TACLOBAN CITY — In order to have a government position ranging from assistant regional director to undersecretary level and ensure that one’s tenure in office is assured in the new administration, a public servant should posses Career Executive Service Officer (CESO) ranking.

This was underlined by Angelito M. Twaño, Regional Director, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-8 during a flag raising ceremony here last Monday who also pointed out that government, under President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III is a career-oriented one.

Twaño said that DPWH Secretary Rogelio L. Singson had plans to reshuffle regional directors from their “comfort zones” before the earlier July 31 deadline, but another Memorandum Circular (MC2) was issued extending the tenure of non-CESOs occupying career positions to October 31, giving them time to complete their requirements and obtain sufficient ranking.

Twaño, who also sits as member of the prestigious eight-man Career Executive Service Board (CESB), said a report has been submitted to the President indicating that even if all positions will be occupied by CESO-ranking officials, there would still be some 1,300 positions vacant.

It was learned that the CESB, which usually has only one scheduled assessment, is now crammed full with four assessments in a month just to accommodate all those vying for CESO ranking.

Meanwhile, the reshuffle of DPWH officials have left Twaño’s existing position as DPWH Region 8 Director unaffected even as DPWH Region Assistant Regional Director Danilo E. Dequito has been designated Officer-in-Charge Director of DPWH Region7 based in Cebu.

Twaño said Dequito is the first regional director appointee of DPWH Secretary Rogelio L. Singson, and he is “proud and happy for him as he comes from the Eastern Visayas regional office.”

It was learned that eight Liberal Party congressmen from Eastern Visayas, including Cong. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez , who is a minority party member, had sought audience with President Aquino and DPWH Secretary Singson to request for Twaño’s retention in Eastern Visayas.

Twaño said, “This is a good indication, meaning I can work hand-in-hand with all politicians in Region 8, and I salute and thank them.”

Earlier, DPWH 8 topped the July 2010 construction performance nationwide, besting 15 other DPWH regional offices, a DPWH Project Monitoring Group performance rating bared. The regional office has a total 1,967 projects with total programmed allocation of P10.303 billion. Of this total projects, it has completed 1,293 of the projects with 157 ongoing and 517 not yet started. In all, this is equivalent to an accomplishment rating of 72 percent.