MANILA, Philippines?Hundreds of government officials who are not career executive service officers (CESOs) have asked President Benigno Aquino III to withdraw Memorandum Order No. 1 which declared their positions vacant as of June 30.

The memo, issued on the day Aquino assumed office, extended the service of contractual workers up to July 31.

Such a large-scale dismissal would create a leadership vacuum in many offices whose heads? only fault is that they do not possess CESO eligibility, said the non-CESO officials in a statement.

These offices are now headed by the most senior CESO officials sitting as officers in charge (OICs).

In their statement, the non-CESO officials asked President Aquino to give them at least one year to gain CESO eligibility.

They pointed out that even if they lacked CESO eligibility, the experience they had gained in running government offices gave them an advantage over new CESOs.

They said that apart from reconsidering MO 1, President Aquino might take a second look at their individual performances and grant them at least a year?s reprieve so they can take the civil service board exam to get CESO qualification.

Otherwise, they said, many government offices would be paralyzed.