The Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa, Sr. Memorial State College of Agriculture and Technology (DEBESMSCAT) has institutionalized a structured mechanism for addressing workplace concerns through its Grievances and Appeals Policy (Document No. POL-HRMO-09).
The policy provides employees with a clear process for resolving grievances, with cases to be addressed expeditiously at the lowest possible organizational level while ensuring protection against coercion, discrimination, and reprisal.
It covers concerns involving the non-implementation of financial policies, salaries and benefits, working hours, recruitment and promotion, transfers and details, termination, workplace conditions, interpersonal relationships, and appointment protests.
Under the policy, grievances are initially brought to the employee’s immediate superior, who is expected to respond within three working days. Unresolved cases may be elevated successively to the next higher superior, the Grievance Committee, and the College President, with prescribed periods for filing appeals and rendering decisions at each level.
The Grievance Committee is composed of the Vice President for Administration and Finance, the Human Resource Management Officer, and the presidents of the faculty and non-teaching staff associations. Cases that remain unresolved after the College’s internal process may be appealed to the Civil Service Commission Regional Office within 15 working days, accompanied by a Certification on the Final Action on the Grievance.
The policy also allows employees to bypass a particular level when the grievance directly involves the supervisor or official concerned, ensuring that complaints can still proceed to the appropriate higher authority.
Certain matters are excluded from the grievance mechanism, including disciplinary cases governed by Civil Service rules, sexual harassment complaints covered by Republic Act No. 7877, and union-related concerns handled through separate procedures.
Through the policy, DEBESMSCAT reinforces its commitment to a fair, accessible, and orderly process for addressing employee concerns and maintaining a professional workplace.
Ladies and gentlemen,
