Malacañang has extended the term of officials and employees of the Office of the President (OP) who are coterminous with the Duterte administration until the end of 2022.
Under Memorandum Order No. 7 signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, the term extension for the OP appointees coterminous with the previous administration aimed “to prevent disruption in the delivery of government offices.”
However, they can be replaced if their appointments are revoked, or if they have resigned, or if their replacements have been appointed.
Director Andrea Maila Ordanez of OP’s Human Resource department thanked Bersamin for signing the MO.
“It is really hard to be in that place of uncertainty especially this coming Christmas season where all of us only wish for a happy Christmas,” she said during a flag-raising ceremony on Monday led by Bersamin.
Bersamin’s predecessor, Vic Rodriguez, signed Memorandum Circular No. 1 in July declaring certain positions in the executive department vacant, including all coterminous presidential appointees.
MC 1 also designates as OIC the next-in-rank and most senior official in government departments, offices, agencies, and bureaus that have no appointed head.
In July, MC No. 3 was issued, extending the term of office of designated OICs of departments, agencies, and bureaus until Dec. 31 this year unless a replacement has already been appointed.
Meanwhile, Bersamin enjoined his fellow public servants to be true to their oaths of office.
“Public service becomes meaningless and empty if the public servant is not dedicated to this kind of intentional obeyance. We must endeavor to uphold the rule of law in every action that we take in the discharge of our duties and our responsibilities,” he said.
Bersamin reminded government officials and employees to serve “sincerely with compassion.”
“When we are compassionate, we must be sincere. We do not serve the purpose of being compassionate if we have no sincerity in our hearts,” he added.