JULY 2022 VOLUME 15 ISSUE NO. 7 www.cesboard.gov.

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CESO R R P ‘S
rd
A C ’ 3 CES P L ’S

H
eld both online on Zoom and at a live event at the Philippine International Convention Center on 26-27 July
2022, the 3rd Career Executive Service (CES) Public Leaders’ Summit (PLS) is the first in-person gathering of
CESOs and eligibles since the pandemic.

With the theme “Leading Change: Focus on the Core”, the 3rd CES PLS tackled the present-day realities of public
governance, and the competencies, mindsets, and values that are necessary to navigate its terrain. It offered their
various takes on what is required to lead in a time of leadership transition and in a highly-volatile governance context,
echoing a line straight out of the CES’ mission statement – which emphasizes the need “to maintain continuity and
stability in the civil service amidst change”. F2

‘A G ’
I L G 43
A BOOST TO CAREERISM: PBBM
appoints Career Officials to top posts

“T
he humble barangay that could” is a phrase that aptly describes the page 10
local government unit that served as a ‘laboratory’ for the
participants of the 43rd session of the Integrated Gabay ng CESB Teaches CES Members to be
Paglilingkod (iGabay) training program. Savvy in Social and Official Functions
page 11
Graceville is a barangay in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan which, despite its
relative obscurity, has overcome obstacles to improve its service delivery and In Memoriam: HILARION E. ULEP
provide opportunities for its constituents by focusing on good governance page 13
initiatives to pursue its vision of mapanagutang pamamahala or accountable
governance. F7
CES News
1E CESOs Reaffirm their Role . . .

Executive Secretary Rodriguez graces the opening of

the 3rd CES Public Leaders’ Summit (PLS), pledges
President Marcos Jr.’s support to ‘careerism’

On the heels of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s first State of the

Nation Address (SONA), the PLS was graced by Executive Secretary
Victor D. Rodriguez of the Office of the President (OP), who delivered
a keynote address that not only expounded on the role of the CES in
President Marcos Jr.’s administration, but also expressed the
administration’s commitment to ‘careerism’, or the principle of
appointing public managers based on merit and fitness and not through
political connections.

In a highly applauded line from his keynote address, Executive

Secretary Rodriguez pledged before an audience of Career Executive
Service Officers (CESOs) that the Marcos administration will “maintain
careerism to ensure continuity and stability in governance.”

He contended that, without the work of career executives, President Marcos’ vision, outlined in the SONA just the day
before, would be difficult to achieve.

“The President yearns for a decent future for all Filipinos and nothing less,” Rodriguez declared. “You (the CESOs) will
set the tone for the outcome of the President’s vision.”

The Executive Secretary likewise asserted that, while CESOs already have what it takes to navigate the VUCAD world,
there are certain attributes and skills that public managers must still develop to thrive in the present context, namely:
strategic thinking skills, practicing foresight, acting with agility, behaving with integrity, and uniting as one with purpose.

Alluding to the Summit’s theme, he closed out his speech by providing his own definition of the ‘CESO C.O.R.E.’, which
to him pertains to ‘Convergence, Ownership, Resilience, and Excellence’ .

Those who also spoke during the opening ceremonies are CES Governing Board Member and Development Academy of
the Philippines (DAP) President Atty. Engelbert C. Caronan and CESB Executive Director Maria Marcy Cosare-
Ballesteros. F3

2 THE PUBLIC MANAGER

 CES News
2E CESOs Reaffirm their Role . . .

Atty. Caronan harkened back to the very origins of both the CES and the DAP to argue that the CES was specifically
conceived to be an instrument of change and is therefore well-suited to adapt to and survive disruptive and volatile times
such as the present.

Caronan maintained that the CES and DAP were products of a time when there was a need to overhaul the bureaucracy
to transform it into an effective instrument of change and social engineering. “The philosophical underpinnings of the
CES and the DAP goes back to The New Society of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.,” he explained.

Caronan further contended that the new Marcos administration’s thrust of ‘rightsizing the bureaucracy’ as outlined in his
first SONA dovetails well with his father’s own efforts to rebuild the bureaucracy during his time. “We are again in the
throes of a great social reengineering process,” Caronan emphasized.

ED Ballesteros formally opened the event by giving a rundown of the day’s proceedings and by elucidating on the theme
of the Summit. “Leading change and leading through changing political landscapes are on-the-job realities for every
government leader. Championing and managing change rather than being swept by it requires solid grounding and
agility,” she explained. She also thanked Executive Secretary Rodriguez for gracing the event as the keynote speaker.
“Your presence is a symbol of this administration’s commitment to a professional executive level of the bureaucracy.
May this be the beginning of greater collaborations between the CESB and the Office of the President, and of better days
for the career executive service,” she said.

