Competence, professionalism, and integrity in the civil service can be raised if appointments are depoliticized, and a purposive, program-based and integrated professional development for career executives and personnel is implemented. This is in line with the vision of public service values, and thrust of the Philippine government, as captured in the phrase "Gawing lingkod-bayani ang bawat kawani."
a) Formulate a Strategic and Integrated HRD Program for the Philippine bureaucracy from entry to exit from government service (based on Competency Needs Assessment) .The government should devise a more comprehensive, programmatic and integrated HRD program to raise the level of professionalism, competence, commitment to service, and integrity of government personnel. This medium-term strategy should include an Induction Program at entry level, Workplace Basics for the rank and file, Functional Competency Development for specialists, Supervisory Development for supervisors, Executive Development and Strategic Management for career executives, Governance and Public Leadership for senior officials. To ensure progression and full coverage, a ladderized HRD program should be established with certification and links to promotion. A percentage of the government budget should ideally be set aside for the purpose. This HRD program may be implemented through the Civil Service Academy. Human-rights education shall also be integrated in the HRD program at all levels.
b) Pursue the passage of the Career Executive System (CES) bill. The CES bill seeks to strengthen professionalism in the executive and managerial levels and in highly specialized and technical positions in the government. It identifies career and noncareer positions and provides transparent performance-based promotions and appointments, balancing the exercise of presidential appointing power with the preservation of meritocracy in the civil service. Its aim is a unified bureaucracy in which the first, second and third levels are under the Civil Service Commission as the central personnel agency.
c) Align individual performance with organizational performance. Organizational and individual performance goals must be aligned. Employees should appreciate the significance of their contribution to their organization's performance before they find satisfaction in what they do. Thus, the linkage and government-wide implementation of the Organizational Performance Indicators Framework (OPIF) and the Performance Management System (PMS) need to be pursued. This seeks to align the programs, projects and activities of the departments or agencies with the desired objectives or goals of the government, and the individual performance goals with the organization's strategic vision and goals. This will also ensure organizational effectiveness by cascading institutional accountabilities to the various levels of the organization's hierarchy, and have a performance management linked to rewards and incentives, among others.
The PMS of the government institutions shall be reviewed and reformulated to establish clear performance objectives and standards and to promote a culture where the performance and contribution of the employees are recognized and rewarded accurately and fairly. The Balanced Scorecard is one PMS platform or approach that has been proven to create an effective alignment.
d) Pursue the effective implementation of the Magna Carta of Women, particularly the targeting of 50 percent of women in third level positions. All concerned agencies of government should ensure that there shall be an incremental increase in the recruitment and training of women in the police force, forensics and medico-legal, legal services, and social work services.