinder the effectiveness of classroom-based learning.

Given this new reality, the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), as the pioneer and leading institution in Open and Distance e-Learning (ODL) in the country, through their Chancellor Melinda dP. Bandalaria, PhD., submitted to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) a position paper advocating for the inclusion of ODL graduates with Latin honors in the grant of Honor Graduate Eligibility (HGE). 

The UPOU University Student Council supported this initiative with their own appeal to the CSC. Both parties affirmed open distance learning as an appropriate, efficient, and effective system of delivering high-quality tertiary education and technical training in the country. This aligns with Republic Act No. 10650, the Open Distance Learning Act, which not only integrates the concepts of "open learning" and "distance education" under the framework of open and flexible learning, but also mandates that all courses or subjects offered through ODL must maintain the same rigor and depth as their conventional classroom or traditional counterparts despite their non-traditional delivery methods.

In recognition of the growing prominence of ODL locally and internationally, the CSC granted UPOU’s request by issuing Resolution No. 2300615 on July 28, 2023, which extends the coverage for HGE. As a result, the HGE, which was previously exclusive to honor graduates of local and foreign higher education institutions, is now available to bachelor's degree graduates who earned distinctions of summa cum laude, magna cum laude, or cum laude in ODL programs offered by colleges and universities accredited by the Commission on Higher Education. 

The HGE is a civil service eligibility comparable to Career Service Professional Eligibility, which is a requirement to qualify for a permanent appointment to first and second level positions in the government that do not involve the practice of profession and are not covered by bar, board, and other laws. 
Many of our stakeholders have welcomed this development. After announcing this new policy on Nov. 3 2023, students and parents expressed their gratitude to the CSC. Isaiah Crisanto, the chairperson of the UPOU University Student Council, commented that this is a significant step towards eliminating the academic discrimination faced by ODL students and graduates. He stated that "the policy change symbolizes the recognition of the quality and competitiveness of open universities in the Philippines."

By broadening the scope of HGE, we aim to attract more outstanding graduates to pursue a career in public service. We are confident that by encouraging talented individuals to join the government workforce, we are simultaneously fostering inclusivity, embracing diversity, and welcoming the infusion of fresh perspectives to enhance the quality of service we deliver to the Filipino people. 

It is also our way of recognizing the role of digitalization in elevating academic standards in higher education and in honing future-ready civil servants.
Providing efficient and effective government services to the people, regardless of their location, hinges on the quality of our human capital, the men and women who diligently manage the day-to-day operations of our government. In subsequent columns, I will share the training and capacity building strategies employed by the CSC to ensure that our civil servants are equipped with the necessary tools to competently address emerging challenges.

(Atty. Karlo Alexei B. Nograles serves as the chairperson of the Civil Service Commission. He was appointed Cabinet Secretary in 2018 and he served as the co-chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), and chair of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger.)