Conferring Civil Service Eligibility on Qualified EDP Specialists

June 8, 1978

PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1408

CONFERRING CIVIL SERVICE ELIGIBILITY ON ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING (EDP) SPECIALISTS ON THE BASES OF THEIR QUALIFICATIONS AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF PUBLIC SERVICE

WHEREAS, the present development efforts of the government give support and encouragement to the development of technology to carry out the various and complex tasks of government;

WHEREAS, the magnitude of the national development programs call for the installation of and use of computer technology; cd i

WHEREAS, the recruitment into the government service of Electronic Data Processing Specialists has therefore become necessary;

WHEREAS, the recruitment of qualified manpower in this field has been rendered difficult due to the requirements of the Constitution and the Civil Service Law and Rules that merit and fitness for government employment be largely determined by competitive examinations;

WHEREAS, the Civil Service Commission has conceived of other ways of determining merit and fitness when it considered the highly technical qualifications of scientific and technological personnel adequate as the bases to confer/grant a civil service eligibility;

WHEREAS, the fitness of the Electronic Data Processing personnel for government employment can be determined by their proficiency which can be acquired through training in their field of specialization;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers in me vested by the Constitution, do hereby decree and order:

SECTION 1. It shall be the policy of the government to give support to the development of computer technology and to attract electronic data processing personnel into the public service and towards this end the Civil Service Commission is hereby authorized to confer appropriate civil service eligibility to those certified to it as proficient by the National Computer Center, through the National Computer Institute.

SECTION 2. As used in this Decree, the term Electronic Data Processing Specialists shall refer to a person who has at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent and has been issued a certificate of proficiency in any of the following areas: cd i

A. Electronic Data Processing System and Analysis and Design

B. Computer Programming

C. Computer Operation

SECTION 3. In furtherance of this Decree, the Civil Service Commission and the National Computer Center, through the National Computer Institute, shall jointly assess the competence or proficiency of those presently holding Electronic Data Processing positions, and certify those who are qualified for the grant of an eligibility as provided in this Decree.

SECTION 4. These offices shall likewise prescribe training course for electronic data processing specialists and those determined to be proficient shall be issued a certificate of proficiency which shall be the basis for the conferment of the Electronic Data Processing Specialists civil service eligibility. The conferment of civil service eligibility as herein provided shall lapse five years from the date of this Decree.

SECTION 5. The Civil Service Commission and the National Computer Center shall promulgate and implement the appropriate rules and regulations in accordance with the provisions of this Decree.

SECTION 6. This Decree shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 8th day of June, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Eight.

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 74 No. 30, 5733-JJ Supp., on July 24, 1978.