MODULE 1. LESSON 1.

ACTIVITY A

As an MPA student, submit written report discussing the modern public service citing the

growing business of government having influences on personnel function anchor with the

development of merit system.

WRITTEN REPORT

Personnel management is primarily concerned with the human resources within the

organization. It is a significant part of management concerned with the employees at work and

the relationship within the organization. A better personnel management is obtaining, using

and producing a satisfied workforce. Personnel is always the most important asset being the

core and backbone of the organization. Success always relies on the people behind it. Personnel

would always be vital for an organization to function, mostly in government offices where

selfless service and dedication is needed in giving public service.

Nowadays, we are now living in a modern way. We are conquered by evolving

technology and gadgets. Government always eyed for innovation to make people work easier

and faster. As a Filipino, we are now experiencing public service in modern way. Just like

internet connection, before we can only have it through wired connections at home or at

computer shops, but now most of government offices are now offering free public WiFi for

guests and clients. Another thing is we can now enjoy public service online. You can apply

various certificate and clearances online before proceeding directly to the concern offices. This

speed-up government transaction, lessen workload of the employee and serves more client.
 As population grows, public service needs to increase. Demand on government services

needs more personnel to hire and create more organizations based on the needs of the people.

But hiring and recruitment of government employee should not as easy as we think. He / She

must be qualified enough to get the job. The agency behind scanning the applicant qualification

is the Civil Service Commission (CSC). CSC is the central personnel agency of our government.

They must assure to recruit, maintain, and retain competent, professional and highly motivated

government workforce who’s truly responsive to the needs of the government clients.

Government agencies and LGUs can do hiring process and issues appointments subject to

approval / disapproval by CSC. Pursuant to the memorandum circular release by CSC, selection

of employees should strictly adhere the principles of merit, competence, fitness and equality.

The selection should be based on their relative qualifications and competence to perform

needed tasks and responsibilities of the position. There must be an equal opportunities to all

those qualified applicants to enter government service and career advancement.

Also as a part of as a part of merit-based civil servants, we are protected from arbitrary

removal, personal political interests and the policing of these rules by independent body not

influenced by authorities in position. Features of merit system in personnel management are:

positions are established centrally and classified according to rank; bureaucrats are paid a

salary and pension based their rank rather than the work they do; there are often impediments

to external lateral entry at senior grades; and there are few points of entry, with most entering

at a young age and most senior positions filled by promotion. Because of merit system, hiring

and promotion now is now competitive, transparent and open to all qualified; lifetime tenure

(removal only through due process), political neutrality is protected; rigid pay always based on
rank not on work; external lateral entry to senior grades are now possible as long as applicant

has eligibility and capacity; management is centralized, there is independent body who manage

appointments; but lastly, the amount and depth of political appointment is limited.

Aside from recruitment, selection and placement, personnel management should have

continuous learning and development. In changing environment, training module should be

adaptive to changes. Personnel management should also have a performance management.

The performance appraisal or evaluation on the government aspect is not seriously practiced as

compared to the corporate organizations to encourage performance excellence in the

workplace. In the government, employees are obliged to submit Individual Employee’s

Performance Commitment and Review (IPCR) which is linked to annual bonus which is the

performance based bonus.

MODULE 1. LESSON 1. ACTIVITY B

Discuss how your unit/agency implement modern public service, how it will said growing

business of your agency / unit anchored to influences on personnel function with the

development of the merit system.

WRITTEN REPORT

Modernization in field of agriculture must continue in order to sustain production of

foods for increasing population. As our population continue to grow faster, farmland and

number of farmers continue to decline, we should all think for the remedies on these problems.

Use of modern day technology in farming is the best way to meet the food production demand.

Department of Agriculture unveiled different strategies that was designed in such a way it will
help to meet the needs of the Filipinos. One of these is the revolutionary guide map that shows

which crop is best grown in each part of the Philippines and where there are shallow water

tables. It also indicates fertilizer needed to make up for the nutrients lacking in the area’s soil

and the poverty incidence of the community selected. Behind this project is too many people

involved. From survey to testing to data compilation before coming out of results involved too

many personnel and units.

As mandated by the present administration, this map is created as farmers and

businessman basis of production. Some personnel behind this project works double to speed up

the release of project on time. Due to lack of fund, they cannot add more personnel, so the

government maximize the use of the workforce available. There are assigned in surveying the

area, laboratories are assigned in testing soil samples, and ITs and office staff are assigned in

encoding and programming of results before coming up on the map. We in the Soil laboratory,

only chemists are allowed to test chemical properties of the soil, then the agriculturist do the

recommendations. ITs and office staff do the encoding of the results. Due to lack of fund, when

we conduct soil sampling, Chemist, agriculturist and even office staffs do the sampling just to

cover the project area. Only few permanents positions are available so we add contractual

employees depending on the availability of fund.

