UNDERSTANDING MERIT AND FITNESS

WINSTON E. GAVILAGA

Human resource appraisals are vital in the validation of performance-based assessment which relates the commensuration of both knowledge and skills as against mandates and performance given the dispensation of work and the abound duties therein present. The understanding on these personnel appraisals provide a classic picture of the good and the not-so-good tenant with which the land lord should deal upon all for bringing fairness, equity and productive in his own work place. Nonetheless, there are always two varying points of reference in the personnel appraisal in order to surmount a clearer grasp whether an employee has been rendering what is naturally due upon him. These are the concepts of Merit and Fitness. Merit is the summation of the significant value of goodness in a person which can be derived on primordial actuations of beneficial good resulting to deeds of integrity that qualifies a man into a field of work that promote the general welfare of all beings. For this, merit is associated with the equity of performance that substantiates uprightness, dedication, excellence and most importantly integrity in the official functions. On the other hand, Fitness represents the aggregate competencies emanating from latent and acquired knowledge and association where primarily intellectual induction and physical attribution are relevantly infusing the greater inner strength or the so called capacity to carry out official duties that may require a good trade of both the intellectual and the physiological functioning. While merit relates certain values and norms that recreate professionalism towards a wider perspective of excellence and exemplary nature, it remains a conglomeration of desirable character attributes that relived responsibility, dedication, integrity, humility, honesty and above all the nobler service a professional can give – the compassion towards others. On the other hand, fitness is significantly the totality of the intellectual and physiological well-being of a person that relatively promote effective functioning and beneficial outcomes resulting to more productive gains. In the light of predisposition of functions and assignments, Merit and Fitness become primarily the measure for identifying the desired candidate for a vacant position or office. They remained the basic parameters by which a candidate is assessed and validated and in the determination of fundamental truths and understanding on the humanity and personhood of the candidate which are deemed necessary to understand before such a significant position or office is entrusted. In line of the utilization of the concept of Merit and Fitness, public service sector employs legislative reference on the appraisal and validation of merit and fitness which are relevantly articulated in the policies and implementing rules and guidelines in the selection of personnel across agencies in the government. Certain improvements and impositions vary over the time in order to assure quality and performance-based appraisal so as to guarantee the sustainability of efficient public services. By finding both merit and fitness of an individual, a clearer outlook of what the person can contribute has already been understood and it will remain the same until such time the person has either improved or lose his potentials.