The previous version of the ORAOHRA was promulgated on June 16, 2017. In consideration of feedback from its stakeholders, the Commission amended the policy to ensure that its provisions are in accordance with other administrative issuances and pertinent laws.

Among the salient amendments is the shift in the role of a government agency’s Human Resource Merit Promotion and Selection Board (HRMPSB) from recommendatory to assistorial, stating that the HRMPSB should assist the appointing authority in the judicious and objective selection of candidates for appointment, in accordance with the agency’s CSC-approved Agency Merit Selection Plan. It should no longer be tasked with recommending the top-ranking candidates deemed most qualified for recruitment.

Moreover, the revised rules state that a reassigned employee who is restored to his/her original post pursuant to a decision of the Commission should not be reassigned within one year from the date of restoration to the original post. Otherwise, the appointing officer/authority or the authorized official who caused the subsequent reassignment within 1 year from the date of restoration may be cited for indirect contempt by the Commission.