EDITORIAL - A civil service code

For decades we have complained about government corruption, nepotism and an unprofessional bureaucracy. Little has been done about these problems, mainly because our political leaders themselves are guilty of nepotism and a number of them are corrupt. Efforts to professionalize the bureaucracy usually hit a dead end when it is pointed out that a good incentive is to raise the salaries of government workers.

Now lawmakers are trying to do something about those problems. Not the low pay – the government still can’t spare funds for a significant salary increase – but nepotism and certain aspects of corruption. Last week Senate Bill 2132, the proposed Civil Service Code of the Philippines, was reported out in the chamber’s committee on civil service and government reorganization. Among the proposed measures: Banning a recommending or appointing authority from designating relatives up to the third degree of affinity or consanguinity to any public office, including positions in government-owned and controlled corporations. SB 2132 also bans midnight appointments by public officials within three months before they are to retire or resign.

Aside from tackling corruption, the proposed Civil Service Code seeks to eliminate gender bias and other forms of discrimination in the workplace. It also encourages a system of promotion and tenure based on merit and performance. Measures providing leave privileges for fathers as well as single or adoptive parents are also proposed. SB 2132 was authored by Sen. Tessie Aquino-Oreta – a detail that may not sit well with people who still remember her as the "dancing queen" and one of the "balato twins" during the final days of the Estrada administration. The bill, however, deserves consideration if the nation is serious in its efforts to weed out corruption and professionalize the bureaucracy.

The provision about nepotism in particular could be a tough sell in Congress. If that provision ever hurdles the legislative mill, it could end up among the many laws that are earnestly passed, then quickly forgotten. Still, enacting this proposed civil service code into law can be a significant step in the battle against corruption that for years has yielded disappointing results.