MANILA -- The National Union of Career Executive Service Officers (NUCESO) on Thursday expressed support for the proposed federal constitution drafted by the Consultative Committee (ConCom), and also vowed to participate in the transition to federalism should it be ratified by the Filipino people.
NUCESO is a national association of government executives from the different regions and departments in the country. It was organized to promote careerism and professionalism in the government service.
In a ceremony at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), NUCESO national president Rosalina Bistoyong presented to former Chief Justice and ConCom chairman Reynato Puno a resolution to show support for the expert panel’s draft charter.
Resolution No. 04-18 is titled "Endorsing the Consultative Committee Draft Constitution: Bayanihan Federalism, Power to the People, Power to the Regions."
Bistoyong said that the NUCESO’s show of support comes after members of the association were informed by Puno of the draft constitution during its second mid-year convention last July 12 to 13.
"The NUCESO General Assembly who are represented by their respective Regional Chapters in the NUCESO Board of Directors, at its 2018 Mid-Year Convention, at which a quorum was present and voting, hereby, resolved to support and endorse the draft Constitution entitled: Bayanihan Federalism, Power to the People, Power to the Regions,” Bistoyong said.
“After a very thorough discussion on the provisions of the drafted constitution, we recognize the advantages of its current provisions and determine the opportunity to get involved,” she added.
Bistoyong said that NUCESO was willing to participate as member of the Federal Transition Commission (FTC).
However, it was not clear yet what role its members will play.
She also said that career executive service officers (CESOs) and career executive service eligibles will commit to serve and give priority to the federal government.
According to ConCom senior technical assistant and spokesperson Ding Generoso, the FTC will determine the role to be played by CESOs during transition.
“The FTC will determine the role of CESOs during transition. There are many different clusters where their expertise would be needed,” Generoso said.
“The most qualified of them can even be among the 10 experts in various fields who will be regular members of the FTC,” he added.
Puno, for his part, welcomed NUCESO’s endorsement - hopeful that other government officials would also consider the proposal as valuable.
“We shall value and we covet this endorsement from your group. We know that this is the product of your intense discussions where you dissected the innards of this proposed federal Constitution and coming from the CESO, which I consider to be the most enlightened group in our government bureaucracy, certainly our other government officials and employees as well as the public would consider this draft Constitution which you have endorsed of utmost value and utmost service to our people,” Puno said.
He said that the ConCom will also be forwarding a copy of the NUCESO resolution to President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, and newly-installed House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
“We should also be forwarding this to our President as well as the Senate President and the new Speaker of the House of Representatives as I’m sure they would value this endorsement as much as we valued it,” Puno said. (PNA)
