The government careers of at least 48 would-be new appointees in two local government units are now in limbo following the recent decision of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) provincial field office invalidating their appointments.
According to reports, 18 appointments made by former Virac Mayor Samuel Laynes and 30 signed by former Governor Joseph Cua were disapproved by CSC provincial director Enida Abordo.
All or most of the appointment papers already bore the stamp “approved” but this was later erased or crossed out and overwritten with “disapproved.”
It may be recalled that during the campaign and after the May 12, 2025 national and local elections, the CSC had already reminded all outgoing elective officials that restrictions on human resource movements remained in effect until June 30, 2025.
It had warned that any appointment made during this period shall be disapproved or invalidated unless specific conditions are met.
The Commission’ stand is based on Section 112, Rule XI of CSC Resolution No. 1800692, series of 2018, which provided that so-called ‘midnight appointments’ made prior to the assumption of new local officials shall only be considered valid if all of the following conditions are fulfilled:
The appointee meets the approved minimum qualification standards or qualification standards required under special law, if any, for the position to which an individual was appointed;
The appointee has undergone the Human Resource Merit Promotion and Selection Board (HRMPSB) screening prior to the election ban. In this case, the appointing officer/authority or agency shall submit the minutes of the HRMPSB meetings and the evaluation report of the applicants;
There is an urgent need for the issuance of the appointment/s so as not to prejudice public service or endanger public safety; and
Civil Service Law, rules and regulations, and special laws, if any, on the issuance of appointments are followed.
It is likely that most of the appointments issued did not meet the criteria of urgent necessity – that leaving the positions vacant would not prejudice public service or endanger public safety.
For the would-be appointees who were merely promoted, there’s not much of a loss. For those who were newly appointed and are already savoring the fruit of their labor, the disapproval of the appointment carries with it the loss of face and money spent on the grand blowout.
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It appears now that the likelihood of Dennis Uy’s Converge prioritizing its proposal to interconnect Catanduanes to its fiber optic internet network, as well as the Bicol power grid in the mainland, through submarine cables is fast disappearing.
It would be difficult for the company to shortcut the process of getting the approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) for the grid interconnection that the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has been trying to get okayed for the past three years.
Then there is the matter of Converge’s having no legal standing as a power industry player and the mere fact that the grid interconnection project does not involve merely the laying of submarine power cables across Maqueda Channel.
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TRUMPETS AND GUNS. In a small town, a man just opened a small store selling trumpets and guns.
One day his neighbor pays him a visit and says, “So how is your strange business going?”
“What do you mean strange?”
“Because you sell only trumpets and guns!”
“So?”
“Well, let me put it this way, what do you sell the most, trumpets or guns?”
“It evens itself out. Each time a customer buys a trumpet, one of his neighbors buys a gun.”