CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The provincial government of Zambales received on Friday (April 15) the Civil Service Commission’s “Seal of Excellence” for its excellent performance in providing services to the public, the first local government unit in Central Luzon to do so under the CSC’s program to implement the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA).
CSC Chairman Francisco T. Duque III, who presented the award to Zambales Gov. Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr., said that during the evaluation by the CSC, the Zambales LGU garnered a grade of 80.36 percent, which is equivalent to a “Very Good” rating.
Aside from the plaque of recognition, the Zambales LGU also received a P50,000 cash prize from the CSC.
Gov. Ebdane, who received the award on behalf of the Zambales provincial government, immediately acknowledged the various departments at the provincial capitol for making the award possible.
“This award inspires us to continue the innovations and pursue new targets that would make life in Zambales even more dynamic and productive,” Ebdane told Zambales officials.
“And while it is quite difficult to start at the top, I tell you now that we have to do this again,” he added.
This was the first time that the CSC gave out its “Seal of Excellence” award in Central Luzon.
According to Maria Cristina Gonzales, head of the Zambales provincial Civil Service office, only the Zambales province and the City of San Fernando in Pampanga qualified for the CSC evaluation in connection with the implementation of the ARTA.
The evaluation, she said, consisted of two parts: 20% for the implementation of physical and material requirements like posting of notices, office procedures and campaign posters in prominent places at the government building; and 80% for customer satisfaction on the procedures and personal interaction by employees with their clients, based on random surveys conducted by CSC personnel on the clients of the government unit.
Duque said that through the implementation of ARTA, the government seeks to drive up productivity, drive out inefficiency, and drive down cost.
“An improved public service satisfaction will also lead to increased public trust and confidence in government institutions,” he said.
ARTA is embodied in Republic Act 9485, which was passed in 2007 to direct government units to eradicate “red tape” by streamlining their services, implementing an anti-fixer campaign, and establishing public assistance desks.
ARTA also directed government offices to adopt appropriate working schedules to ensure that clients who are within their services area prior to the end of working hours are attended to and served even during lunch breaks and after regular working hours, Duque added.
In his acceptance speech, Gov. Ebdane said the award is recognition of the provincial bureaucracy’s determination to address the challenge of eradicating red tape by pinpointing bottlenecks and implementing innovations to shorten processes.
“Our operative guideline is to make Zambales work, not only for Zambaleños but also for our visitors,” Ebdane also said.
He added that his administration has also introduced a document monitoring and tracking system, biometrics daily time record system, and a program for the continuous training of personnel to further improve public service.
Meanwhile, Duque said that even as Zambales already has an excellent rating, he is confident that Ebdane can further inspire his people to raise this rating even more in the next CSC evaluation.
CSC Chairman Francisco T. Duque III, who presented the award to Zambales Gov. Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr., said that during the evaluation by the CSC, the Zambales LGU garnered a grade of 80.36 percent, which is equivalent to a “Very Good” rating.
Aside from the plaque of recognition, the Zambales LGU also received a P50,000 cash prize from the CSC.
Gov. Ebdane, who received the award on behalf of the Zambales provincial government, immediately acknowledged the various departments at the provincial capitol for making the award possible.
“This award inspires us to continue the innovations and pursue new targets that would make life in Zambales even more dynamic and productive,” Ebdane told Zambales officials.
“And while it is quite difficult to start at the top, I tell you now that we have to do this again,” he added.
This was the first time that the CSC gave out its “Seal of Excellence” award in Central Luzon.
According to Maria Cristina Gonzales, head of the Zambales provincial Civil Service office, only the Zambales province and the City of San Fernando in Pampanga qualified for the CSC evaluation in connection with the implementation of the ARTA.
The evaluation, she said, consisted of two parts: 20% for the implementation of physical and material requirements like posting of notices, office procedures and campaign posters in prominent places at the government building; and 80% for customer satisfaction on the procedures and personal interaction by employees with their clients, based on random surveys conducted by CSC personnel on the clients of the government unit.
Duque said that through the implementation of ARTA, the government seeks to drive up productivity, drive out inefficiency, and drive down cost.
“An improved public service satisfaction will also lead to increased public trust and confidence in government institutions,” he said.
ARTA is embodied in Republic Act 9485, which was passed in 2007 to direct government units to eradicate “red tape” by streamlining their services, implementing an anti-fixer campaign, and establishing public assistance desks.
ARTA also directed government offices to adopt appropriate working schedules to ensure that clients who are within their services area prior to the end of working hours are attended to and served even during lunch breaks and after regular working hours, Duque added.
In his acceptance speech, Gov. Ebdane said the award is recognition of the provincial bureaucracy’s determination to address the challenge of eradicating red tape by pinpointing bottlenecks and implementing innovations to shorten processes.
“Our operative guideline is to make Zambales work, not only for Zambaleños but also for our visitors,” Ebdane also said.
He added that his administration has also introduced a document monitoring and tracking system, biometrics daily time record system, and a program for the continuous training of personnel to further improve public service.
Meanwhile, Duque said that even as Zambales already has an excellent rating, he is confident that Ebdane can further inspire his people to raise this rating even more in the next CSC evaluation.