Demystifying the Pledge for Competent and Faithful Service

for Excellence, Stability, and Innovation

The first plenary session featured two (2) distinguished Career Executive Service
Officers (CESOs), 2011 Gawad Career Executive Service awardee, Department of
Science and Technology Officer-in-Charge Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr. and
National Economic and Development Authority Undersecretary Rosemarie G.
Edillon who shared their narratives and insights on fulfilling the CESO’s pledge
of bringing excellence, continuity, and change.

Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr., CESO I shared his

insights gained from working at the DOST for three (3) decades, which his
realization of the importance of identifying one’s priorities. He shared that one of
his most important insights is that there is more than just serving. “Leading people means that we also need to be servant
leaders to be able to provide the service that our countrymen truly deserve. In leading, we need to make sure that our
colleagues are treated as teammates so that together we can achieve our goals,” he said. F4

THE PUBLIC MANAGER 3

CES News
3E CESOs Reaffirm their Role . . .

Live via Zoom, 2019 Gawad CES awardee, National Economic and Development Administration Undersecretary
Rosemarie G. Edillon redefined the meaning of continuity, excellence, and change, which if defined simply may be
confusing and if put together, oxymoronic. She concluded that the meaning of Continuity, Excellence, and Change in
the context of being CESO is about the challenge to continuously strive for excellence by being mindful of the changes,
and the need for change to ensure continuity of the journey towards the vision and to perform its mission.

In the second plenary session, entitled “The Qualities of Leader That Filipinos Prefer: What are the implications?”,
Associate Professor Edna Franco of the Psychology Department of Ateneo De Manila University led the discussions.
Professor Franco presented the results of a study that Ateneo conducted on the leadership preferences of voters in the
2022 elections and their implications for public service leaders. An important insight she gleaned from the results is that
when people are given the opportunity to think, they are able to discern and articulate their preferences and ideas.

In the third plenary session, OneCore Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder ‘Coach Pia’ Nazareno-Acevedo
introduced the idea of Strengths-Based Human Capital Investment. The Strength-Based philosophy proposes a paradigm
that centers on discovering and focusing on one’s natural talents and aligning these with relationship and
organizational goals. In the session, Coach Pia helped process the results of the ‘Clifton Strengths Finder Test’, F5

4 THE PUBLIC MANAGER

 CES News
4E CESOs Reaffirm their Role . . .

which the participants took before the event, and discussed how these can be useful in planning Human Resource
Development or Talent Management interventions. Coach Pia’s session was peppered with lively activities for both the
in-person and Zoom participants, which allowed the participants to learn how to maximize, capitalize, and allow other
people to benefit from their strengths.

The afternoon session was likewise jam-packed with activities, beginning with the panel discussion on “Leadership,
Creativity, and Innovation in Public Service” with the winners of the 2020 CES Very Innovative Person (VIP) Awards as
guest-panelists.

Department of Education Schools Division Superintendents Alejandro Ibanez, CESO VI, Romelito Flores, CESO V, and
Jose Doncillo, CESO V, regaled the audience with their experiences in managing change within their respective school
divisions and their reflections on innovating and leading their organizations during the pandemic.

The learning sessions were aptly concluded with a “short but sweet” presentation of CES Board Member Milalin S.
Javellana on “Leading a Culture of Innovation” where she shared the Kouzes and Posner’s Model in Transformational
Leadership as a leadership framework.

Ending the 3rd CES PLS on a High Note

The 3rd PLS ended on a high note, as Civil Service Commission Chairperson
Karlo Alexei B. Nograles called on the career executive service (CES)
community to use the present political transition to emerge “not just to a
new, but to a better normal.” This is done, according to Nograles, by
harnessing the innovative spirit of the civil service.

Chair Nograles’ inspirational speech was a fitting punctuation to a day that

began rather inauspiciously, as the Luzon-wide earthquake happened while
the second and final day of the summit was already well underway.

Nograles urged those in attendance to shepherd their teams to become

innovative leaders and to create enabling environments for civil servants.
“Without enabling environments,” he said, “innovators would not dare risk
their ideas.”

Dangerous Drugs Board Undersecretary Earl P. Saavedra and Department of

Trade and Industry Undersecretary Ruth B. Castelo hosted and moderated
Day 1 and Day 2 of the summit, respectively.

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CES News

MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 3

6 THE PUBLIC MANAGER

 CES News
1E ‘Amazing Graceville . . .

