2016: A Year of Changes and Upheavals

My 2016 was another year without any international travels, but it was no way devoid of any trips locally. Like some years before, it was one of my busiest, adventure-packed, and change-filled 12 months.

The year began slow enough, as is usually the pattern. It is time to take stock of the year that was – accomplishments, failures, unfinished tasks. January and February are periods for rest and rejuvenation after the hectic holiday partying; and because your bank account took such a beating from all the holiday shopping and gift-giving, it’s time to let your pocket recover. Things only pick up after Chinese New Year is over and when the Catholic calendar signifies the beginning of the season of Lent.

As usual, my first three months were jam-packed with lectures on RA 9994 and attending meetings related to senior citizens concerns. I did the rounds of agencies like DTI, DOH, PDEA, UP Manila and NAPC. But significant as well were the ground-breaking SOGIE-related activities like the DSWD-NCR initiated FGD on Adoption by LGBTs because they have been receiving a significant number of applications from prospective parents who are openly-LGBT and have committed partnerships. This was closely followed by a talk at Miriam College for graduate students of the Gerontology and Family Studies Department under Dr. Vicky Apuan.

As expected, March which is Women’s month, came with invitations to serve as Resource Person on gender and development, particularly on SOGIE issues. I got a referral from STB’s Ms. Elma S. whose friend from the provincial government of Pampanga asked for several sessions on SOGIE-related laws to orient LGU social workers, day care workers, and police officers. I grabbed the opportunity since the target audience was new and it would be interesting to hear feedback from direct service providers like them. Since the Governor Pineda supported this activity, I was hopeful that there would be some impact given that Central Luzon once reported a high incidence of hate crimes. I was even interviewed by the local news channel.

Sadly, since region 3 was very near and my 2 visits were only day-trips, I didn’t get a chance to see Pampanga’s famous churches and old houses, or the hot air balloon festival. All I was able to manage was a drive-by the haunted “Casa Nicolasa” enroute to the Provincial Capitol.

Another provincial invitation came from the province of Isabela in region 2. Following a regional orientation for LSWDOs and OSCA Heads on the senior citizens law earlier, the PSWDO of Isabela convinced Governor Dy to sponsor a 1-day briefing for Isabela’s senior citizens Federation Officers. Once more, I got to speak before a big crowd at a provincial capitol and even got to stay at the Governor’s Mansion, a housing especially reserved for honoured, VIP guests.

These two provincial gigs allowed me to reach a wider audience in particular provinces, and covered a variety of topics applicable to and of interest to the participants. The last time I did a round of provincial lectures was for regions 4A and 4B, and a partial for region V.

After many months of waiting, my application for Chief Administrative Officer (CADOF) with the Procurement Service finally came through. I was a bit hesitant to assume the position immediately since we were still working on the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the recently passed Centenarians Act of 2016, a law which would recognize all 100 year old Filipinos and grant them a cash award from both the national and local government where they reside. I just had about enough time to attend the signing of the IRR in Malacanang Palace before I reported to my new work station at the Contract Monitoring Division.

While it was a bitter-sweet transition, as a Division Chief I was finally able to embark on my leadership and managerial journey. I capped the year by taking the Career Executive Service (CES) written examination for CES eligibility and successfully hurdled it to everyone’s surprise since some DSWD officials did not pass the test.

Like any good story, each chapter eventually ends and you must move on to a new book. Such was the culmination of my 9-year stint for the senior citizens and the beginning of my adventure as a Procurement Specialist.