The Civil Service Commission (CSC) Regional Office III is currently assessing the Provincial Government of Zambales for the Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM) on 19 March 2026.

According to the Provincial Government, representatives from CSC Regional Office III led the said assessment, including Marigrace B. Asuncion, Chief Human Resource Specialist; Hazel B. Salonga, Senior Human Resource Specialist; and Marjorie Ann C. Garcia, Human Resource Specialist II.

The Provincial Department Heads, representatives from various offices, and employees of the Administrative Offices took part in the assessment, with Governor Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr. showing his full support for the said event.

The PRIME-HRM is a flagship program of the Philippine CSC designed to elevate public sector human resource management to global standards. It functions as a mechanism to assess, assist, and award government agencies as they develop their HR systems and competencies.

The assessment covers four core HRM systems: Recruitment, Selection, and Placement (RSP); Performance Management (PM); Learning and Development (L&D); and Rewards and Recognition (R&R).

While the provincial government is in the process of upgrading, several local government units (LGUs) and offices within the province have already achieved PRIME-HRM Maturity Level II (Bronze Award) status.

These LGUs include Subic that formally conferred Maturity Level II on July 21, 2025, Iba received the PRIME-HRM Bronze Award on August 1, 2025, DepEd Zambales that was recognized for Maturity Level II in core systems like Performance Management as of January 2024.

The municipal governments of Masinloc, Palauig, and Sta. Cruz have also previously achieved Maturity Level II accreditation.