ON January 16 I had the opportunity to meet the principal secretary of the Human Resource Development Department (HRDD) of the State Government of Sikkim, India, courtesy of Career Executive Service Board (CESB) Executive Director Tonet Allones. The State of Sikkim is a “landlocked Indian state in the Himalayan mountains. The state is bordered by Nepal to the west, China’s Tibet Autonomous Region to the north and east, and Bhutan to the east.”
Principal Secretary GP Upadhyaya, a member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), shared with me how the IAS in India works. He explained that the IAS is the “premier administrative civil service of the government of India” and that “IAS officers hold key and strategic positions” in their government. He further said that IAS as the “permanent bureaucracy in India forms an inseparable part of the executive branch” of their government and thus “providing continuity and neutrality to the administration.” Upadhaya then said that they also have a “training instititute” for their IAS officers in India and then explained how the recruitment process works.
Upadhaya, who has an idea of our Career Executive Service (CES) as the equivalent of their IAS, then asked how is it done with our Department of Education (DepEd).
I explained that the present administration is also faithful with the mandate of the law with respect to the implementation of our CES system. I then mentioned about a memorandum issued by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr., enjoining all government agencies to prioritize in effect Career Executive Service Officers (CESOs) and Career Executive Service Eligibles (CESEs) in the appointment of third-level officials, or CES positions. I shared with Upadhaya that our DepEd, under our Secretary Bro. Armin A. Luistro, FSC, and Undersecretary Lino Rivera, has implemented this memorandum very well as we have adopted an objective system of selecting our department third-level officials based on merit and fitness. The CES is the “third level or the managerial class in the group of career positions in the Philippine civil service. The CES was created by Presidential Decree 1 to “form a continuing pool of well-selected and development-oriented career administrators who shall provide competent and faithful service.” The positions covered by the CES are the undersecretaries, assistant secretaries and directors. In case of the DepEd, this also includes the Schools Division Superintendents (SDS) and Assistant Schools Division Superintendents (ASDSs).
I then explained quickly the following “four-stage” screening process that a third-level official must undergo to get CES Eligibility (in addition to some other requirements as provided for by law):
First, the candidate must pass the CES Written Examination (formerly called the Management Aptitude Test Battery). This is a 220-item test “that determines the candidate’s general intelligence and knowledge of management concepts and principles.” The areas to be tested are as follows: Error Recognition, Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, Information, Management Concepts, and Problems and Essay. Second, the candidate must undergo an assessment of their management capabilities at the Assessment Center. “This is a series of simulation exercises involving work-based situations designed to measure the applicant’s capacity to perform managerial duties and responsibilities.”
Third, the “Validation of on-the-job Performance” stage is the “process that facilitates a detailed inquiry, examination and verification” of a candidate’s “on-the-job performance, managerial/behavioral competence and integrity.”
Fourth, the Panel Interview stage is the last stage of the CES Eligibility process where the candidate is interviewed by a three to five—men panel to “determine and assess the applicant’s confidence, creativity, self-worth and outlook on his or her work and the organization.” The candidate’s capabilities to manage and lead, accomplishments and performance in work, as well as his or her integrity, are discussed during this panel interview. Upadhaya concluded our conversation by saying that our IAS and CES systems maybe are the keys to ensure the continuity of reforms, accountability and integrity in our respective governments. I said: “Yes, I completely agree.”
Lawyer Toni Umali is the current assistant secretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs of the DepEd. He is licensed to practice law not only in the Philippines, but also in the State of California and some Federal Courts in the United States after passing the California State Bar Examinations in 2004. He has served as a legal consultant to several legislators and local chief executives. As education assistant secretary, he was instrumental in the passage of the K to 12 law and the issuance of its implementing rules and regulations. He is also the alternate spokesman of the DepEd.