QUEZON CITY -- The Civil Service Commission (CSC) urged government offices to review their service processes amid reports of slow service from dissatisfied clients.

Based on reports received by CSC through its Contact Center ng Bayan (CCB), majority of complaints related to the quality of government frontline services were about “slow service” and it consistently ranked as the topmost concern since 2013.

CSC Commissioner Aileen Lourdes A. Lizada reminded agency heads to strictly implement the prescribed processing times under Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018. Under the said law, applications or requests must be acted upon within three (3) working days for simple transactions; seven (7) working days for complex transactions; and 20 working days for highly technical transactions or for applications or requests involving activities which pose danger to public health, public safety, public morals and public policy.

“Lagi ho nating tatandaan ‘yung tinatawag na ‘3-7-20 rule’. Panahon man ng pandemya o hindi, dapat ang ating processing times ay naaayon sa itinakda ng batas kaya i-review ho natin ang ating systems and procedures—kung saang bahagi may kabagalan, kung saang bahagi ang nagiging source of complaints, ayusin natin. Dapat tayo sa pamahalaan ang naga-adjust, hindi ho ang taumbayan ang maga-adjust sa atin,” Lizada said.

The CSC official added that, under the EODB-EGSD law, failure to render government services within the prescribed processing time on any application or request without due cause is punishable by suspension from the service for six (6) months for the first offense, and dismissal from the service on the second offense.

Other violations of R.A. 11032 include:

• refusal to accept an application or request with complete requirements being submitted by an applicant or requesting party without due cause;
• imposition of additional requirements or additional costs that are not in the Citizen’s Charter;
• failure to give the applicant or requesting party a written notice on the disapproval of an application or request;
• failure to attend to applicants or requesting parties who are within the premises of the office or agency concerned prior to the end of official working hours and during lunch break; and
• failure or refusal to issue official receipts.

These acts are also punishable by suspension from the service for six (6) months for the first offense, and dismissal from the service on the second offense.

Meanwhile, the act of fixing and/or collusion with fixers in consideration of economic and/or other gain or advantage shall be punishable with dismissal from the service on the first offense. Moreover, criminal liability may also be incurred for commission of fixing and the other offenses under the EODB-EGSD law.

The CCB is a feedback mechanism where the public can request for information and assistance on government frontline service procedures, as well as report commendations, suggestions, and complaints. It can be reached via the following access modes:

• SMS: 09088816565
• Hotline 1-6565 (via PLDT landline)
• Email address: email@contactcenterngbayan. gov.ph
• CSC’s Facebook Messenger: m.me/civilservicegovph
• CCB website: www.contactcenterngbayan.gov. ph

The facility received a total of 212,382 transactions in 2021, majority of which was comprised of queries at 203,623 (95.88%), while the rest were requests for assistance, complaints, commendations, and suggestions. (CSC)