LOOMING GOVT CRISIS AVERTED: NOY RE-APPOINTS 50 SACKED BIR OFFICIALS
MANILA, NOVEMBER 8, 2010 (MANILA BULLETIN) By JUN RAMIREZ - A looming government crisis was averted when President Benigno S. Aquino III decided to reappoint at least 50 non-Career Executive Service Officers (CESO) holding sensitive positions at the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), it was learned Sunday.
Informed sources said BIR Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares worked out the reappointment of these revenue officials who hold positions from assistant commissioner down to regional directors and assistant directors.
The same sources said that had President Aquino terminated the services of these ranking revenue officials pursuant to Memorandum Circular No. 2, they would have left a huge vacuum and ultimately paralyzed government operations, particularly tax collection.
Apparently, Aquino reappointed key revenue officials to prevent any disruption in the BIR's effort to raise at least P860 billion this year.
It was the first mass reappointment made by the President since Malacañang issued MC No. 2 terminating the services of non-CESO officials occupying Career Executive Service (CES) positions in all offices and agencies of the executive branch.
The circular, signed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, stated partly that "non-CESO officials occupying Career Executive Service (CES) positions in all agencies of the executive branch shall remain in office and continue to perform their duties and discharge their responsibilities until October 31, 2010, or until their resignations have been accepted, or their respective replacements have been appointed or designated."
The sources said the mass reappointment of non-CESO officials at the BIR was the first made by Malacañang as their counterparts in other government offices and agencies are still waiting their reappointments and holding their posts in acting capacities.
The Commission on Audit (CoA) is reportedly processing the stop-salary-payment papers of these CES "acting" officials in case they are not reappointed.
It was not immediately known how many non-CESO officials in the BIR are affected by the reappointment order.
But the same sources estimated their number at around 50. They expressed their gratitude to Henares as well as to the President for what they invariably called "magnanimous" and "humanitarian" gestures.
One of the officials said that he did not take the CESO course believing that the BIR, as a collection-based agency of the government like the Bureau of Customs, is governed by separate laws like the Lateral Attrition Law (LAL).
The LAL rewards performers with cash, promotions, and transfer to key positions and punishes inefficient workers with either demotion or ouster from the service.
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