Civil Service Fee constructing. File Picture
MANILA, Philippines –Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong believes the latest order from the Civil Service Fee (CSC) on social media use is overarching and punitive.
That even if he agrees that common authorities workers mustn’t interact in partisan political actions throughout an election season.
Adiong on Thursday was requested about CSC’s Memorandum Round (MC) No. 03 sequence of 2025 whereby authorities officers and workers had been warned in opposition to partaking in political exercise on social media — even one thing so simple as “liking” or “sharing” a submit.
READ: CSC warns gov’t employees: Don’t like, share political posts of bets
In accordance with the lawmaker, it’s true that public servants must be non-partisan towards candidates since it could give a nasty impression, particularly as the employees are linked with the federal government. Nonetheless, he hopes CSC will rethink the directive.
“For my private tackle that ah, as a civil servant, if you’re a daily worker of the federal government, I agree that you shouldn’t participate actively in partisan politics, which means you don’t marketing campaign for any candidates since you’ve been employed by the federal government. The sources that you’re getting, your predominant livelihood is coming from the general public funds. I imply, your wage comes from taxpayers’ cash,” Adiong stated.
‘Easy like in Fb’
“So it’s simply however correct and acceptable and prudent for a civil servant to not interact himself or herself actively in partisan politics […] However one thing as easy like in Fb and different accounts, that to me is overarching, it’s too punitive. I hope that the Civil Service Fee would rethink their coverage on this,” he added.
In accordance with Adiong, not permitting authorities workers to react is “too restrictive.”
“To me, it’s not tantamount to partaking in partisan politics simply by merely liking campaigns, sorties being uploaded on social media, et cetera, by civil servants,” he stated.
“I hope that we are able to nonetheless keep that our civil servants stays to be nonpartisan and apolitical, however as easy liking, for a quite simple purpose that they just like the messaging, with out endorsing or campaigning for the candidate, is for me too restrictive and too punitive,” he added.
On Wednesday, the CSC stated that the memorandum, dated final March 31, 2025, reminded the federal government workers and officers to not instantly or not directly interact in any partisan political exercise for the 2025 midterm elections and the primary Bangsamoro Parliamentary elections — saying that these are mandated by the 1987 Structure and different legal guidelines.
CSC directives
Different sectors have additionally questioned CSC’s directives. Earlier, former Bayan Muna lawmaker Ferdinand Gaite stated that the memorandum “tramples upon the very rights that civil servants are alleged to uphold and defend.”
On Thursday, the CSC clarified that authorities employees had been allowed to love and share political posts so long as these “[do] not solicit assist” for politicians or political events.
READ: CSC: Liking, sharing political posts allowed, however don’t solicit assist
“The Civil Service Fee reiterates that authorities workers could like, share, touch upon, or repost election-related content material on social media for so long as these actions don’t solicit assist for or in opposition to any candidate or get together throughout the marketing campaign interval,” it stated.
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“The CSC emphasised the necessity for prudence in utilizing social media to keep away from partaking in partisan political actions,” it added.