Dennis A. B. Funa v.

The Chairman, Civil Service

Commission, Francisco T. Duque III, Executive Secretary
Leandro R. Mendoza, Office of the President, G.R. No. 191672,
November 25, 2014, En Banc, Bersamin.

The independence of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) is explicitly

mandated under Section 1 of Article IX-A of the 1987 Constitution.
Section 2, Article IX-A of the 1987 Constitution prohibits its Members,
during their tenure, from holding any other office or employment.

PGMA appointed Duque as Chairman of the CSC and pursuant to E.O. No.
864, Duque was designated as Ex-Officio member of the Board of
Trustees/Directors of the GSIS, PHIC, ECC, and HDMF. Funa challenged the
constitutionality of EO 864 and the designation of Duque as member of the
Board of Directors/Trustees for being clear violations of Sections 1 and 2,
Article IX-A of the 1987 Constitution.

Does the designation of Duque impair the independence of the CSC and
violate the constitutional prohibition against the holding of dual or multiple
offices for the Members of the Constitutional Commissions?

Yes. Section 2, Article IX-A provides that no member of a Constitutional

Commission shall, during his tenure, hold any other office or employment. The
court interpreted this disqualification in relation to Section 7 (2), Article IX-B,
which provides that unless otherwise allowed by law or by the primary
functions of his position, no appointive official shall hold any other office or
employment in the Government. Being an appointive official who does not
occupy a Cabinet position, Duque can hold any other office or employment in
the Government during his tenure if such holding is allowed by law or by the
primary functions of his position. Such is not the case here. The term ex
officio means from office; by virtue of office, and refers to an authority
derived from official character merely, not expressly conferred upon the
individual character, but rather annexed to the official position. A perusal of
the charters of the GSIS, PHIC, ECC and HDMF reveal that the functions of
being an Ex Officio member do not arise as a consequence of being the
Chairman of the CSC. Thus, he cannot be considered an ex officio member
of these entities.

Apart from violating the prohibition against holding multiple offices, Duques
designation as member of the governing Boards of the GSIS, PHILHEALTH,
ECC and HDMF impairs the independence of the CSC. Under Section
17, Article VII of the Constitution, the President exercises control over all
government offices in the Executive Branch. An office that is legally not under
the control of the President is not part of the Executive Branch.