Chairman Ricardo L. Saludo

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has appointed former mediaman and recent cabinet secretary Ricardo Saludo on July 25, 2008, as Chair of the Civil Service Commission. Saludo's appointment will immediately take effect upon the approval of the bicameral committee of the Commission of Appointments.

Saludo was a well-respected journalist before joining the government in 2001. Early in his career, he became the editor-in-chief of the Makati Business Club (MBC) Research Team before moving on to foreign shores to work for prominent international media outfits including the Hongkong-based Asiaweek Magazine where he eventually became its Assistant Managing Editor and Special Projects Editor from 1996 until 2001. Saludo was also the Asian affairs commentator for the Cable News Network (CNN) and CNBC Asia from 1995 until 2001.

After the .EDSA 2. revolution, Saludo joined the government in 2001 as Undersecretary and Head of the Policy Group of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS). In 2002, he was appointed as Cabinet Secretary and later deputy presidential spokesperson, a position he gave up in September 2004 to focus on his work as Cabinet Secretary. He prepared Cabinet agenda, oversaw the conduct and documentation of Cabinet meetings, issued and monitored directives to the Cabinet and national agencies.

Ric, as he is called by friends and colleagues, graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Literature at the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and is pursuing his Masters Degree in Public Policy and Management at the University of London by distance learning. He has received an Outstanding Alumnus Award from the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communications, where he took graduate studies in media management and journalism.

Commissioner Cesar D. Buenaflor

He is back home.

Fate must have placed its favor on Commissioner Buenaflor when it allowed him to return to his stead of almost eighteen (18) years. His wealth of experience in civil service matters is immense, his resolve to effect changes in the bureaucracy in relation to the recruitment of the most qualified and competent individuals is so steadfast that one can only surmise that the Civil Service Commission is indeed where he belongs.

Born on December 13, 1944 in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat, Buenaflor began his work with CSC as Head Civil Service Staff of CSC Regional Office No. 12 from 1979 to 1986. He was Assistant Regional Director in 1987 and became Regional Director of CSC RO12 and ARMM on the same year.

Comm. Buenaflor was re-assigned to CSC RO6 in 1998 and in 2001, he was appointed by Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as Commissioner of the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission.

It was in the University of the East where Comm. Buenaflor obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He went on to pursue a degree in law in the Ateneo de Manila University and passed the bar examinations in 1972.

Comm. Buenaflor then found himself in Maryland, USA where he initially worked as a Legal Assistant, then Trust Assistant in Ober, Grimes and Shriver Law Firm and Maryland National Bank, respectively. Despite the bright financial and professional prospects in the States, he and his wife decided to return to the Philippines, specifically in the war-torn Central Mindanao, imbued with the firm belief that it is their bounden duty to serve their own people and country. It was in Cotabato City that Comm. Buenaflor joined the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and worked there for almost seventeen (17) years.

As Head Civil Service Staff, Comm. Buenaflor performed legal researches and rendered legal opinions for the Regional Office on questions involving civil service matters, and conducted investigations on disciplinary and non-disciplinary cases cognizable by the CSC. During such time, he taught political law, constitutional law, administrative law, law on public officers, public corporations and elections law at the Notre Dame University College of Law in the same city.

Comm. Buenaflor's experiences as Regional Director of the CSC in Cotabato, and later in Iloilo City, include evaluating administrative disciplinary and non-disciplinary complaints and/or cases involving personnel actions, coordinating with the CSC Central Office, the different Field and Regional Offices (CSC and of other government agencies), introducing and facilitating innovations within the Regional Office and managing the day-to-day operations of CSC Ros 12 and 6.

On July 16, 2001, Comm. Buenaflor was appointed as Commissioner of the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC). He involved himself in the thorough review of administrative cases against presidential appointees relative to alleged violations of anti-graft laws, prior to the recommendations of the PAGC's findings to the Office of the President.

From September 16, 2001 to February 15, 2002, Comm. Buenaflor was named Acting Chairman of the PAGC. As the Commission's acting head, he was included in the four(4)-member Philippine delegation to the Negotiations for a United Nations Convention Against Corruption. He participated in both the Informal Preparatory Meeting on December 2001 in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the First Formal Session on January 2002 in Vienna, Austria. Relative to this undertaking, Comm. Buenaflor spearheaded the Technical Working Group that drafted the Philippines' position paper on the Convention.

He continued to serve the PAGC as Commissioner of the three(3)-member collegial body until his present appointment as Commissioner of the CSC.

Dedicated, adept and virtuous, Comm. Buenaflor is a bona fide public servant who adheres to the supremacy of the law and firmly believes that each individual in the bureaucracy has an obligation to serve the public over themselves. Realizing the extent to which he can impart these convictions through the CSC, it should therefore be no wonder why Comm. Buenaflor is truly happy to be home.

Commissioner Mary Ann Z. Fernandez-Mendoza

.I aspire to live by the principles of integrity, continuous learning, balance and holistic development; to build and sustain relationships based on trust and respect; and, to serve with joy..

Such is the mission statement of Commissioner Mary Ann Z. Fernandez-Mendoza, who was appointed on May 5, 2006 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Commissioner Fernandez-Mendoza rose from the ranks, starting out as Researcher at the then National Manpower and Youth Council, now Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, in 1972. She flourished at the NMYC with her last post being Manpower Development Chief from August 1975 to November 1979. Then she joined the Management Staff of the National Economic Development Authority from December 1979 to April 1982.

From May 1982 until March 1987, she served as Director of the Bureau of Local Employment of what was then called the Ministry of Labor and Employment followed by a brief stint as Fellow of the Institute for Public Policy from April to November 1987.

Fernandez-Mendoza.s career in government service also witnessed her at the portals of Malacaņang. This was from December 1987 to December 1990 at the Office of the President.s Cabinet Secretariat where she held the positions of Presidential Staff Director and Assistant Secretary. She continued to serve as Assistant Secretary when the Cabinet Secretariat was absorbed by the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) during reorganization in January 1991. She stayed at the PMS until early 1993. Then in April 1993, she became Assistant Secretary at the Department of Labor and Employment. She served the post for two years.

Incidentally, her longest stint was at the Civil Service Commission where she served as Assistant Commissioner. During her more than nine-year stay at the CSC, from February 1995 to April 2004, Fernandez-Mendoza introduced and implemented programs such as gender mainstreaming, public service ethics and accountability, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, mentoring, technology of participation, and service delivery excellence.

She left the CSC to become Executive Director of the Career Executive Service Board also in April 2004 only to make a grand come-back two years after, this time as member of the Commission.

Commissioner Fernandez-Mendoza.s enduring vocation in public service has nurtured and equipped her with substantive knowledge and experience in policy analysis and formulation, program development and evaluation, and government operations. Her knowledge and experience embrace the particular areas of governance and institution development, labor and employment, education, civil service reforms, and human resource development. Attendance to both local and international training programs and conferences further bolstered her extensive experience in government.

Commissioner Fernandez-Mendoza finished Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service in 1970 at the University of the Philippines. She earned her Masters in Public Administration also from U.P. in 1975, and Master of International Development Education from Stanford University, California in 1976.