May 29, 2009
DAR MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 09-09
SUBJECT : Guidelines for Conducting and Cascading the Ehem Sensitivity Seminars in All the Offices of the Department
I. Prefatory Statement
1. It is the current thrust of the Department to aggressively implement good governance, corruption prevention and integrity initiatives in all its offices and operational units nationwide, with the aim of improving internal systems as well as enhancing public perception of the agency. Consistent with this thrust, the Department has already carried out and accomplished several major outputs such as the institutionalization of the Integrity Development Committees (IDCs) at the central, regional and provincial offices; issuance and adoption of the Customized Code of Conduct for the officials and employees of DAR (MC 10, s. 2007); conduct of Ehem Seminars; and other good governance initiatives.
2. The Department almost finished the conduct of Ehem Seminars for its top management and key officials of the various Regional Integrity Development Committees (RIDC) and Provincial Integrity Development Committees (PIDC) in coordination with the Ehem Anticorruption Group of the Society of Jesus. For more efficacy and efficiency in sustaining the agency reforms, there is now the need to cascade the seminar program to the rest of the offices and personnel through an in-house delivery mechanism.
3. The Department finds the Ehem Sensitivity Seminar Program as very useful for values formation and systems reforms, and thus hereby adopts the same as a flagship program for integrity development and enhancement for all its officials and employees.
4. The DAR-CO Integrity Development Committee (IDC) takes the lead in the massive and systematic implementation of the Ehem Sensitivity Seminars in the Department. It is the goal of the Department to fully reach and cover all offices and their officials and employees to undergo the Ehem Sensitivity Seminars.
II. Legal Bases
1. Memorandum Circular No. 06, series of 2008, otherwise known as the "Policy Directions in the Operationalization of the IDC, RIDCs and PIDCs," thus providing: aEcHCD
"2. The IDC is hereby thus mandated to initiate, conduct, oversee and consolidate the implementation of said integrity programs in DAR such as the Integrity Development Review (IDR), Integrity Development Action Plan Framework, Internal Audit, Ehem Aha anti-corruption seminars, anti-fixing and anti-red tape workshops . . ."
2. Memorandum No. 265 dated 27 November 2008 reiterating that the conduct of Ehem Seminars in all regional and provincial offices of the Department shall be properly coordinated with the DARCO-IDC for better synchronization, programming, control, coordination, monitoring and mainstreaming of anti-corruption initiatives. The DARCO-IDC shall likewise coordinate with the Ehem Anti-Corruption Group and other Ehem delivery institutions. Likewise, the said memorandum provided for the conduct of Ehem Trainor's Training (ToT) in coordination with the Ehem Anti-Corruption Group.
3. Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) forged by and among the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) Secretary Constancia P. de Guzman and Secretary Nasser C. Pangandaman and other national government agencies secretaries to implement and comply with the Integrity Development Action Plan (IDAP) which is the national anti-corruption framework of the Executive Branch. One of the doables under the Education Measure of the IDAP is the provision of ethics training, spiritual formation and moral recovery program. As such, the conduct of Ehem Seminar is a compliance under this doable.
4. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) forged by and among Tanodbayan Ma. Merceditas N. Gutierrez and Secretary Nasser C. Pangandaman and other national government agencies secretaries, with DAR as one of the agency-beneficiaries of the Program on Pursuing Reforms through Integrity Development Review (PRIDE) — 2nd Cycle or the IDR Project. DAR is likewise required to submit its IDR Action plan and its accomplishments thereafter. One of the activities to be taken stated therein is the conduct of ethics training, values formation and integrity development.
5. Malacañang's Administrative Order No. 255, re: "Directing the Heads of the Executive Department to Lead Moral Renewal in their Agencies" providing Moral Renewal Action Plan (MRAP) Template which includes Ethical Leadership, Enhancing Individual Integrity and Strengthening Systems Integrity.
6. RA 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 which requires for the reengineering of systems and procedures and setting up of the Citizen's Charter in all government offices and agencies.
III. Designation and Responsibilities of Ehem Trainers
1. To fast-track and scale up the conduct of the Ehem Sensitivity Seminars and reach as many officials and employees as possible in a rational time frame, the Department has conducted the Training of Trainors (ToT) in coordination with the Ehem Anticorruption Group for selected and pre-screened in-house Ehem speakers and trainors coming from various offices and regions. The ToT graduates shall be designated as de facto Ehem Action Officers in their respective offices and regions. TESICD
2. The Ehem Action Officers shall serve as focal persons in their respective offices and regions in the implementation of Ehem seminars and monitoring of Ehem outputs, outcomes and impact, in coordination with the RIDC/PIDC, as well as with the IAS Designated Auditors as provided for in MC No. 06 as cited in the Prefatory Statement.
3. The Ehem Action Officers shall be primarily tasked to monitor the actions taken on the Ehem webchart workshop results, and ensure the documentation of the said actions as part of the DARCO-IDC, RIDC and PIDC programs and activities. The Ehem Action Officers shall ensure the complete documentation of all Ehem seminars and submit the same to the DARCO-IDC for consolidation.
4. The Ehem Action Officers shall serve as in-house Ehem speakers and facilitators upon deployment and prior coordination with the DARCO-IDC and BARIE, which are tasked to plan, program and coordinate all Ehem seminars in the Department.
5. The Ehem Action Officers shall also serve as in-house speakers for the briefing/orientation on the Integrity Development Review (IDR) and Integrity Development Action Plan (IDAP) framework and other IDC updates or initiatives.
