Passers of bar and licensure board examinations are automatically considered civil service eligibles, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) said.
Republic Act No. 1080, as amended, declares that “the bar examinations and the examinations given by the various boards of examiners of the Government are declared as civil service examinations”.
Thus, pursuant to the said law, passers of the bar examination conducted by the Supreme Court (SC) and licensure board examinations conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) are automatically considered as civil service eligibles.
Since 2014, this now includes marine deck and engine officers licensed by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), as the examination, licensing, and certification system for said positions was transferred from the PRC to MARINA by virtue of Republic Act No. 10635.
Likewise, passing the Shari’a Bar Examinations shall also be considered as eligibility.
Passers of the said examinations no longer have to file an application for the grant of civil service eligibility with the CSC.
Appropriateness
The Bar/Board Eligibility is appropriate and required for appointment to government positions the duties of which constitute the practice of profession. This means that appointees to positions such as Attorney, Nurse, or Accountant in government are required to have the appropriate professional license.
Licensed professionals may also work in the government, even not in the practice of their profession.
For the Bar/Board Eligibility resulting from passing an examination requiring completion of a bachelor’s degree, such eligibility shall be considered appropriate for appointment to positions for which the examination was given, as well as to other first and second level positions in government that are not covered by special laws nor require other special eligibilities or licenses.
On the other hand, for the Bar/Board Eligibility resulting from passing an examination requiring less than four years of college studies, such eligibility shall be considered appropriate for appointment to positions for which the examination was given, as well as to other first level positions in government that are not covered by special laws nor require other special eligibilities or licenses.
Eligibility resulting from the 13th Shari’a Bar Examinations held in January 2014 shall also be considered an eligibility appropriate for appointment to first and second level positions. Passing the Shari’a Bar Examinations held prior to the 13th Shari’a Bar Examinations shall be considered as appropriate for appointment to first level positions.
Per the CSC’s 2017 Omnibus Rules on Appointments and Other Human Resource Actions, as amended, holders of Bar/Board Eligibility shall be exempt from the master’s degree requirement for division chief and executive/managerial positions in the second level, the duties and responsibilities of which involve practice of profession or belong to the same occupational group or functionally related positions as those regulated by bar or board laws.
Moreover, lawyers and doctors, specifically, are considered exempt from the master’s degree requirement for division chief or executive/managerial positions that do not involve the practice of profession or belong to the same occupational group or functionally related positions as those regulated by bar or board laws.
Licensed professionals need not go to the CSC to obtain a copy of civil service eligibility. A valid professional license or copy of the Certificate of Registration/Competency or Report of Rating, as applicable, that was issued by SC, PRC, or MARINA may be used as proof of eligibility.
However, the CSC stressed that eligibility is just one of the qualifications for appointment. Appointees to career service positions must meet the education, training, experience, eligibility, and competency requirements prescribed in the Qualification Standards.
