Dr. Melvin Balagtas Carlos, Technology Transfer and Promotion Division Director, has recently been registered in the roster of Career Executive Service Eligibles (CESE) by virtue of Career Executive Service Board (CESB) Resolution No. 1178 Series of 2014.
The formal conferment of the title was held during the 13th Annual CES Conference in November at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino, Mactan, Lapulapu City, Cebu. With the theme Leadership Excellence in the Digital Era: From Nation-Building to Global Governance”, this year’s conference inducted 179 new CESEs and 113 CESOs.
A creation of Presidential Decree No. 1 dated September 24, 1972 , the CESB serves as the governing body of the Career Executive Service (CES). It promulgates rules, standards and procedures on the selection, classification, compensation and career development of members of the CES to maintain a pool of well-selected development oriented career officials.
In adherence to these standards, like other CES Eligibles, Dr. Carlos has undergone a stringent 4-stage selection process which includes a written examination, assessment, performance validation, and panel interview.
Upon hurdling the written exam in March 2013 where only 31% passed, he immediately enlisted for the 2nd stage to take the Assessment Center (AC). The AC is intended to measure present performance of examinees to determine their potentials as successful Career Executive Officers. It is a screening tool, which makes use of a series of simulation tests over a period of 8 hours where candidates are exposed to the demands, pressures and problems that leaders and managers face on a daily basis at the workplace.
After completing the AC with a 26% success rate, Dr. Carlos submitted himself to the 3rd stage: Validation of Performance on the Job. This is was conducted from September 2013 to April 2014, and comprised of a background investigation by public announcements in major newspapers, interviews with superiors, subordinates and peers to verify accomplishments, competence and integrity.
The final stage, CES Board Panel Interview was conducted in June 2014 to determine managerial capabilities and potentials, leadership qualities, technical – social competence as well as the applicant’s overall fitness for executive service.
At present, only 57% or 1,187 out of the total 2,085 CES positions in national government agencies are occupied by CESO and CES Eligibles. At PCAARRD, Dr. Carlos joins Patricio S. Faylon, Executive Director and Dr. Danilo C. Cardenas, Deputy Executive Director-ARMSS, who are also Career Executive Service Officers.
Equipped with his Ph.D. in Economic Geography from Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, and his long list of undertakings in regional and international R&D works, Dr. Carlos assumed the TTPD Directorship in 2011. It was a rekindling of relationship between him and the Council, but by a great leap much different from his former intermittent project engagements.
From 1983-1985, Dr. Melvin was Science Research Assistant of the then PCARRD’s International Projects’ Division. He took his MS and returned as Senior Science Research Specialist of the Agricultural Support Service Project (ASSP-TG) from 1987-1989. Upon his return from Canada, he served as Manager of the National Program on Enhancing the Demand for AFNR Graduates from 2008-2011.
Dr. Melvin’s valuable regional and international experiences in R&D include that of his works at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Winrock International, the World Fish Center, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Asian Development Bank (ADB), and International Development Research Center (IDRC).
Besides government service, Dr. Melvin is also an academician. He taught at three universities in a span of 20 years, particularly at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, both in Canada, and the University of the Philippines in Los Baños.
Presently, Dr. Carlos attends to one of PCAARRD’s most challenging tasks, the need to deliver science and technology outputs to their target clienteles using the appropriate modalities and information education and communication strategies. This he addresses in his concurrent capacities as Officer-in-Charge of the Applied Communication Division and his TTPD stewardship. Dr. Carlos also steers the Council’s national coral restoration and disaster-related assistance initiatives particularly for typhoon Pablo and Yolanda stricken communities.