The Civil Service Commission (CSC) mourns the passing of former Chairperson Karina Constantino-David and sends its condolences to her family.

David was appointed Chairperson of the CSC on 23 February 2001, succeeding Corazon Alma G. De Leon. She ended her term on 1 February 2008, which also marked her retirement from government work, after more than forty years of dedicated public service.

CSC Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala credited David for her initiatives to professionalize the bureaucracy and improve the quality of public service during her term as head of the CSC, one of which was the Public Service Delivery Audit or PASADA in 2003, a complement to the Mamamayan Muna Program. PASADA was conceived out of David’s desire for reforms in frontline service delivery.

Prior to joining the CSC, David served as Professor of Sociology, Community Development, and Women’s Studies at the University of the Philippines in Diliman; as Undersecretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development; and as Chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council. She was also recognized as a highly esteemed leader among civil society organizations.

She received numerous awards for excellent public service including World Bank’s Jit Gill Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service in 2008, House of Representatives Committee on Women’s Most Outstanding Woman in Public Service in 2008, and Province of Bulacan’s Gawad Dangal ng Lipi Pinakamataas na Kategorya Paglilingkod Bayan in 2006.

Karina David holds a Masters Degree in Economics and social Studies from the Victoria University of Manchester in England and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of the Philippines. She is also a writer, composer, and guitarist of Inang Laya. She and Dr. Randolf David, UP Professor, TV host, and newspaper columnist, are blessed with four children.