The Civil Service Commission (CSC) joins Muslim officials and employees in the public service in the observance of Ramadan and celebration of Eid’l Fitr.
During the period of Ramadan, the CSC encouraged Muslim civil servants to consider reporting under flexible working arrangements (FWA) aimed to accommodate their religious practices while ensuring the continuity of government operations and services.
"The CSC recognizes the significance of Ramadan to our Muslim brothers and sisters. In line with our commitment to promote inclusivity and respect for diversity, we encouraged government agencies to implement FWAs to support our Muslim employees during this sacred period," said Chairperson Karlo Nograles.
He explained that Muslim public servants may avail of the Policies on FWAs in the Government pursuant to CSC Memorandum Circular No. 6, s. 2022, issued on June 6, 2022.
Furthermore, according to CSC Resolution No. 81-1277 dated 13 November 1981, as clarified by CSC Resolution No. 00-0227 dated 26 January 2000, the official working hours for Muslim officials and employees can be adjusted from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. without a noon break, and the two-hour difference will not be counted as undertime. Additionally, on Fridays, or the Muslim prayer day, Muslims are excused from work from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In order to ensure compliance with the mandated hours of work per week, the CSC has reminded agencies to implement flexitime—a scheduling arrangement allowing government officials and employees to work flexibly between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. each day, as long as the 40-hour workweek requirement is met.
“We would also like to remind the agencies to ensure that all their stakeholders are assured of continuous public service delivery from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., including lunch break, throughout the workweek. By adopting flexible working schemes, we can ensure inclusivity and promote cultural and religious awareness for our Muslim brothers and sisters especially during Ramadan,” added Chairperson Nograles.
The complete information on CSC Memorandum Circular No. 6, s. 2022, is available on the CSC website at www.csc.gov.ph. ###
