Manalang, DPWH Regional Chiefs to Resign After July 31

LEGAZPI CITY (8 July) -AN EARLIER directive from President Benigno Aquino III requiring the installation of Career Executive Service Officers (CESO) to assume major positions in national government agencies nationwide has actually worried chiefs-of-offices in this region.

Reportedly, with statistics that about 6,000 executive positions in government agencies should be handled by CESO accredited chiefs, and while prevailing records showed that nearly 2,000 heads of offices nationwide are only CESO accredited, regional directors here have remarked "that the Aquino administration should consider the current situation in the shortage of CESO accredited executives."

At the regional office of the DPWH here, Bicol Director Danilo C. Manalang claimed that there is a "hold order" from President Aquino to all regional directors until July 31, after which they have to render their resignation which may result to their relief or retention in the regional offices.

It was reported that in the public works agency, none of the regional directors are CESO accredited and only three division heads including a district engineer are career executives.

Meanwhile at the Department of Education, regional director Celedonio L. Layon revealed that only the Education Department in Bikol has the most number of CESO-accredited officials compared to other agencies.

Layon said that in the Dep-Ed, Assistant School Superintendents, School Superintendents, Regional Directors, Under-secretaries and Secretaries, are all CESO-accredited.

He also said that it was President Ferdinand E. Marcos who ordered for government executives to undertake trainings for CESO accreditation.

Recent presidents had directed government executives to pass Management Battery tests and series of performance evaluations and immersion activities to qualify for CESO, Layon noted.

But he said that in recent years, most regional heads have neglected to acquire CESO accreditation which is a government requirement for administrative and management positions in government services.

Earlier, Malacañang retracted its First Memorandum Circular issued under President Aquino directing the resignation of "non-CESO" government executives and their replacement by CESO executives.

Due to the shortage of career executives, however, a "hold order" has been issued; reportedly, the earlier Presidential Order would have created a mass vacuum in the administrative positions in national government agencies.