CSC to honor grads: Apply for civil service eligibility

MANILA, Philippines — The Civil Service Commission (CSC) is urging college graduates with honors to apply for civil service eligibility, which they may use in seeking permanent government positions.

“Honor graduates can easily secure their civil service eligibility without undergoing the examination. The fact that they graduated with honors is considered sufficient basis to determine merit and excellence for public employment,” CSC Chairman Karlo Nograles said in a recent press statement.

Nograles cited Presidential Decree 907, which authorizes the CSC to grant honor graduate eligibility (HGE) to graduates of Private Higher Education Institutions from school year 1972-1973 onwards with either summa cum laude, magna cum laude or cum laude Latin honors under baccalaureate or bachelor’s degrees recognized by the Commission on Higher Education.

The same decree also allows the grant of HGE to Latin honor graduates of state or local colleges or universities with baccalaureate and bachelor’s degrees included in their charters, or baccalaureate and bachelor’s degrees duly approved by their respective board of trustees or board of regents.

The CSC said Latin honor graduates from a reputable foreign school, as verified by the Department of Foreign Affairs through the Philippine foreign service posts, may also apply for foreign school honor graduate eligibility (FSHGE), provided that they are Filipino citizens.

The HGE and FSHGE are types of second-level qualifications that enable individuals to apply for and secure permanent positions in the government at the first and second levels.

“These positions do not require the practice of a specific profession and are not subject to regulations imposed by Bar, board or other laws,” the CSC said.

The CSC, however, clarified that other academic honors, distinctions or awards such as highest academic distinction, dean’s list with distinction and honorable mention are not covered by the grant of HGE and FSHGE.

Applications for HGE may be submitted to the CSC regional office or any of its field offices that have jurisdiction over the university or college from where an applicant has graduated.

Applicants for the FSHGE, on the other hand, may submit their application to the nearest CSC regional or field office where they are currently based.

In 2022, the CSC granted HGE to 15,559 persons and FSHGE to three persons.

The complete list of requirements and application procedures are available on the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph/special-eligibilities.