Dads earn college units in meetings

NAGA CITY—For attending national meetings of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL), city and municipal councilors or provincial board members can earn college units credited for civil service eligibility, a league official said.

Camarines Sur board member Giovanni Señar, PCL Bicol president, said members of local legislative councils could earn three units in college, if one is not yet a college graduate, by attending the national meetings held four times a year.

The accreditation for civil service eligibility is part of the “continuing local legislative education program,” Señar said.

The technical sessions eligible for college units were designed by the PCL, through the PCL Legislative Academy, and sanctioned by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Señar said the technical session was meant to discuss functions of local legislators and aimed at improving their knowledge and skills about parliamentary procedures, especially rules involving session deliberations and committee meetings of local legislative bodies.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has issued Memorandum Circular No. 12, which became effective on May 1, 2013, setting the guidelines for the granting of civil service eligibility to members of local legislative councils in towns, cities and provinces.

The circular provides the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act No. 10156, or the law that grants civil service eligibility to members of municipal, city and provincial legislative bodies after meeting certain requirements, such as years spent in public service.

According to the circular, local legislators can earn two sets of eligibility: one for career service, given only to those who have graduated with a bachelor’s degree and have passed the CSC exams, and the other for career service subprofessional, given to those who have earned at least 72 units in college and have passed the CSC exams.

Benito Brizuela, PCL secretary general, said this year’s first national meeting of the PCL was held here from March 4 to 7 and attended by at least 2,000 members. Hosted by the Camarines Sur provincial government, the technical session held at the Camarines Sur Convention Center discussed good governance. Juan Escandor Jr. Inquirer Southern Luzon