Barangay Graceville is an award-winning LGU that counts among its laurels the Galing Pook award in 2015. The award
honors selected innovative practices by local government units in a rigorous and prestigious national search that
evaluates projects and programs based on their results and impact.

For the 43rd session of the iGabay, Graceville’s award-winning programs served as a case study on ‘innovation
excellence’ under the Community Engagement Module or CEM. The CEM is a four-day internship and integration
module of the iGabay, where participants study a model of innovation excellence, or of best practices in inter-agency
convergence and of meaningful, innovative, and results-focused approaches and tools for leading reforms in the public
sector.

‘Amazed by Graceville’: participants’ reflect on the CEM

The CEM at Barangay Graceville generated a treasure trove of insights among the participants of the training program,
most of which centered on the innovativeness and impact of Graceville’s initiatives.

Composed of participants from the Department of the Interior

and Local Government, the Commission on Higher Education,
Intellectual Property Office, Securities and Exchange
Commission, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Career
Executive Service Board, and the Department of Education,
‘Study Group 3’ finds it noteworthy that the residents of
Barangay Graceville “are very proud” of the achievements of
their LGU.

“The sincere and pure happiness that exudes from the people
is simply amazing,” they observed. “This would not have been
the case had the program not directly addressed what burdens
the community, and had they not been tapped to participate in
the identification of problems and solutions confronting
them.”

Study Group 2, which is composed of educational

administrators from the different divisions of the Department
of Education, for their part, focused on the education and
training components of Barangay Graceville’s programs.

In their paper, they emphasized the need for ‘data-driven

decision making’. “Being able to pinpoint the root causes of
problems in the community is the most important prerequisite
to great innovation,” they argued. “An innovation is targeted
to solve a problem and it should target the problem at the
roots,” they added.

Lenardo Flores of the LGU of General Santos City, on his end,

commended the CESB training team for choosing Barangay
Graceville as their laboratory for iGabay 43. “Thank you CESB
for helping us undergo a creative and virtual way of
conducting development research,” he commented. F8

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CES News
7E ‘Amazing Graceville . . .

‘A uniquely memorable experience’

F7

In her remarks during the opening ceremonies held last July 11, 2022, CESB Executive Director Maria Marcy Cosare-
Ballesteros discussed the significance of the iGabay in the overall framework of CESB’s Leadership and Management
Proficiency Program or LAMPP.

“Gabay is the second and final part of the LAMPP,” she explained. “If in the SALDIWA our focus is on the ‘self and how
to relate with others’, in the iGABAY we are harnessing your competencies in leading your respective offices.”

In the same remarks, ED Ballesteros also reassured the participants of CESB’s continued support, in order to allay fears
regarding the ongoing political transition.

“Rest assured that the CESB has done its due diligence and its complete staff work, and proactively made representations
with the Office of the President and Executive Secretary on the current concerns of the CES.” she said. Alluding to
Memorandum Circulars 1 and 2 of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., she advised the participants to “ keep calm and await
further clarifications from the Office of the President.”

During the closing program on July 22, ED Ballesteros echoed the same reassuring tone and reminded the participants
that difficult times offer a chance to “rise above our challenges and to renew ourselves.”

“As members of the CES, we should be able to see opportunities amidst adversity,” she quipped. “We must foster
collaboration with the new administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to strengthen the Career Executive Service
that the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. created and established some 50 years ago,” she added as she closed her
speech.

The 43rd iGabay

iGabay 43 ran from July 11 to July 22, 2022. Forty participants from various government agencies joined the hybrid
conduct of the training program, which was only the second time that a mix of online and in-person training was ever
held. F9

8 THE PUBLIC MANAGER

 CES News
8E ‘Amazing Graceville . . .

iGabay is composed of 11 modules, namely:

1. Philippine Governance and Strategic Public Management, with Tourism and Promotions Board Chief Operating
Officer Maria Anthonette C. VelascoAllones, CESO I;

2. Institutionalizing Strategic HRM for Public Managers with CES Board Member Milalin S. Javellana;

3. Philippine Administrative Justice System: Concepts and Cases, with Civil Service Commission Assistant Commissioner
Ariel G. Ronquillo, CESO IV;

4. Budget 101: Public Finance Policies, Systems, and Laws for Public Managers, with Department of Budget and
Management Officer-inCharge Tina Rose Marie L. Canda, CESO I;

5. Strengthening Fiscal Accountability Among Public Officials: Essential Philippine Audit Laws, Rules and Practices, with
Commission on Audit Assistant Commissioner Nilda B. Plaras;

