Appointment of DENR USec rejected by civil service body

A GOVERNMENT body disapproved the temporary appointment of an environment department undersecretary, citing his lack of eligibility and qualifications and a missing signature in his appointment papers.

Although the education and qualifications of Philip G. Camarra were deemed sufficient, the official — an appointee of Environment Secretary Ma. Regina “Gina” Paz L. Lopez — “does not possess second level eligibility,” the Civil Service Commission (CSC) said in a document obtained by

The same signed documents dated March 16 also said that Mr. Camarra’s participation in 2011 in a biochar online training and organic farming from the Organic Producers Training Association — both with 10 hours each of lessons — “cannot be considered compliant with the required training.” These lessons “were acquired more than five years ago” and cannot be considered “managerial in nature,” the document said.

The certification of Mr. Camarra’s appointment letter also lacked the signature of the Human Resources Management Officer of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the documents said.

Sought for comment regarding the missing signatures, Mr. Camarra said: “Must be people inside who don’t like Gina [Lopez] to succeed.” —