QUEZON CITY, Philippines — The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has officially discontinued the Fire Officer Examination (FOE) after the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) successfully built a sufficient pool of qualified eligibles to meet its hiring demands.
In a press release issued on Thursday, October 1, the agency confirmed that the final administration of the specialized test took place on June 7, following a formal petition from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to scrap the exam.
The CSC approved the request via Resolution No. 2601044, promulgated on August 4, citing reports from the DILG that internal reforms within the fire bureau had significantly boosted its recruitment capacity and human resource infrastructure.
The DILG originally submitted its request to phase out the test on September 19, 2025, pointing to extensive institutional improvements that modernized the BFP’s hiring process.
“With stronger human resource capabilities and a steady, adequate supply of qualified eligibles now established, a standalone FOE as a separate eligibility examination is no longer necessary,” the CSC cited.
First introduced in 2005 under CSC Resolution No. 050944, the FOE was created as a targeted strategy to help the BFP comply with the hiring requirements outlined in Republic Act No. 9263, or the BFP and BJMP Professionalization Act of 2004.
The civil service body formally integrated the FOE into its regular schedule in 2012 following the passage of Republic Act No. 9592 in 2009, which extended the deadline for existing personnel to satisfy educational and eligibility benchmarks. The exam became an annual offering starting in 2016, continually supplementing the bureau’s workforce.
The commission clarified, however, that the discontinuation of future exams will not undermine the status of previous passers.
“All Fire Officer Eligibilities earned over the years, including those conferred to successful examinees of the 7 June 2026 exam, will retain lifetime validity and will not expire,” the CSC said.
“With the primary goals of CSC Resolution Nos. 050944 (s. 2005) and 1202190 (s. 2012) fulfilled, both resolutions have been repealed accordingly,” the CSC said.
CSC Resolution No. 2601044 is set to take effect 15 days after its formal publication.