The Department of Finance (DOF) has partnered with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to implement and institutionalize the DOF Standardized Examination and Assessment for Local Treasury Service (SEAL), a three-level certification program to professionalize and provide capacity development for local treasurers.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said a Memorandum of Agreement he signed with the CSC aims to institutionalize the SEAL program to help the DOF, through the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), professionalize and modernize local treasury service.

“Local treasurers should not only safeguard local finance, but they should make revenues grow. At all times, they must have the right skills, updated competencies and ethical orientation to perform their jobs well,” Dominguez said.

Under Department Order No. 056.2016, the DOF has set additional standards, qualifications and benchmarks for competencies of local treasurers and assistant treasurers who are appointed by the Secretary of Finance, and are under the technical and administrative supervision of the BLGF.

The SEAL program will focus on tactical-operational competencies (Level 1), strategic-managerial competencies (Level 2), and leading-for-innovation competencies (Level 3) to instill a culture of excellence, integrity and proficiency for modern local treasury service.

“I have directed the BLGF to lead this program across all LGUs, and we will invest in quality and effective trainings for local treasury operations, through the Philippine Tax Academy that we are now setting up. We must bridge the identified and emerging competency gaps in local finance in these modern times,” added Secretary Dominguez.

The first and second levels of competency exams, namely the Basic Local Treasury Examination (BCLTE) and the Intermediate Local Treasury Examination (ICLTE), are scheduled to be simultaneously administered by the CSC nationwide on November 26.

In the recently approved CSC Resolution No. 1701330 dated September 20, 2017, the BCLTE will be conducted this year, twice in 2018 and once every year thereafter.

Passing the BCLTE will lead to Local Treasurer Eligibility (LTE) which shall be an equivalent eligibility to the second level or first grade eligibilities, such as the Career Service Professional and the eligibility granted under Republic Act No. 1080.

The LTE shall be appropriate for appointment to Local Treasurer and Assistant Local Treasurer positions, and to positions under the Financial Services in the civil service, which do not require the practice of profession and are not covered by Bar/Board or Special Laws, subject to meeting all the qualification requirements of the positions.

The BCLTE is a requirement in DOF’s SEAL Level 1 Certification for designations of local treasurers and assistant local treasurers effective June 2018. It will also have weight in the evaluation of candidates for appointment of local treasurers.

The BCLTE is open to all those interested to join the local treasury service that meet the CSC admission and qualification requirements applicable for the regular eligibility examinations.

It will cover the subject areas of (i) Management of Local Treasury Services; (ii) Mobilization of Resources; (iii) Management of Inter-Government and Other Fund Transfers; (iv) Preparation and Analysis of Treasury and Treasury-Related Reports; (v) Safekeeping of Local Funds and Records; (vi) Coordinating and Communicating Local Treasury Matters with Stakeholders; (vii) Management of Other Public Financial Management Areas; and (viii) General Ability Test and General Information, Adherence to Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials/Employees, and Anti- Red Tape Act.

Under CSC Resolution No. 1701331, dated September 20, 2017, the ICLTE has also been recognized by the CSC as “a solid and encouraging attempt to further professionalize the ranks of treasurers to improve local governance.”

The ICLTE, which will also be an annual exam, is a requirement for the DOF’s SEAL Level 2 Certification, and will be appropriate for appointment to higher positions in the local treasury service, particularly for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class local governments.

As a promotional exam, the ICLTE may also be applicable for positions under the Financial Services in the civil service which do not require the practice of profession and are not covered by Bar/Board or Special Laws, subject to meeting all the qualification requirements of the positions.

ICLTE will cover the subject areas of (i) Data Analytics for Local Treasury (including Tax Analysis, Revenue Forecasting and Modeling, and Investment Management); (ii) Strategic Mobilization of Local Resources (including Debt Management and Innovative and Non-Traditional Sources of Revenues); (iii) Public Expenditure Management and Financial Accountability; (iv) Principles of Risk Management, Internal Control System, and Internal Audit for Local Treasury; and (v) Fundamentals of Program/Project Development, Management, and Feasibility Assessment.

By 2018, the SEAL Level 3 Certification, or the Advance Competency for Local Treasury Examination (ACLTE), will be piloted to certify an individual’s competencies to lead and innovate local treasury operations, which is appropriate for Special, 1stClass and Highly Urbanized Cities, and 1st income class provinces.

ACLTE will be through an assessment mode to be directly handled by the DOF and the BLGF to evaluate an individual’s competencies in the areas of (i) Leading Change in Organizations (including Systems Thinking); (ii) Continuous Improvement and Innovations at Work-Productivity and Quality; (iii) Advanced Data Analytics (including Financial Modelling and Sensitivity Analysis for Local Treasury); (iv) Advanced Risk Management and Internal Control System for Local Treasury; (v) Information Management, Communication Strategies and Social Marketing; (vi) Public Policy Review and Development; and (vii) Evolving Practices on Public Financial Management.

The details of the SEAL program and information on the application process and examination requirements are available at www.csc.gov.ph and www. blgf.gov.ph/SEAL.