Article IX-B of the 1987 Constitution empowers the Civil Service Commission "to establish a career service and adopt measures to promote morale, efficiency, integrity, responsiveness, progressiveness and courtesy in the civil service." It is tasked to strengthen the merit and rewards system, integrate all human resource development programs for all levels and ranks and institutionalize a management climate conducive to public accountability.

The present programs of the Commission have mainly focused on promoting the professionalization of the service and institutionalizing merit-based selection and recruitment of people; enforcing ethical standards and discipline accross the bureaucracy; and, nurturing the employee empowerment mechanisms in government. Among its regular programs, the thrust has been to innovate, such as the introduction of the walk-in computer assisted test (CAT) for the grant of civil service eligibilities and strengthening accountability and discipline in the service through the exercise of its quasi-judicial powers.

In sum, and since the Commission has largely delegated and devolved personnel actions to agency; heads, focus has shifted to developmental programs aimed at improving government's human resource capabilities and reforming work attitudes and service orientation of people in government. These programs support the five principles that underscore the current thrusts of the CSC.