6. For purposes of harmonizing the coordination and monitoring of the conduct, outputs and impact of the Ehem Sensitivity program in the Department, the Head, IDC-Technical Working Group shall be the Lead Ehem Action Officer.
IV. Conduct of Ehem Sensitivity Seminars in the Department
1. In the Central Office, the IDC and BARIE shall handle and manage the conduct of Ehem seminars. The IDC and BARIE shall also exercise the right of deployment of Ehem speakers and facilitators. The DAR-IDC shall be tasked in centrally monitoring all Ehem seminars and their webchart workshop outputs, while the BARIE shall be in charge of the seminar conduct and training management including seminar evaluation and planning for deepening activities.
2. In the regions and various field offices, the Department shall employ a team-approach in cascading the Ehem seminars. A team consists of Ehem Action Officers from the Central Office and the designated Ehem Action Officer/s in the region/field office. All Ehem Seminars in the regional offices and field offices shall have prior sanction from the DARCO-IDC.
3. In case where there is no designated Ehem Action Officer in the regional office and/or field office, the team shall consist of Ehem Action Officers from the Central Office through the IDC and BARIE. The IDC and BARIE may also decide to tap and deploy Ehem Action Officers from other regions and field offices if warranted.
4. In the conduct of the Ehem seminars in the Department, the IDC and BARIE shall closely coordinate with the Ehem Anticorruption Group to ensure compliance to seminar quality standards (contents and processes); monitoring and updating of data in the seminar modules; appropriate speaker-audience fit; suitable speaker-module fit; procedures in the use of Ehem materials, publications and video productions; printing or reproduction of Ehem logos and artworks; monitoring of webchart issues; and planning for deepening sessions on integrity enhancement. IHcTDA
5. When necessary and when there is available budget for logistical and professional fees, the Department may engage the services of the Ehem Anticorruption Group, or the recognized and conferred Ehem speakers from other groups or agencies, or other eminent persons who will be recommended, referred or attested by the Ehem Anticorruption Group.
V. Funding Allocation for Ehem Seminars
1. In accordance with MC No. 6, series of 2008, providing for the necessary budget allocation, to wit:
"6. DAR will come up with the necessary circulars to operationalize and strengthen the RIDCs and PIDCs. Further, DAR will work for ample budget allocation to implement said integrity initiatives. The RIDCs and PIDCs, through their Regional and Provincial Offices, are therefore mandated to include these initiatives in their annual programs and plans of action to ensure budget allocation."
All DAR offices and operational units are thus directed to include the conduct of Ehem seminars in their respective Work and Financial Plans (WFPs).
2. For 2009, funding augmentation may be requested subject to approval of training proposal.
VI. Seminar Monitoring, Documentation and Database
1. The DARCO-IDC and BARIE shall come up with effective measures to ensure compliance of the provisions underscored in MC No. 6, series of 2008 and reiterated in Memorandum No. 265, as follows:
"All the RIDCs and PIDCs are directed to document all activities, seminars and workshops, and regularly submit the same to the IDC . . . The documentation should specifically give serious attention to emerging problems and corresponding recommendations, as a result of the conduct of the good governance, corruption prevention and integrity initiatives, for the proper approval or action by DAR" (MC 6:7)
". . . Submit the post-seminar documentation report, especially the issues raised in the web charts, and their corresponding recommendations. The DARCO-IDC shall consolidate all the identified issues for proper action by the Department" (Memo 265:4).
2. The IAS through the Designated Internal Auditors in various regional offices and provincial offices are also mandated to coordinate with the Department's Ehem Action Officers in monitoring web chart corruption and vulnerability issues and the corresponding management actions to the said issues. The IAS shall take initiatives to incorporate the web chart issues as part of its Audit Agenda. ISCDEA
3. The Department shall submit monitoring reports, especially the web chart matrix, to the Ehem Anticorruption Group and, if warranted, to the oversight government agencies such as the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission, Civil Service Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman among others.
VII. Growth Sessions and Staff Development
1. In the proper time, the Department shall coordinate with the Ehem Anticorruption Group for the conduct of regular growth sessions and staff development for all the designated Ehem Action Officers, for purposes of skills enhancement, seminar delivery enrichment, content and process updating, team building exercises and reflection sessions as well.
2. The DARCO-IDC and BARIE shall take measures and conduct programming for needs analysis and curriculum development in coordination with the Ehem Anticorruption Group.
3. From time to time, the DARCO-IDC and BARIE shall convene all Ehem Action Officers for technical conferences, updating and sharing sessions, and joint planning and assessment sessions among others.
4. The Department may undertake for the conduct of more ToTs in order to beef up the Ehem Action Officers in the Department. The DARCO-IDC and BARIE shall take measures to evaluate the performance of the first batch of the ToT who were consequently designated as Ehem Action Officers.
VIII. Deployment
1. When tapped and deployed as speakers, lecturers, trainors or facilitators in the Ehem Sensitivity Seminars conducted for and within the Department, the Ehem Action Officers are authorized to be on official travel and to collect travelling expenses chargeable against the IDC funds. They are also entitled to earn equivalent points in the Office Performance Evaluation System (OPES), which will then become part of the individual performance accomplishments.
This Circular shall take effect immediately.
For information and strict compliance.
May 29, 2009, Diliman, Quezon City.
(SGD.) NASSER C. PANGANDAMAN
Secretary