CSE Pro General Information: Constitution, RA 6713, Human Rights, Environment

CSE Pro General Information: Constitution, RA 6713, Human Rights, Environment

General Information rewards preparation more directly than any other area of the CSE Professional. Verbal, numerical and analytical skills take weeks to build. General Information is mostly careful reading and recall against a scope the CSC spells out.

This post goes deep on one area of the CSE Professional guide.

What the CSC lists

The CSC's exam announcement lists four General Information areas (given in English):

1. The Philippine Constitution
2. RA 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees
3. Peace and human rights issues and concepts
4. Environment management and protection

The CSC doesn't publish how many items come from each area. Philippine history and current events aren't on the official list, so treat them as background reading, not a priority.

1987 Philippine Constitution: what to know

The Constitution has 18 articles. These come up most in reviews:

Article II: Declaration of Principles and State Policies

• Sec. 1: the Philippines is a democratic and republican State; sovereignty resides in the people
• Sec. 2: renounces war as an instrument of national policy
• Sec. 3: civilian authority is supreme over the military; the AFP protects the people and the State
• Sec. 4: the prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people
• Sec. 5: peace and order, protection of life, liberty and property, and promotion of the general welfare
• Secs. 11–28: state policies on family, youth, women, health, education, labor, agrarian reform, indigenous communities

Article III: Bill of Rights (22 sections). Due process and equal protection, searches and seizures, free speech and religion, and the rights of the accused.

Article VI: Legislative Department

• Senate: 24 senators, 6-year terms, no more than two consecutive terms
• House: members serve 3-year terms, no more than three consecutive terms (the Constitution set a cap of 250 members "unless otherwise fixed by law")
• Qualifications, quorum, how a bill becomes law (three readings, presidential approval or veto, override by two-thirds of each House)

Article VII: Executive Department

• The President serves one 6-year term with no re-election
• Succession: Vice President, then Senate President, then Speaker
• Commander-in-chief, pardoning and treaty powers (a treaty needs the concurrence of two-thirds of the Senate)

Article VIII: Judicial Department. The Supreme Court has a Chief Justice and 14 Associate Justices. Also know the qualifications and the Judicial and Bar Council.

Article IX: Constitutional Commissions. The Civil Service Commission, COMELEC and COA: how they're composed, their terms and functions. The CSC one matters doubly on this exam.

Article XI: Accountability of Public Officers. "Public office is a public trust", who can be impeached and on what grounds, and the Ombudsman and Sandiganbayan.

Skim the other articles once (citizenship, suffrage, local government, social justice, education, family, amendments).

RA 6713: Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards

A short law with a finite scope. Know these sections:

• Sec. 4, norms of conduct (eight): commitment to public interest, professionalism, justness and sincerity, political neutrality, responsiveness to the public, nationalism and patriotism, commitment to democracy, simple living.
• Sec. 5, duties: act promptly on letters and requests, submit annual performance reports, process documents quickly, act immediately on the public's personal transactions, make documents accessible to the public.
• Sec. 6: the system of incentives and rewards.
• Sec. 7, prohibited acts and transactions (four): financial and material interest; outside employment and other activities; disclosure or misuse of confidential information; soliciting or accepting gifts.
• Sec. 8, statements and disclosure: the SALN is filed within 30 days of assuming office, then yearly; plus disclosure of business interests and relatives in government.
• Sec. 9: divestment.
• Sec. 11: penalties.

Read the actual text, not just summaries. Items often turn on exact wording ("shall" vs "may", specific time limits).

Peace and human rights

Core concepts first: civil and political vs economic, social and cultural rights; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948); the Commission on Human Rights (created by the 1987 Constitution). Then the Philippine laws that come up most in reviews:

• RA 9710, Magna Carta of Women
• RA 7610, Special Protection of Children Against Abuse
• RA 9344, Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act
• RA 9262, Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act
• RA 8371, Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act

Environment management and protection

• RA 9003, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act
• RA 9275, Clean Water Act
• RA 8749, Clean Air Act
• RA 10121, Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act (and the NDRRMC)
• Climate-change basics: the greenhouse effect, adaptation vs mitigation
• Philippine biodiversity and protected areas at a basic level

A 6-week General Information plan

Keep the Constitution and RA 6713 as PDFs on your phone and reread a section whenever you have ten spare minutes. Turn every miss into a flashcard.

Practice with Super Tutor

Super Tutor's CSE Professional reviewer has a General Information subject: the Constitution (preamble, principles, Bill of Rights), government structure, the constitutional commissions and local government, RA 6713, human rights laws, environmental management, and Philippine history and political science. Each chapter comes in 11 study formats with practice quizzes, and there are full mock exams from a bank of 3,000+ CSE-style questions. Start free — 5-day trial, no card.

What to read next

The CSE Professional guide has the full review plan. The other deep dives: Verbal Ability, Numerical Ability, Analytical Ability.