9.1 Republic Act No. 6713: The Eight Norms of Conduct and Public Duties
Key Takeaways
Section 4 lists eight norms; a scenario can implicate more than one norm.
Section 5 requires a reply stating the action taken within 15 working days of receipt.
The annual performance report is due within 45 working days from year-end.
The three-signatory rule is qualified by “as far as practicable”; the statute does not mandate three specific job titles.
9.1 Republic Act No. 6713: The Eight Norms of Conduct and Public Duties
Public-service ethics are supplemental context for leadership and management. The published CSC scope does not identify Republic Act No. 6713 as a separate tested topic. The statute nevertheless provides a useful framework for judging public-service decisions: distinguish its broad standards of conduct from the specific duties and qualified prohibitions discussed here.
Republic Act No. 6713, approved on 20 February 1989, covers elective and appointive officials and employees, permanent or temporary, career or non-career, including military and police personnel, whether or not they receive compensation. Its definition of government includes national and local government, agencies and instrumentalities, and government-owned or controlled corporations and their subsidiaries. Broad coverage does not mean every filing rule has no exception; the SALN and divestment provisions contain express exceptions.
The Eight Norms of Conduct (Section 4)
Section 4 of RA 6713 commands every public servant to observe eight distinct norms of conduct in the daily discharge of their official functions:
| Norm of Conduct | Statutory Definition & Legal Core | Practical Application in Public Administration |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Commitment to Public Interest | Always uphold the public interest over and above personal interest; use government resources, funds, and properties efficiently, honestly, and economically to prevent waste. | Prioritizing consular assistance to stranded overseas workers over personal convenience; avoiding the personal use of government vehicles or official communications equipment. |
| 2. Professionalism | Perform official duties with the highest degree of excellence, professionalism, intelligence, and skill; serve with utmost devotion and dedication. | Maintaining thorough knowledge of diplomatic law and consular protocols; drafting accurate, well-researched bilateral briefing papers; avoiding sloppiness in official communications. |
| 3. Justness and Sincerity | Remain true to the people at all times; act with fairness, kindness, and impartiality; refrain from discriminating or extending undue favors on account of office. | Adhering strictly to first-come, first-served passport appointment queues; refusing to expedite document processing based on personal friendships or family ties. |
| 4. Political Neutrality | Provide service to everyone without unfair discrimination and regardless of party affiliation, political preference, or ideological belief. | Administering overseas absentee voting (OAV) with absolute impartiality; refraining from endorsing candidates or wearing partisan campaign insignia during election cycles. |
| 5. Responsiveness to the Public | Extend prompt, courteous, and adequate service; make public information accessible; provide clear, understandable explanations of policies and procedures. | Answering public inquiries at consular counters politely and comprehensively; establishing feedback desks and hotlines for distress calls from overseas Filipinos. |
| 6. Nationalism and Patriotism | Maintain loyalty to the Republic and to the Filipino people; promote the use of locally produced goods and technology; defend Philippine sovereignty. | Promoting Philippine exports and cultural heritage during diplomatic receptions; defending national sovereignty and sovereign rights in multilateral maritime forums. |
| 7. Commitment to Democracy | Commit to democratic values; uphold public accountability; manifest total devotion to the Constitution; respect civilian supremacy over the military. | Submitting to legislative oversight during budget hearings; respecting constitutional separation of powers and judicial decrees in administrative matters. |
| 8. Simple Living | Lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income; refrain from indulgent, extravagant, or ostentatious displays of wealth in any form. | Dressing with dignified simplicity; avoiding the public flaunting of luxury jewelry, luxury vehicles, or opulent personal parties that contradict public perception of service. |
Note
The Civil Service Commission evaluates complaints alleging violations of Section 4 based on objective standards of conduct. For instance, the norm of Simple Living does not prohibit an official from maintaining personal savings, but it strictly forbids ostentatious lifestyle displays that undermine public confidence in the integrity and modesty of government personnel.
Mandatory Statutory Duties of Public Officials (Section 5)
Section 4 supplies standards of conduct; Section 5 supplies duties with specific timelines and qualifications. Read the operative words carefully: “working days” differs from calendar days, and “as far as practicable” prevents a qualified rule from becoming an absolute one.
