Integrity: The Key to Public Service Existence
Volume XVIII NO. 1 (October 11-17, 2014)
Excellent service results in exemplar public service delivery if public servants are true to the oath they affirm and not just literally reciting it with their right hand raised, and saying- so, help me God, without subjectively and objectively adhering to it, lawfully.
These go laudably with Atty. Marilyn E. Taldo, the Regional Director for the Civil Service Commission-CAR. She has with her a God-centered, Christian-anchored competencies in the areas of knowledge, skills, and attitudes as her measures for an excellent public servant and as her practical guidance in serving the people with a true commitment to the oath of affirmation before performing the task of a government personnel for the people and to the people. With these as bulwarks, the love to serve is eminently displayed.
For thirty years since 1984, Atty. Taldo is happily working with CSC. This year marked her second year of stay with CSC-CAR, since she was installed to the office in 2012. “It was for career advancement that I accepted the offer of promotion”, she said. This is her first regional assignment outside of Eastern Visayas. She had served Region 8 for twenty-eight years.
Atty. Taldo’s career at CSC started in Region 8 fresh from graduation in College.”I wanted to earn money since this is the usual expectation from somebody who finishes college for the family. I first applied at Central Bank and then at CSC but CSC was the first one to had called for an interview, after that, they immediately hired me”, she said. She pursued her Bachelor of Arts in Social Science major in Economics at the University of the Philippines Tacloban and her Bachelor of Laws at the Leyte Colleges in Tacloban. She pursued her Master of Management in Public Management at the University of the Philippines Tacloban.
With her Career Executive Service Eligibility; Career Service Executive Eligibility; and Career Service Professional Eligibility as her Civil Service Eligibility, she is very much qualified in occupying a position and working with the Civil Service Commission aside from her years of experience in the field so to speak.
Adding to these qualifications are her personalities of strictness and integrity. Having came from a father who was in the military, discipline, on all matters, including time management is who Atty. Taldo is.”I am very strict. My impression is standard wise in service delivery to the public. I impose compliance with rules and work standards seeing to it that presentation is at its best and as much as possible, it should be close to perfection minimizing errors. I communicate with my staff if they have committed mistakes and do remedies to correct it so that if it comes back to me, it would almost be perfect. I am a person of integrity. I give importance to my staff; to the decisions and actions I take and the reports I do. I give value to the decisions and reports I make always avoiding impartiality and observing accuracy and truthfulness. I instill and signify these personalities by me walking my talk”, narrated Atty. Taldo.
Atty. Taldo looks at CSC with her head high. She sees the commission as a model for other government agencies and departments since there is no corruption at CSC. Although working at CSC has its own roller coasters, she believes that as leader, goals and objectives can be attained with leniency to staff. “My rapport with my staff is ok”, she said. During the turn over ceremony, I promise to reinforce behavior by celebrating even small achievements for my staff to be motivated and to deliver more, she added.
Consanguinal Visayan but affinal Cordilleran, Atty Taldo was able to blend and is able to work with her colleagues. “She embraced the Cordillera compared to our previous directors. She spread outside Baguio to Sagada the Parangal Awards which was previously held in Baguio alone. She likes pinikpikan. She adorns herself with our Cordillera apparel and dresses herself with our costume. She is easily adjusted to. She is careful and considers everything on what she does. She reached to all the Cordilleras, affirmed Ms. Anita Verina Paredes.
“All beautiful and positive adjectives describe her. She is simple. She is humble, kind, and generous. She knows her job”, said Mr. George Manzano.
“She is a disciplinarian. If you commit a mistake, you are not excluded from the law. Though the process, she is civil and talks to you with no immediate verdict. Penalty is equivalent to offenses provided by the law. She always reminds us of the policies and consequences”, said Ms. Josefina Tamondong. She is an ideal leader. She does not get angry. She is civil. She likes being at the back rather than being on the front. She does not shout at her colleagues. Instead, she does it through jokes. She is so professional and work wise. She is particular to details and studies papers no matter how many pages they may be. She edits paper works and reports. She is always online e-mailing her staff even during holidays. She does make sure that everybody is working in their own respective divisions. She does monitor work but not to the point of it being stressful on the part of her staff. She makes sure that everybody attends on training and consultations but always asks her colleagues if they want to rotate in there thus she is not coercive, added Mr. Manzano and Ms. Tamondong.
