Classifications of Employment in the Philippine Government Service

The 1987 Philippine Constitution recognizes the right to security of tenure not only of workers in the private sector but also those who are in government service. It provides that: "No officer or employee of the civil service shall be removed or suspended except for cause provided by law" (Section 2, Article IX-B). The same law guarantees that State workers shall also be entitled of their right ". . . to security of tenure . . ." (Section 3, Article XIII).

Thus, the right to security of tenure applies to government employees as Section 2(1), Article IX-B of the 1987 Constitution provides that the “Civil Service embraces all branches, subdivisions, instrumentalities and agencies of the Government, including government-owned or controlled corporations with original charters.”

Further, Section 12(3), Chapter 3, Title I (A), Book V of the Administrative Code of 1987 provides that the Commission shall “promulgate policies, standards and guidelines for the Civil Service and adopt plans and programs to promote economical, efficient and effective personnel administration in the government.”

Employment in the Civil Service is classified as follows:

Permanent Status. A permanent appointment shall be issued to a person who meets all the requirements for the position to which he is being appointed/promoted, including the appropriate eligibility prescribed, in accordance with the provisions of law, rules, and standards promulgated in pursuant thereof (CSC Rule I, Section 13), provided that a plantilla position is available.

Temporary Status. A temporary status shall be issued to a person who meets all the requirements for the position except for eligibility and that there is no other qualified candidates for the position. Temporary appointment can be issued for one year, renewable for another year.

Co-terminous. The co-terminous status may be further classified into the following:

• Co-terminous with the project 
• Co-terminous with the appointing authority  
• Co-terminous with the incumbent  
• Co-terminous with a specific period

Individual Contract of Service/Job Contract/Order. This refers to employment described as follows:

• The contract covers lump sum work or services; 
• The job order covers piece of work or intermittent job of short duration not exceeding six months, and pay is on a daily basis;  
• No employer-employee relationship exists between the individual and the government;  
• The contract of service and job order are not covered by Civil Service laws, rules, and regulations but are under Commission on Audit (COA) rules; Services rendered thereunder are not considered as government service (CSC Resolution no. 020790, Section 1 a).

Sili, Laing and Bicol Express

When you hear the word Bicol, one of the first things that probably comes to mind is "sili" or red hot chili pepper. It's easily associated with Bicol or the Bicolanos/Bicolanas. So when you're from Bicol, people expect you to "eat", or at least like, chili pepper or dishes peppered with with red hot chili. In Bicol though, chili is not only for dishes. It's also for refreshments! Sili shake, anyone?           

Yes, some like it hot! But it's not actually pure "sili" shake. It's a buko shake with "sili". So it tastes sweet and a little hot. It's buko with red hot chili!     

Aside from "sili", another popular Bicol trademark is "laing". I don't know what it's called in other countries but it's basically a spicy vegetable dish cooked in coconut oil. Main ingredients are "gabi" leaves, coconut milk and, yes, sili. This one is a combo meal menu in a local fast food in Bicol. Rice + pok barbecue + laing + drink at P84.00.  

Another favorite Bicolano dish is Bicol express. It's a pork cooked in coconut oil with chili or "chilies" to emphasize the hotness. It's a pork dish in coconut gravy. This one is also a combo meal menu of rice + lechon kawali + Bicol express + drink at P135.00.   

These are just some of popular Bicol brands. Whenever you're whisked away to Bicol region, don't forget get a taste of its traditional food and culture!   

What is Security of Tenure?

Somewhere in this blog I wrote about security of tenure and promised to elaborate the just and authorize causes of termination. I find this very timely because Labor Day or Araw ng mga Manggagawa has just concluded. And, as expected, workers/labor leaders brought to fore once again the issue on security of tenure.

In a dialogue by the labor sector with President Aquino, labor leaders raised the issue on security of tenure requesting Pnoy to certify as urgent the security of tenure bill. There are at least 4 Senate Bills (Introduced by Senators Jinggoy Estrada, JV Ejercito, ) and 5 House Bills (Introduced by Reps. Aglipay, Manalo, ) on security of tenure and most of the bills are proposing to have a cap on the number of workers that should be regularized and those that should be on a contractual basis. There is a bill proposing that 80% of the workers in a company should be regular and only 10% should be contractual. Let's just see what will happen to this bills in the 16th Congress. 

So what are just and authorized causes of termination? And what they've got to do with security of tenure? It's as simple as saying that you cannot be terminated from work without any ground or cause. So termination should be based on just or authorized cause as expressly provided for in the Labor Code of the Philippines. And due process in the form of notice and hearing should be strictly observed.