In a bid to “promote morale, efficiency, integrity, responsiveness, progressiveness, and courtesy in the civil service”, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) adopted a revised dress code for government officials and employees, acknowledging the need to address issues of gender discrimination in the workplace by allowing government employees to wear office clothes befitting their sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression (SOGIE).
The CSC is the central personnel agency of the Philippine government, mandated to “develop policies, standards, and programs that promote morale, efficiency, integrity, responsiveness, progressiveness, and courtesy in the civil service.”
Memorandum Circular No. 16, Series of 2024 – revising CSC Resolution No. 2400766, which was promulgated on 29 August 2024 – is said to uphold “the importance of instilling a sense of pride and identity among government officials and employees which can be manifested through, among others, by wearing proper attire or dress code when performing official functions.”
Due to this, “the existing rules and regulations on appropriate dress code of public servants need to be updated in order to conform to the emerging trends and social issues”. These include: gender discrimination, disability and social inclusion.
Moving forward, all government agencies are expected to “provide the officials and employees the option to wear the agency-prescribed uniform that suits their respective gender preferences, identities, and/or expression.”
Particularly: “Officials and employees who are transgender may be allowed to dress consistent with their preferred gender expression. In the same manner, cisgender women shall have the option to wear skirts or pants, whichever they are comfortable with.”
This also extends to grooming requirements, including hairstyle/haircut or hair color may only be prescribed when it is a legitimate requirement for the job, i.e. safety, professionalism, uniformity or branding, and client preferences.
“If it will not affect the performance of duties and responsibilities of the official and/or employee, the agency shall not compel them to comply with dress code policy that will prohibit them to conform to their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics,” the CSC stated.
Violations of the provisions of the revised dress code shall be considered as ground for disciplinary action under civil service laws, rules, and regulations.
The document was signed by Atty. Marilyn B. Barua-Yap, CSC chairperson.
Progressive partylist Akbayan lauded CSC’s move, saying that this does not only benefit LGBTQIA people but everyone. “We have to make the workplace a safe space for our employees, for them to thrive and contribute meaningfully.”
