CSC to study possibility of waiving civil service eligibility requirement amid COVID-19

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) on Wednesday said it has yet to discuss the possibility of deferring the requirement of certification for civil service eligibility amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the Senate deliberations of the CSC's P1.79 billion proposed budget for 2021, CSC chairperson Alicia Dela Rosa-Bala said the civil service examination scheduled last March had been suspended because of the health situation.

Senator Imee Marcos raised Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel's query on whether the CSC eligibility requirement can be waived to facilitate the hiring of more government workers, considering the unemployment problem in the country.

"That is something that we need to discuss in the Commission. That is something that we need to study," she said.

"As it is right now, under the Constitution, it states there that merit and fitness and the conduct of written exams is a must for government employees," she added.

As for appointees who are still lacking the civil service eligibility, Bala said a policy is already in place.

"We have a policy that if you are appointed to a permanent position, you can be issued a temporary appointment if the eligibility is the one that is lacking," she said.

Prior to the pandemic, around 200,000 to 300,000 individuals take the CSC exam that is usually conducted twice a year, according to Bala.—AOL, GMA News