Permanents positions are properly filled up based on the merit system. We are

appointed accordingly based on our eligibilities. For example, the item Chemist is only for the

licensed chemist, while the item Agriculturist is for licensed Agriculturist. There is an instance in

our unit that an Agriculturist got an item for Chemist, until an unknown personnel send a

complaint to CSC. CSC take immediate action on this and bring back the Chemist item to a
vacant position available only for those who are really qualified. The who was complained goes

back having an Agriculturist Item.

At first, we may think Department of Agriculture (DA) only hire those agriculturists, but

because of booming technology, in demand for IT professionals step up. They are the one who

are in-charge of producing programs or software application for modern agriculture with the

help of the researches of agriculturist. Example is the Rice Crop Manager (RCM). It is an app for

mobile phone or desktop which can be used by the extension workers who reach out farmers

nationwide. RCM recommend what farmers needs to increase their crop yield. An ordinary

employee who reach out farmers can do this because it is a user friendly application. Even if

your educational background is not in the line of agriculture, you can still recommend farmers

what to do just by putting correct information on the app.

Another innovations that DA acquire is the use of drones. This drones can measure the

field, can view the damage during typhoon or infestations, and can acquire digital images that

may come up also on farming recommendations. Mostly the one who fly this drone is trained.

There is some instance that the pilot of the drone is a licensed one. Although, an ordinary

employee can fly it, but still it need more competitive training.
MODULE 2. LESSON 2. ACTIVITY A

Based on your unit or agency, prepare a write-up on how do you practice structure of

personnel system by tabular position and salary grade, the class of career they belong, stating

which are open and closed career.

WRITTEN REPORT

Philippine Department of Agriculture is the executive department of the Philippine

Government responsible for the promotion of agriculture and fisheries growth and

development. Under the Office of the Secretary are the Regional Field Offices. We are Regional

Field Office IV-A CALABARZON. DA-RFO IV-A have different division and sections below it. Led

by the Regional Executive Director down to two Regional Technical Directors (RTD), to Division

Chiefs, to Section/Unit Head and to staffs. We, the Regional Soils Laboratory (RSL) is under the

Integrated Laboratory Division under RTD for Research and Regulations led by the Regional

Executive Director. To see DA-RFO IV-A organizational Chart, you may check this link:

http://rfo4a.da.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/DA-CALABARZON-Key-Officials-Org-Chart.jpg .

Position in Civil Service is classified into career service and non-career service. Career

Service is characterized by entrance based on merit and fitness to be determined by

competitive examination or based on highly technical qualifications; opportunity for

advancement to higher career positions; and security of tenure. Career Service positions

include; 1) open career positions - for appointment to which prior qualification in an

appropriate examination is required; 2) closed career positions – scientific and highly technical

in nature position, it includes faculty or academic staff, and scientific and technical positions in

science or research institution which can establish and maintain their own merit system; 3)
Positions in the Career Executive Service; namely, Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary, Bureau

Director, Assistant Bureau Director, Regional Director, Assistant Regional Director, Chief of

Department Service and other officers of equivalent rank as may be identified by the Career

Executive Service Board, all of whom are appointed by the President; 4) Career officers, other

than those in the Career Executive Service, who are appointed by the President, such as the

Foreign Service Officers in the Department of Foreign Affairs; 5) Commissioned officers and

enlisted men of the Armed Forces which shall maintain a separate merit system; 6) Personnel of

government-owned or controlled corporations, whether performing governmental or

proprietary functions, who do not fall under the non-career service; and 7) Permanent laborers,

whether skilled, semi-skilled, or unskilled. There are classes of position in Career Service, first,

classes of position in the career service appointment to which requires examinations and

grouped to 3 major level: Level 1 – include clerk, trades, craft, custodial service positions which

involve non-professional or sub-professional work in a non-supervisory or supervisory capacity

requiring less than four years of collegiate studies; Level 2- professional, technical, and scientific

positions which involve professional, technical, or scientific work in a non-supervisory or

supervisory capacity requiring at least four years of college work up to Division Chief level; and

Level 3 - cover positions in the Career Executive Service. Second, except as herein otherwise

provided, entrance to the first two levels shall be through competitive examinations, which

shall be open to those inside and outside the service who meet the minimum qualification

requirements. Entrance to a higher level does not require previous qualification in the lower

level. Entrance to the third level shall be prescribed by the Career Executive Service Board.

