Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairperson Karlo Nograles (Photo courtesy of CSC)
MANILA -- Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairperson Karlo Nograles has expressed his agency’s full cooperation and support to the attainment of the good governance goals under the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028.
“Guided by a new organizational strategy, the CSC is committed and fully prepared to take an active role in improving governance and bureaucratic efficiency by empowering civil servants and government agencies,” Nograles said.
He stressed that effective human resource (HR) and organization development (OD) in the public sector is a critical foundation for the achievement of the entire socio-economic agenda.
“Layunin ng CSC na mapabuti ang pamamahala at pangangalaga sa ating mga kawani ng pamahalaan, sapagkat sila ang ating inaasahan na gumawa ng mahahalagang programa at magbigay ng mahusay na serbisyo para sa taumbayan (The CSC aims to improve the welfare and development of our government workers because we expect them to implement important programs and deliver efficient public service),” Nograles said.
He noted that the agency’s mandate is aligned with Chapter 14 of the new PDP, which covers the bureaucracy’s bid to practice open, efficient, and accountable governance.
Mentioned in the PDP 2023-2028 as one of the measures to increase public accountability is the CSC’s Contact Center ng Bayan (CCB), a facility that receives queries, complaints, requests for assistance, messages of commendation or appreciation, and suggestions about government services.
“Providing customer-centered services remains a top priority of the Commission thru the CCB. Sa katunayan, isang dekada na itong nagsisilbi bilang tulay sa pagitan ng mga mamamayan at mga ahensya ng pamahalaan upang maisaayos ang mga problema tungkol sa kanilang serbisyo (In fact, the CCB has been serving for a decade as a bridge between the public and government agencies in order to improve their services),” Nograles said.
For 2022, the CCB recorded a total of 134,638 feedback, of which 134,504 or 99.90 percent has been resolved.
During this period, CCB clients sent their feedback through e-mail sent to [email protected] (58,473 or 43.43 percent); through CSC’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/civilservicegovph (52,408 or 38.92 percent); and through SMS sent to 0908-8816565 (22,733 or 16.88 percent).
Meanwhile, 500 of client feedback on CSC services, which came from the Citizens’ Complaint Center Hotline 8888, were endorsed to the CCB, resulting in a 98.20 percent resolution rate.
In terms of complaints, the CCB achieved a resolution rate of 93.50 percent (1,397 resolved versus 1,494 total received). The most common complaints against government agencies in 2022 were on slow process, discourtesy, poor service/facility, failure to act on requests, and unattended hotline numbers.
Digital transformation
Meanwhile, Nograles said that digital transformation will be a major undertaking of the CSC in the next few years.
This is aligned with one of the strategies identified in the PDP 2023-2028 which is to accelerate digital transformation in government by strengthening its legal and institutional framework, adopting paperless, cashless, and data-empowered transactions at all levels, and developing civil service capacity for implementation.
“Sa mga darating na panahon, maaasahan ng publiko na magiging mas mabilis, mas simple, at mas maayos ang mga serbisyo ng CSC sa tulong ng mga naaangkop na (In the future, the public can expect a faster, simpler, and more efficient service from the CSC with the help of appropriate) digital systems and technologies,” he said.
The CSC recently completed the Internal Civil Service Eligibility Verification System (iCSEVS), allowing any civil service eligible to request and secure their Certification of Eligibility and its authenticated copies in any of CSC’s 16 Regional Offices, regardless of where they took the examination.
Also underway is the External Civil Service Eligibility Verification System (eCSEVS) that will allow the public to view from the CSC website the type of eligibility obtained by an individual. This web application is expected to be available within the year.
The CSC, through the Civil Service Institute, is also offering courses on digital leadership to prepare public sector leaders and managers in navigating changes and embracing new tools in this digital era.
CSC Chief meets Singaporean counterpart on digitalization
In a related development, Nograles also met with the Singapore Government's Head of Civil Service Leo Yip last Feb. 1 at the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore during the Global Government Summit (GGS) to discuss and exchange ideas on the public service system in both countries, focusing on topics such as digitalization, continual improvement, and transformation.
“My meeting with Mr. Yip allowed me to get a glimpse of how the Singapore’s Civil Service operates. I am grateful to Mr. Yip for the opportunity. I look forward to Singapore’s assistance in our journey towards digitalization and other possible partnerships,” Nograles said.
Both countries are part of the ASEAN Cooperation on Civil Service Matters or ACCSM, composed of civil service bodies from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member States, which has served as a platform for mutual learning and information exchange since 1981.
Nograles was in Singapore for the Feb. 1-2 Global Government Summit that was hosted by the Singapore Government and organized by the Global Government Forum. The GGS is a unique annual event where the world’s most senior public servants explore the challenges faced by civil services around the world. (PNA)
