Election Investigations Guidebook political affiliation, patronage, gender, race, ethnicity, and religious beliefs.515 The Philippines has established a system of incentives and rewards for public servants, including bonuses, citations, and promotions, to motivate them to “uphold the highest standards of ethics.”516 As such, the country’s Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees provides that each government agency, including the Commission on Elections, must form committees to conduct periodic performance reviews and employ measures that demonstrate recognition for “outstanding merit.”517 These committee determinations are required to consider, inter alia, years of service, quality and consistency of performance, skill level of the position, salary level, achievements, and the “risks or temptations inherent in the work.”518 A transparent recruitment and promotion system, based on objective factors and pre-established benchmarks, can help ensure that investigators are not beholden to any individuals or interest groups. While these decisions should be made without political consideration or interference, external oversight of the selection process is necessary in order to build public confidence in the impartiality of investigators and to ensure that the investigative body is held accountable to its established standards and procedures. Compensation Extrapolating from the guidelines for judges, investigative bodies should also ensure adequate remunerations and pensions, where applicable, for investigators.519 Fair and adequate remuneration is vital to promoting integrity because it attracts qualified persons to investigative bodies and may also make investigators less likely to engage in bribery or corruption.520As a matter of public policy and effective management, investigative bodies should compensate investigators on a scale that is appropriate to the importance of their function and the level of professionalism required. Other incentives for retaining qualified and committed investigators include opportunities for 515 OHCHR Manual, supra note 374, at 129. 516 Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, Rep. Act. No. 671, § 6 (Phil.). 517 Id. 518 Id. 519 Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, supra note 112 (“judges shall have adequate remuneration and pensions”); see also OHCHR Manual, supra note 374, at 123. 520 140 OHCHR Manual, supra note 374, at 128.