Third, within the same level, no civil service examination shall be required for promotion to a
higher position in one or more related occupational groups. A candidate for promotion should,

however, have previously passed the examination for that level.

Non-career service position can be characterized by entrance to the bases other than

those of the usual tests of merit and fitness utilized for the career service and by tenure which

is limited to a period specified by law, or which is coterminous with that of the appointing

authority or subject to his pleasure, or which is limited to the duration of a particular project for

which purpose employment was made. Non-career service include those 1) elective officials

and their personal and confidential staff; 2) Secretaries and other officials of Cabinet rank who

hold their positions at the pleasure of the President and their personal or confidential staff(s);

3) Chairman and members of commissions and boards with fixed terms of office and their

personal or confidential staff; 4) Contractual personnel or those whose employment in the

government is in accordance with a special contract to undertake a specific work or job,

requiring special or technical skills not available in the employing agency, to be accomplished

within a specific period, which in no case shall exceed one year, and performs or accomplishes

the specific work or job, under his own responsibility with a minimum of direction and

supervision from the hiring agency; and 5) Emergency and seasonal personnel.

To show detailed organizational chart from the Regional Director down to RSL staffs, see the table

below:

ITEM / POSITION SALAR CAREER POSITION OPEN OR CLOSED CAREER

Y CLASSIFICATION
GRADE (Career or Non- Service Position)
Regional Executive 29 3rd level Career Service position Open Career
Director (Executive
Director IV)
Regional Technical 26 3rd level Career Service position Open Career
Director (Director II)
 Integrated 24 2nd level Career Service position Open Career
Laboratory Division
Chief
Regional Soils 22 2nd level Career Service position Close Career
Laboratory Chief
(Chemist IV)
Asst. RSL Chief 18 2nd level Career Service position Close Career
(Chemist III)
Chemist II 15 2nd level Career Service position Close Career
Agriculturist II 15 2nd level Career Service position Close Career
Agriculturist I 11 2nd level Career Service position Close Career
Laboratory 8 1st level Career Service position Open Career
Technician II
Laboratory Aide II 4 1st level Career Service position Open Career
Chemist II 15 Non-Career Position N/A because it’s a non-
(Contractual) career position
Science Research 9 Non-Career Position N/A because it’s a non-
Assistant career position
(Contractual)
Administrative 9 Non-Career Position N/A because it’s a non-
Assistant III career position
(Contractual)
Administrative Aide 6 Non-Career Position N/A because it’s a non-
VI (Contractual) career position
Administrative Aide II 2 Non-Career Position N/A because it’s a non-
(Contractual) career position

MODULE 2. LESSON 2. ACTIVITY B

How do your unit/agency practice Merit System?

WRITTEN REPORT

Entrance and advancement to government service based on merit and fitness in

positions is one characteristics of the bureaucracy in the Philippines. Merit system principle are

to: a) recruit, select, and advance on merit after fair and open competition; b) treat employees

and applicants fairly and equitably; c) provide equal pay for equal work and reward excellence
performance; d) maintain high standards of integrity, conduct and concern to public interests;

e) manage and lead employees efficiently and effectively; f) Retain or separate employees on

the basis of their performance; g) Educate and train employees if it will result in better

organizational or individual performance; h) Protect employees from improper political

influence; and i) Protect employees against reprisal for the lawful disclosure of information in

"whistleblower" situations.

As per Civil Service Administrative Code, government agencies are obliged to practice

merit system in hiring and promoting employees. We in the Department of Agriculture Region

IV-A do practice this merit system especially for the permanent positions. Out personnel section

is the one who is in charge regarding on this matter. Vacant positions together with its

qualifications are listed and posted in office bulletins and in agency’s website to show

transparency and open competition to all qualified. Applicants’ requirements are scanned to

validate if they are qualified. Applicants will also go through competitive examination and

interview to show competency and capability of applicants before selecting the right one.

Sometimes we feel unfair or we see unjust situation after selection. The “Palakasan System” is

still there. This may lead to many unfavorable or bad situation. It may lead an employee to a

bad work behavior or dilemma. It may also lead to a pandemic corruption on the organization.

We, government employees are paid according to rank regardless of the work done.

Permanent positions are protected from arbitrary removal unless due process. Our personnel

office applied rules and regulations from CSC during recruitment and promotion. CSC is the

independent body policing these rules. Senior grades positions are filled up by promotion first
before external lateral entry. Those who already in the organization will be the first choice

before hiring externally.

Government employees are public servants. Public must see to us the concern, care and

dedication in serving them. Our personnel section do some personnel learning and

development program to boost employee’s engagement and activity. It help not just in work

technicality but our personality towards work.