Online civil service exams doable, telcos should step up: Palace

Roque said the Palace would even go out of its way to remind telcos to improve their services if necessary.(Pexels Photo)

MANILA – The plan to conduct civil service exams online is doable, Malacañang said on Thursday, urging telecommunications companies to step up their services.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made this remark after the Civil Service Commission (CSC) said it is looking at conducting the civil service exam online as the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic persists.

“Kaya po iyan. Kakayanin po natin iyan (That’s doable. We can do it),” Roque said in a Palace press briefing.

Roque said the Palace would even go out of its way to remind telcos to improve their services if necessary.

“Kung kinakailangan nating kalampagin ang mga telecoms company gagawin po natin iyan (If there is a need to compel telecoms companies, we’ll do it),” he said.

In his penultimate State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) last July 27, President Rodrigo Duterte gave telcos until December to improve their services.

He also asked Cabinet to employ “drastic” measures to shorten the process of securing permits for building telecommunication company cellular towers following difficulties experienced by telecommunications companies in securing permits to build towers or cell sites.

“Wala na pong magiging dahilan ang telecoms company kung hindi nila ma-improve iyong ating telecoms facilities at connectivity (Telecoms companies have no reason not to improve our facilities and connectivity),” Roque said.

Meanwhile, Roque said the conduct of online exams should be part of the new normal while a vaccine against Covid-19 is yet to be developed.

“Tingin ko po, kabahagi na iyan ng new normal ‘no. Hindi naman tayo puwedeng mag-antay ng bakuna at ng gamot bago tayo bumalik sa normal na buhay (I think it’s part of the new normal. We can’t wait for a vaccine and medicine before our lives go back to normal),” he said,

Roque said it is important to make use of technology to perform tasks that can be done from the comfort of people’s own homes.

He said the civil service exam would also open opportunities for Filipinos who have lost their jobs during the pandemic.

“Tingin ko po habang nandiyan ang teknolohiya gamitin natin lalung-lalo na napakadami po nating hinahanap na mga manggagawa sa gobyerno at napakarami ring nawalan ng trabaho dahil sa Covid-19 (I think that while technology is there, let’s use it because we are looking for a lot of government workers and many Filipinos have lost their jobs because of Covid-19),” he said.

The civil service exams scheduled last March were postponed due to the restrictions posed by the Covid-related lockdowns

Other licensure exams were also suspended due to the pandemic.