Fees lifted on complaints vs erring gov't employees

BAGUIO CITY - Government will no longer require fees on filing administrative complaints against erring government employees.

Meant to curb corruption in various government offices and encourage more people to report anomalies by public servants, the Civil Service Commission has suspended the P500.00 filing fee, Civil Service Commission -Cordillera director Fernando Porio said.

The fee is required under Section 116 (a) of the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service (RRACCS), which took effect on November 8, 2011.

Before the issuance of the RRACCS, fees for filing of administrative complaint before the Regional Offices of the CSC were required under CSC Resolution No. 050575 dated May 3, 2005, Porio said.

In a recent move, CSC Office Memorandum No. 92, series of 2012 dated September 28, 2012 is directing all the CSC offices exercising quasi-judicial function to defer the collection of fees on the filing of complaints. This is, Director Porio said, in keeping "with the CSC’s vision to eradicate graft and corruption in the government pursuant to its purpose of developing lingcod bayani(s) in public service.”

This new policy was issued in order to address the concerns of the poor litigants who are prevented to seek administrative justice owing to financial constraint, the CSC said.

Though Porio, however, reminded the public that the lifting of the filing fees should not be used to harass innocent and hardworking public servants.