6. Public-Private Partnership, with Public-Private Partnership Center Deputy Executive Director Eleazar E. Ricote, CESO
II;

7. Understanding Public Finance and Procurement Laws, Rules, and Systems, with Government Procurement Policy
Board Executive Director Rowena Candice M. Ruiz, CESO I;

8. ICT for Development, with Mr. Alexander M. Arevalo, CESO III;

9. Data Privacy, with Atty. Rachel P. Follosco, FMH;

10. Appreciating the Public Policy Process, with Dr. Maria Fe Villamejor-Mendoza, Professor and Former Dean UP-
NCPAG; and,

11. The above-mentioned Community Engagement Module (e-CEM), with Mr. Christopher F. Calugay, CEM Module
Manager and Supervising Personnel Specialist of the Professional Development Division (PDD) of the CESB.

At the end of the 11-day training program on July 22, participants received their certificates of completion and are now
considered as graduates of the LAMPP program.

THE PUBLIC MANAGER 9

Taas Noo, CESO!

A BOOST TO CAREERISM: PBBM A C

O T P

I
n keeping with his pledge of upholding careerism in the hiring, placement, and promotion of government personnel,
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed two career officials to head key government agencies, namely: the
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

President Marcos Jr. appointed Atty. Medardo De Lemos, CESO VI, to head the NBI, and Yogi Filemon Ruiz, CES
eligible, to lead the BOC.

Career Executive Service Officers (CESOs) and CES eligibles (CESEs), like De Lemos and Ruiz, are government
executives who have passed the stringent examination process for Career Executive Service (CES) eligibility to third level
positions, and who have proven their competence and integrity in their leadership positions. Appointing career officials
to top government positions is seen as a positive indication of a chief executive’s commitment to meritocracy and
careerism in the civil service.

A Bureau Stalwart

Atty. Medardo De Lemos’ ascent to the top position at the NBI is hailed by many as a welcome development, as the new
Bureau Director has been a loyal workhorse of the agency for 37 years. De Lemos is known to be
a long-time advocate of prudence in the ‘use of deadly force’ and is credited for authoring the
agency’s policy on ‘Rules of Engagement’, which instituted safeguards in NBI’s enforcement
operations.

An alumnus of the University of the Philippines College of Law, he joined the NBI as a field
agent in 1985 and has risen from the ranks to be designated as the Bureau’s Officer-in-Charge in
2013.

He passed the four-stage CES examination process and was conferred with CES eligibility in
PHOTO COURTESY OF MANILA BULLETIN
October 2002. In 2003, he was appointed by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to a CESO
rank VI.

Apart from his investigative work, Atty. De Lemos is also known for his mentorship and scholarship at the National
Bureau of Investigation Academy, where he conducted studies on the ‘Use and Abuse of Deadly Force’, that lead to the
crafting of relevant policies to address the issue.

‘Enforcer-in-Chief’

A CES eligible since 2014, Yogi Filemon Ruiz rises to the top position at the BOC after serving as the chief of its
Enforcement and Security Services (ESS) since 2017. As ESS chief, he was in charge of the
customs police.

Prior to joining the BOC, Ruiz first earned his leadership stripes as a drug law enforcer at the
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

He began his career in government service in PDEA as Intelligence Officer II in 2006. He was first
appointed to a managerial post in 2009 as the Deputy Regional Director of the agency in Region
7. In 2010, he was promoted to a Regional Director position in PDEA region 12.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ADUANA DEL PILIPINAS FB

As BOC Commissioner, Ruiz’s top priority is to intensify the enforcement of laws against
agricultural smuggling, in accordance with President Marcos Jr.’s marching orders for the BOC to help in stemming the
tide of rising food prices due to uncontrolled smuggling.

10 THE PUBLIC MANAGER

 CES News

CESB T CES M S S
O F

D
o you think Career Executive Service Officers
and Third Level Executives need to learn the
basic tools of the lost art of social graces - of
having a respectful behavior, correct business
etiquette, and setting a good example? Do they really
need a necessary sophistication and knowledge of observing
internationally-accepted standards on social graces,
etiquette, good manners and right conduct?

About 30 Career Executive Service Officers (CESOs) and

Third-Level Eligibles believe so when they attended the first
in-person Career Executive Service (CES) Club Learning
Session entitled “The Art of Social Graces,” at the Madison
101 Hotel + Tower in New Manila, Quezon City on 15 July
2022.

Career Executive Service Board (CESB) Executive Director,

Maria Marcy Cosare-Ballesteros, CESO II, formally opened
the learning session and welcomed the participants with a
message of support towards self-development. She emphasized that it is important to know oneself better to
perform the duties and functions of one’s position effectively, especially when it comes to public service.

