Civil Service refers to governmental employment based on merit rather than political affiliations. A merit-based civil service aims to appoint and promote employees through competitive examinations, protect them from arbitrary removal, ensure political neutrality, and have an independent body oversee rules. The Philippine Civil Service Commission is the central personnel agency that recruits, builds, and retains a competent government workforce through functions like professionalization initiatives and performance-based tenure. Its goal is for every government employee to exemplify public service.

1. Civil Service, Merit System
& Civil Service Commission
Presented by:
Erwin T. Abad
PLM-MGM

2. What is Civil Service?
A branch of governmental service in which individuals are
employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by
competitive examinations.
The body of employees in any government agency other than
the military.
A civil servant is a person in the public sector employed for
a government department or agency.

3. Merit-based Civil Servants
 Entrance to the service based on
competitive exams.
 Protection of civil servants from arbitrary
removal.
 Protection of their political neutrality.
 Policing of these rules by an independent
body.
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4. Merit-based Civil Servants

Common features:





positions are established centrally and classified
according to rank;
bureaucrats are paid a salary and pension that is
determined by their rank, rather than the work that
they do;
there are often impediments to external lateral entry
at senior grades;
there are few points of entry, with most entering at a
young age and most senior positions filled by
promotion.
.
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5. Table 1: Comparing Civil-Service Systems: Management Principles
Patronage system (modern)
Merit system
Entrance
criteria
Informally based on loyalty/affinities,
formally on merit criteria
Competitive, transparent process open
to all citizens.
Tenure &
relation to
political
principals
Most appointments on political/ welfare
grounds. Lifetime tenure, with removal only
through due process.
Lifetime tenure, with removal only
through due process, protects political
neutrality.
Remuneration
Formal pay structures undermined by variety
of allowances, supplements, etc.
Relatively rigid pay structure based
largely on rank (rather than work
done);
Position
classification
Same as merit system.
Positions are established centrally and
classified according to rank.
Lateral entry
points (internal
or external
labor market)
Senior
appointments
Management
There are often impediments to
external lateral entry at senior grades;
there are few points of entry, with
most entering at a young age and most
senior positions filled by promotion.
Many countries have flexible approaches to
political appointments.
The amount and depth of political (as
opposed to merit) appointments is
limited.
Management is centralized, often with
an independent body managing 5
appointments.

6. Table 2: Comparing Civil-Service Systems: the External Environment
Patronage system (modern)
Political
arrangements
and the civilservice system
Labor-market
conditions and
the civil-service
system
Merit system
•Modern spoils systems are informal,
hidden behind formal merit systems.
•Merit systems arise under mature
democracies with checks and
balances and where political
parties are funded independently
of civil-service spoils.
•Informal patronage politics are
based on spoils systems, affinity
systems
•Scarcity of “modern-sector” jobs.
•Poorly functioning labor markets,
and scarcities of qualified people.
•A merit system, by protecting
civil servants from politicians,
promotes credible commitment,
but at the risk of shirking and
inefficiency.
•Well-functioning labor markets,
but many civil services function as
internal labor markets, insulated
from the national market.
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7. Historical Developments
Under Public Law No. 5 ("An Act for
the Establishment and Maintenance
of Our Efficient and Honest Civil
Service in the Philippine Island") in
1900 by the Second Philippine
Commission.
It was reorganized into a Bureau in
1905.
A Civil Service Board was created
composed of a Chairman, a
Secretary and a Chief Examiner.

8. Historical Developments
In 1935, Philippine Constitution firmly established the merit
system as the basis for employment in government.
In 1959, Republic Act 2260, otherwise known as the Civil Service
Law, was enacted. This Act converted the Bureau of Civil Service
into the Civil Service Commission with department status.
In 1975, Presidential Decree No. 807 (The Civil Service Decree
of the Philippines) redefined the role of the Commission as the
central personnel agency of government.

9. Historical Developments
Its present mandate is derived from Article IX-B of the 1987
Constitution which was given effect through Book V of Executive
Order No. 292 (The 1987 Administrative Code).
The Code essentially reiterates existing principles and policies in
the administration of the bureaucracy and recognizes, for the first
time, the right of government employees to self-organization and
collective negotiations under the framework of the 1987
Constitution.

10. Philippine Civil Service
Commission

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) is the
central personnel agency of the Philippine
government. One of the three independent
constitutional commissions with adjudicative
responsibility in the national government
structure, it is also tasked to render final
arbitration on disputes and personnel actions on
Civil Service matters.
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11. Philippine Civil Service
Commission
 RESPONSIBILITY

Recruitment, building, maintenance and
retention of a competent, professional and
highly motivated government workforce truly
responsive to the needs of the government's
client - the public.
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12. Philippine Civil Service
Commission

SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS



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leading and initiating the professionalization of the
civil service;
promoting public accountability in government
service;
adopting performance-based tenure in government;
and
implementing the integrated rewards and incentives
program for government employees.
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14. CSC 2030 Agency Vision
CSC shall be Asia's leading center of excellence
for strategic Human Resource (HR) and
Organizational Development (OD)
Mission
Gawing Lingkod-Bayani ang Bawat
Kawani

15. Thank you