WHEREAS, it is the policy of the government to afford the youth with every possible opportunity for participation and involvement in national endeavors, especially those that will lead to the improvement of communities and of the public service;

WHEREAS, for purposes of employment in the public service, the Constitution prescribes competitive examinations as the principal means of determining merit and fitness but at the same time opens the door for the adoption of other methods;

WHEREAS, the government is convinced that a student who has pursued his collegiate course as a scholar and has in fact graduated with honors, has sufficiently shown that he is fit to hold a position in the public service and competent to discharge its duties and responsibilities;

WHEREAS, it is considered that graduation with honors earned under the competitive atmosphere of the academic community is as good as a qualifying mark in a competitive examination to determine merit and excellence for public employment;

WHEREAS, the immediate absorption of these honor graduates in the public service will assure their participation in public affairs and buoy up the quality of the civil service;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby decree:

SECTION 1. Honor graduates of four-year or longer courses from schools, colleges and universities of good standing as determined by the Secretary of Education and Culture are hereby conferred appropriate civil service eligibilities, as follows:

Second Grade       Civil Service Eligibility— For those who occupy positions requiring the application of knowledge and skill outside their field of study.           First Grade       Civil Service Eligibility— For those who occupy positions within their respective fields of study.  

SEC. 2. Honor graduates shall refer to those students who finish their courses with at least cum laude honors.

SEC. 3. The Civil Service eligibility granted under this Decree shall prescribe in the manner provided under Sec. 19 (9) of P. D. No. 807.

SEC. 4. The Civil Service Commission shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Decree.

SEC. 5. This Decree shall take effect upon its approval provided that Honor graduates from the schoolyear 1972-73 and thereafter shall likewise be conferred eligibilities under this Decree.

Done in the City of Manila, this 11th day of March, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-six.