Manila: Negros Occidental Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. announced plans to file a motion for reconsideration following the Civil Service Commission's (CSC) decision to reinstate Attorney IV Ernie Magaspag, six years after his dismissal.

According to Philippines News Agency, Nellas stated that his office has a 15-day window to appeal the decision after receiving the CSC's notice. "The next move of the province, as provided for under the 2025 Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service, is to file for a motion for reconsideration. We plan to file it within that time frame," Nellas told Capitol reporters.

The 11-page decision, dated June 17, 2026, and signed by Commissioner Luis Mendrado Pangulayan, was made public by local media on Tuesday. The CSC decision exonerated Magaspag from charges of serious dishonesty and falsification of official documents, which had been filed by the provincial government. The CSC found that the charges lacked substantial evidence, thus justifying Magaspag's exoneration.

The charges had led to Magaspag's dismissal as an Attorney IV at the Provincial Legal Office on September 16, 2020. He was accused of tampering with daily time records and received a show-cause order from Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II, authorized by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on June 9, 2020. After his explanation was deemed unsatisfactory, Lacson formally charged Magaspag on July 7, 2020, and subsequently approved his dismissal on September 16, 2020.

Magaspag's appeal, filed on December 17, 2020, resulted in the CSC's recent decision to reinstate him. The decision mandates that the provincial government reinstate Magaspag with full back salaries and benefits, including leave credits for the period he was out of service.