Under the stewardship of Atty. Taldo, she and her colleagues have identified the following breakthrough results at the enterprise level that CSC-CAR is: 1. recognized as a center for excellence; 2. has high performing, competent, and credible civil servants; 3. ensuring fairness and efficiency in performing quasi-judicial functions; and 4. ensuring efficient management of financial resources. CSC-CAR has its best practices and noteworthy accomplishments as identified by the CSC Internal Audit Service on November 10, 2013.”These best practices are carried out likewise this year”, said. Mr. Manzano.
They are the following: 1. CSC-CAR was a recipient of the Gawad kawayan Award Para sa Katangi-tanging Kontribusyon sa Pagpapalawig ng Gender and Development (GAD) pursuant to CSC Resolution No.1300535 on March 12, 2013; 2. Office improvements were accomplished to ensure sound work place, not only for SCS-CAR personnel but also for its customers; 3. The CSC-CAR Regional Advisory Council (RAC) was organized on July 19, 2012 aimed at establishing a productive partnership with both the government and the private sectors; 4. Innovations were introduce in 2013- the Developmental intervention Session with CSC-CAR Units and Staff for Service Excellence (Discuss) and the Re-orientation for CSC-0CAR Networks and Partners Toward Service Excellence (ReNew-To-Serve); 5. Slogan “It’s More Fun To Work in The Government; 6. Annual Medical Examinations of CSC-CAR Employees for 2013; 7. Conduct of Monday Convocationj Activity; 8. Work Efficiency Related Session on Administrative and Financial Systems; 9. Integrating Culture and Arts in GAD activities thru “lakad ng Mga Lingkod Bayan ng CSC-CAR; 10. Galeriya ng mga Lingkod-Bayani ng Kordilyera; 11. Integrating the core values of tej ARTA in CS Month Celebration; and Engrandeng Pagtitipon ng mga Lingkod-Bayan ng Kordilyera. “We hope to have contributed to the documentation of breakthrough results impact on stakeholders and best practices’, said Atty. Taldo.
The Civil Service Commission has programs namely: 1. Examination and Eligibilities; 2. Strategic Performance Management System; 3. Public Assistance and Redress; 4. Performance Management System; and 5. Anti-Red Tape Act (Republic Act No. 9485).
The CSC is constitutionally mandated to ensure that appointments in the civil service shall be made according to merit and fitness. To this end, it administers the career service examinations; a general ability test designed to measure an individual’s preparedness to enter government service. Before an aspirant starts his or her work in the government, he or she affirms the Oaths for Public Officers and Employees as stipulated in Section 40 Chapter 10 of EO No. 292 Administrative code of 1987 which states that all public officers and employees of the government including every member of the armed forces shall, before entering upon the discharge of his duties, take an oath or affirmation to uphold and defend the constitution; that he will bear true faith and allegiance to it; obey the laws, legal orders and decrees promulgated by the duly constituted authorities; will well and faithfully discharge to the best of his ability the duties of the office or position upon which he is about to enter; and that he voluntarily assumes the obligation imposed by his oath of office; without mental reservation or purpose of evasion. In the Filipino version, it is transcribe with the tile Panunumpa sa Katungkulan as follows: Ako, si/ (pangalan) ng (tirahan) bilang (position/plantilla assignment),/ ay taimtim na nanunumpa / na tutuparin ko nagn buong husay at katapatan/ sa abot ng aking kakayahan/ at ng mga iba pa na pagkaraan nito’y/ gagampanan ko sa ilalim ng Republika ng Pilipinas;/ na aking itataguyod ang Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas;/ na tunay na mananalig at tatalima ako rito;/ na sususndin ko and mga batas,/ mga kautusang legal,/ at mga direktibang piniiral/ ng mga sadyang itinakdang may kapangyarihan/ ng Republika ng Pilipinas;/ at kusa kong babaliktin and mga pananagutang ito, / ng walang ano mang pasubali/ o hangaring umiiwas./
Kasihan nawa ako ng Diyos.
To enjoy the right of security of tenure is for a public servant to be true to his or her mandates and oath affirmed is Atty. Taldo, the Regional Director of CSC_CAR/ Ezequiel Banas-e