Ms. Karen Agustin-Ostrea, a certified Etiquette and Image Consultant and former Binibining Pilipinas –
Universe winner facilitated the half-day learning event. Her discussion focused
on Professional Image Development, which tackles the appropriate professional
dressing and the dos and don’ts that include visual poise and posture.

“Project the image of the title that you desire”; she emphasized as the
participants were refreshed on the elements of professional appearance. They
learned to assess themselves on how they manage their professional appearance
- their hair, make-up (female), grooming (male), and the details of their
professional wear. Ms. Ostrea gave them a detailed assessment on what they
did well or not as well as the changes in their professional image. F12

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CES News
11E CESB teaches CES Members . . .

The participants learned a lot in this session which also focused on the basic protocol, business etiquette,
general order of
precedence in introducing
or arranging seats of
officials and guests and
lastly, the dining etiquette
in official functions.

“The CES Club was indeed

a very interesting and
useful learning event for
CESOs and Third-Level
Eligibles as it tackled basic
skills that are useful in
their daily affairs especially
during official business as
representative of their
agency or even of our
country.” said Department
of Trade and Industry
Assistant Secretary Ann
Claire Credo-Cabochan in
her evaluation.

12 THE PUBLIC MANAGER

 In Memoriam

HILARION E. ULEP
R D
L T O
LTO R O IV-B
D 3, 1961—J 30, 2022

T
2022.
he CES Community mourns the passing of Land
Transportation Office (LTO), MIMAROPA
Regional Director, Hilarion E. Ulep on July 30,

Director Ulep started his thirty-seven-year (37) career in

government service at the Batasang Pambansa as a Junior
Staff Officer in 1985. He then joined the
Telecommunications Office (TELOF) in 1991. Through
his dedication and hard work, Director Ulep rose from
the rank and was promoted to Director I and later
Regional Director in 1994. In 2013, he was assigned at
the LTO Central Office - Law Enforcement Service as its
Regional Director. Thereafter, Director Ulep was assigned
as Regional Director of LTO Regional Office IV-8,
MIMAROPA in 2018 until his retirement from
government service in July 2022.

He was conferred the Career Executive Service Eligibility

(CESE) on August 30, 1994. He was originally appointed to Career Executive Service Officer (CESO)
Rank V by former President Fidel V. Ramos on January O5, 1995. On March 01, 2010, Director
Ulep was promoted to CESO Rank Ill by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

As a CESO, Director Ulep showed exceptional commitment to the goals of the CES Governing Board
in the screening and selection of the potential members of the CES as one of its deputized Validators.
For his valuable contributions to the CES eligibility processes, Director Ulep was awarded as one of
the Most Outstanding Validators in November 2017. Indeed, Director Ulep shared his God-given
expertise for the noble purpose of the CES, thus, making a significant and lasting contribution to the
CES Community.

THE PUBLIC MANAGER 13

 THE E-PUBLIC MANAGER
Come and share with us how you have been wowed by CESOs and Third Level
Eligibles who make a difference in the lives of their stakeholders through their
innovation and cost-effective measures. Nominate them in CESB’s search for the
Career Executive Service Very Innovative Person (CES VIP) and Career Executive
Service Outstanding Cost-Effective Officer (OS CEO) awards.

This category seeks to recognize the
strategic leadership qualities of the
CESOs and Third level Eligibles
whose decisions or actions create
desired level of performance that
leads to the maximum utilization of
resources resulting in increased
agency savings.
This category seeks to recognize
CESOs and Third level Eligibles who
initiated a novel policy or program
that improved operational processes
members that has made substantial
or methods and have assisted in
meeting organizational sustainability
and/or wellness.
This category seeks to recognize
the excellent performance of a
group consisting of at least three
members to a maximum of ten
contributions to a particular
project, goal or organization
performance and resulted in
achieving and/or exceeding set
targets.
EDITORS:
Executive Director Maria
Marcy Cosare-Ballesteros
Director Erick Jan R. Macapagal

WRITERS:
Imelda Guanzon
Ellaine Mamhot
Mylene Villasis
David Desamito

LAYOUT:
Rebecca Villas

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
AND ASSISTANCE DIVISION:
Edgardo Sabalvoro
Ellaine Mamhot
Imelda Guanzon
Giselle Luna
The e-Public Manager is published monthly
by the Career Executive Service Board
Secretariat with office located at: 3
Marcelino St., Brgy. Holy Spirit , Isidora
Hills, Diliman, Quezon City