A contractor whose permit is pending in your office offers you concert tickets “as a gift.” What should you do?

Decline. A public official must not accept any gift, favor, or anything of monetary value from a person whose transaction is regulated by, or pending with, their office.

A citizen sends a written request to your office. Within how many days must the office respond?

Within 15 working days from receipt of the request.

How often must a public official file their Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) after the first filing?

Every year, on or before April 30. (The statutory deadline is April 30, even in years the CSC grants an administrative extension.)

A newly appointed official asks when their first SALN is due. What is the rule?

Within 30 days of assuming office. (A SALN is also filed annually by April 30, and within 30 days of separation from service.)

Whose assets must a public official include in their SALN, besides their own?

Their spouse and unmarried children under 18 still living in the household.

A clerk processes everyone fairly but quietly favors requests from members of the mayor’s party. Which norm of conduct does this violate?

Political neutrality — officials must serve everyone without discrimination and regardless of party affiliation.

A government employee lives far beyond what their salary could afford, with luxury cars and lavish trips. Which norm does this most directly offend?

Simple living — officials and their families must lead modest lives and avoid extravagant or ostentatious display of wealth.

An official is asked to approve a contract in which they hold a financial interest. What does the Code require?

They must not take part — having a financial or material interest in a transaction that requires their official approval is a prohibited act.

A small unsolicited token of nominal value is given to an official on an official occasion. Is accepting it allowed?

Yes. An unsolicited gift of nominal or insignificant value, not given in anticipation of a favor, is excepted. (The law sets no fixed peso amount for “nominal.”)

After leaving government, for how long may a former official not practice or appear before their old office on matters they handled?

One (1) year after resignation, retirement, or separation.

What is the over-arching duty an official owes when public interest and personal interest conflict?

Uphold the public interest over personal interest — the first norm of conduct, “commitment to public interest.”

Code of Conduct & Ethics

Real exam-style situations and the concrete rules behind them — gifts, SALN deadlines, response times, and the norms of conduct every public servant is tested on.

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