Palace extends office terms of OICs until end-December

FILE: Facade of the Malacañang Palace as seen from Pasig River. (Photo by Architect Jorge Ramos (d. 2015) for the underlying copyrighted work (Malacañang Palace). Image is by Official Gazette of the Philippines, originally uploaded on Commons by User:P-JR – Commons:File:Malacañang Palace (Cropped).jpg, Public Domain)

MANILA – Malacañang has extended the term of office of designated officers-in-charge (OICs) of departments, agencies, and bureaus until December 31 this year.

The order was contained in Memorandum Circular (MC) 3 inked Wednesday by Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez, by authority of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

MC 3 is a supplement to MC 1 which designates as OIC the next-in-rank and most senior official in government departments, offices, agencies, and bureaus that have no appointed head.

“This (MC 3) extends the authority of Officers in Charge until December 2022, unless a replacement has been designated or appointed, whichever comes first,” Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said in a statement, confirming the issuance of MC 3.

Rodriguez explained in MC 3 that the extension of OICs’s term until end of December will “ensure the continuous and effective delivery of government services.”

“There is a need to supplement MC No. 1 in order to ensure that no new contract, project, or disbursement of extraordinary funds is made by a department, agency, bureau, and office untilthe appointment is made by the President,” he said.

On June 30, Malacañang issued MC 1, directing the designated OICs of government offices to perform the duties and discharge the responsibilities of office until July 31 or until a replacement has been appointed or designated, whichever comes first.

MC 1 also covers all non-Career Executive Service Officials (CESO) occupying Career Executive Service (CES) positions and contractual or casual employees.

Under MC 3, all OICs of departments, agencies, bureau and office, non-CESO occupying CES positions and contractual or casual employees covered by the order shall continue to perform their duties and discharge their functions until December 31 or until a replacement has been appointed, whichever comes first.

“All officials and employeed covered by this Memorandum Circular are mandated to lawfully perform their duties and functions, adn submit bi-monthly performance reports to their respective heads of the department, agency, bureau, office, or instrumentality; otherwise, they will be held accountable,” the latest order read.

MC 3 excludes certain vacant positions in government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCC), government instrumentalities with corporate powers, government corporate entities, and government financial institutions which shall continue to be governed by their respective charters, articles of incorporation and by-laws in relation to Republic Act 10149 or the GOCC Governance Act of 2011.

Except for those involved in the food, transportation and energy sectors, or except when authorized by the President in meritorious cases, designated OICs are directed not to enter into new contracts or projects or disburse extraordinary funds.

The order also applies to GOCCs, government instrumentalities with corporate powers, government corporate entities, and government financial institutions, as well as to the free port and special economic zone authorities, until new sets of appointive directors and chief executive officers have been named.

MC 3, which was made public on Thursday, takes effect immediately.