President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has approved the civil service modernization program that will finally help improve efficiency in the bureaucracy and streamline the country’s civil service, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) announced on Thursday.
NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the Philippine Civil Service Modernization Project (PCSMP) will help upgrade the country’s civil service, particularly in streamlining processes and procedures for human resource management in the public sector.
He said the modernization of the civil service will improve the current system, making government agencies interconnected and digitized in handling public finances and in filling job vacancies in the public sector.
Almost two million public servants will benefit from the PCSMP, which will translate into better public services for the Filipino people, Balisacan said.
“Ang purpose ng project na ito is to improve the efficiency of our civil service lalo na doon sa human resource management ng mga government personnel natin,” Balisacan said during an episode of Malacanang Insider, a new public affairs program that airs over PTV-4.
“The public sector is almost like two million people and they obviously make a lot of difference in the provision of services to our people. So, kung hindi maganda iyong… very inefficient iyong system as it is, as we are seeing now dahil iyong mga ahensiya hindi konektado, hindi digitalized iyong pag-handle ng pera o pag-fill up ng vacancies,” he added.
The NEDA chief was apparently referring to the inefficient filling of vacant positions and the lack of maximization of personnel in government, which contribute to low productivity and have been cited as factors hindering the provision of appropriate public services.
“Marami rin sa atin na nakaeksperiyensa ng pag-fill up lang ng vacancy, months ang hihintayin mo bago ma… ascertain the Civil Service kung vacant ngayon o hindi. So, napaka-inefficient. In the meantime, hindi mo ma-fill up-an iyong position, hindi tayo makapagbigay ng tamang serbisyo sa publiko – kulang tayo ng tao, iyong productivity ng mga workers natin ay hindi optimal, hindi nama-maximize dahil sa kakulangan ng sistema sa personnel,” Balisacan stressed.
Balisacan added that the civil service modernization program will also improve fiscal management and discipline in the bureaucracy, particularly in fund utilization and payroll management. He said the PCSMP will help streamline fund utilization among various agencies, thereby ensuring prompt public service.
“Iyon, malaking tulong iyan lalo na iyong doon sa fund management natin kasi iyong payroll natin sa gobyerno, iba-ibang [unclear] siya, hindi na konektado. So, kahit si BBM, hindi niya alam kung ano iyong mga funds order in the various agencies kasi hindi nga konektado sa—part of that project is to get that connection and so that funds can be handled properly and, you know, services are provided on time,” Balisacan said. PND