Section 5(a) requires a response within 15 working days from receipt to communications sent by the public. The reply must contain the action taken on the request. A receipt acknowledgment alone does not explain the action. Other laws may impose different service standards; do not treat this duty as permission to delay a transaction governed by a shorter deadline.
Section 5(b) requires heads or other responsible officers of offices, agencies, and GOCCs to render a performance report within 45 working days from the end of the year. The report must be open and available to the public during regular office hours. This subsection does not itself require an audited financial statement.
3. Expeditious Processing of Documents (Section 5(c))
Section 5(c) requires completion within a reasonable time and as far as practicable, not more than three signatories. In the absence of authorized signatories, the next-in-rank official or officer in charge signs on their behalf. The statute does not prescribe three particular job titles or declare every process with a fourth signature invalid. Review a routing chain for necessary controls and avoid needless duplication while retaining approvals required by applicable law.
4. Act Immediately on Personal Transactions (Section 5(d))
Public officers must attend immediately to anyone who presents themselves at a government office to conduct personal transactions, avail of frontline public services, or seek institutional assistance. Frontline staff cannot abandon counters during official working hours or adopt arbitrary cutoff times that disenfranchise the transacting public.
5. Make Documents Accessible to the Public (Section 5(e))
All public documents and official records must be made accessible to the public for inspection, copying, or reproduction during reasonable working hours, subject to standard reproduction fees and established legal exceptions (such as classified national security intelligence, confidential diplomatic negotiations, trade secrets, personal medical data, and ongoing criminal investigation files).
Incentives and Rewards System (Section 6)
Section 6 establishes incentives and rewards. Its committee has the Ombudsman and CSC Chairman as co-chairmen, with the COA Chairman and two government employees appointed by the President as members. The statute lists rewards such as bonuses, citations, scholarships, and paid vacations; assess an award through the relevant program rules rather than inventing two Cabinet seats.
Apply overlapping norms to a decision
Suppose a consular office has a long queue and a manager's friend requests priority without a legitimate urgent need. Justness and sincerity address the undue favor; commitment to public interest addresses the use of public resources; professionalism and responsiveness address how the office explains and manages the queue. More than one norm can be relevant. In a question asking for the best fit, identify the conduct emphasized in the stem instead of assuming the norms are mutually exclusive.
A lawful priority arrangement for a vulnerable or urgent applicant is different from a private favor. Fairness does not require ignoring reasonable service accommodations. Explain the criteria consistently and document the decision. For a public inquiry, log the date of receipt, identify the responsible unit, obtain the action taken, and prepare a substantive reply. Tracking working days and maintaining a record is more reliable than memorizing a slogan about prompt service.
Ethical obligations also apply while handling public information. Accessibility and responsiveness support disclosure, but classified material and personal data require the applicable protections. Consult the governing rule rather than using confidentiality as a blanket reason to refuse every request. Conversely, an official role does not authorize unrestricted publication of another person's private information.
Source: RA 6713, Sections 3–6.
Under Section 5 of Republic Act No. 6713, what are the statutory deadlines for public officials to respond to written communications from the public and for agency heads to render an annual performance report, respectively?
Within 10 calendar days for written communications, and within 30 calendar days for the annual performance report
Within 15 working days from receipt for written communications, and within 45 working days from the end of the year for the annual performance report
Within 7 working days for written communications, and within 60 working days from the end of the year for the annual performance report
Within 30 calendar days for written communications, and within 90 calendar days from the end of the fiscal year for the annual performance report
A consular desk officer at a Philippine Embassy notices that a personal acquaintance has arrived without an appointment seeking a passport renewal without qualifying for any lawful priority arrangement. The officer quietly moves the acquaintance to the front of a three-hour queue, bypassing ordinary applicants. Which norm of conduct under Section 4 of RA 6713 has the consular officer primarily violated?
Nationalism and patriotism, by neglecting local citizens in favor of foreign interests
Simple living, by displaying excessive administrative privilege to the public
Justness and sincerity, by extending undue favors and failing to act with fairness and impartiality
Commitment to democracy, by ignoring executive chain-of-command directives
Under Section 5(c) of RA 6713, what is the qualified rule for signatories on official papers?
Exactly five signatories in every case
At least three signatories before any action
As far as practicable, not more than three signatories
No signatures are required
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.