Government rightsizing bill signed into law
A MEASURE granting President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. authority to reorganize and streamline agencies under the executive branch to remove redundancies and build a more efficient and responsive bureaucracy has been signed into law.
Republic Act (RA) No. 12231, also known as the Government Optimization Act, was signed and published in the Official Gazette on Monday. It will be effective 15 days from Aug. 4.
The new law, identified as a priority measure by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, authorizes the President to strengthen, merge, or abolish executive agencies and functions considered redundant or misaligned, while ensuring the protection of civil servants’ welfare for a period of five years.
It also aims to promote and maintain efficiency and ethical accountability in the government, as well as enhance institutional capacity to improve public service delivery.
To do this, the government will provide resources to support an office’s essential role and minimize, if not eliminate, overlaps in its operations and simplify its systems and processes.
RA No. 12231 creates the Committee on Optimizing the Executive Branch (COEB), which will be chaired by the Executive Secretary.
The COEB will review mandates, functions, programs, projects, operations, operational structures, and workforce of government agencies. It may also recommend the creation of a new agency or dissolution of existing ones.
The new legislation will apply to all agencies under the executive branch, but it excludes. teaching and teaching-related positions, as well as military and uniformed personnel.
Legislative and judicial bodies, constitutional commissions, the Office of the Ombudsman, and local governments may adopt similar reforms on a voluntary basis.
Senate President Francis G. Escudero said the measure is not about downsizing or cost-cutting, as opposed to common belief.
“Its core intent is to transform government into a well-coordinated system — one that removes institutional bottlenecks and empowers agencies to serve with greater agility and purpose,” he said in a statement.
Mr. Escudero noted the measure exempts some sectors, including teaching and teaching-related positions in public schools and universities, as well as military and uniformed personnel. Constitutional bodies, the judiciary, legislature, and local government units are also excluded, though they may voluntarily adopt similar reforms.
“Ultimately, the law promotes career advancement and professional growth among government personnel,” he said. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
