By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

CIVIL Service Commission executive director Vern Perez yesterday proposed the restoration of the system that ensures checks and balance on the Department of Administration’s personnel actions such as recruitment, promotions and salary raises.
CSC used to have the authority to nullify erroneous personnel actions, but such duty—called "null and void authority"-- was dissolved when the 28th Legislature reorganized the commission and transferred its personnel duties to DOA. The commission’s duties and functions have since been limited to hearing employees’ grievances.
"The commission’s ‘null and void’ authority was repealed and not transferred to DOA. As a result, we lost the system of checks and balance and the ability to correct any mistakes made by DOA on how a person is hired or gets paid. The mistakes go unchecked and uncorrected," Perez said.
At yesterday’s budget hearing, Perez told senators that the commission would be willing to take back its lost authority.
"Since the CSC reorganization was slipped into the language of the 2006 budget measure, maybe we can also make these jurisdictional changes through the current budget process," Perez said in an interview with Variety after testifying at the Legislature.
Without a check-and-balance system in place, Perez said, any person complaining against certain personnel decisions by DOA has no other option but run to court.
"The court process is expensive and cumbersome. If the ‘null and void’ authority is brought back to the commission, the seven independent commissioners can address the issue," Perez said.
Senators expressed their intention to revisit the CSC duties and the changes made to the organization.
"I’m excited that there was this discussion with the senators. We’ll see if something will come out of it," Perez said.
As for the administration’s proposed 2.5 percent funding cuts for all departments and agencies, Perez said "the commission will do its best to give its share in reducing the cost of operating the government of Guam."
Under the governor’s revised 2007 budget proposal, at least $11,000 would be taken off CSC’s original appropriation of $465,000.
"We have minimal operational cost and we can make savings in other areas," Perez said.
At least nine CSC employees were transferred to DOA when the commission was reorganized in 2005, leaving it with three staff assistants.
Perez said CSC recently got two transfers from DOA and one from the governor’s office.
Sen. Ben Pangelinan, D-Barrigada, has been critical of the governor’s office decision to move employees around instead of actually reducing the number executive branch’s staff as the administration promised.
The Democratic senator said the employee transfers was a ploy to make it appear there has been an ongoing staff reduction.