A Triumphant 2017

Following my successfully passing the Career Executive Service (CES) Written Exam held in December 2016, I took my Assessment Center (AC) stage in February 2017. Known to be a grueling test of managerial and leadership capacities, quite a few DSWD officials have failed to hurdle this phase. It consisted of several practical application segments supposed to test reading comprehension, written and verbal communication skills, strategic planning, time-management, prioritization, decision-making, and social or inter-personal relations. I was very nervous waiting for the results given the previous horror stories from DSWD colleagues. But as soon as I was notified of my passing, I immediately signified for the next phase. My Validation stage was sometime in May or June and consisted of “secret” interviews of my superiors and staff by designated CESB validators.

While waiting for the results, I took the opportunity to continue attending various leadership trainings and management seminars to reinforce my qualifications. I was desperately trying to make up for the lost time. I joined the Supervisory Development Course Track 2 and 3 of the Civil Service Commission and HRMDS since my SDC Track 1 was way back in 2007. My then fellow SDC participants have gone on to become Directors and Division Chiefs way before me.

I also managed to enhance my procurement and contract management skills by attending the UP NEC Public Procurement Specialist Certification Course (PPSCC), a prestigious GPPB-sanctioned government procurement training. Conducted over a course of several weeks, it consisted of Friday and Saturday sessions with occasional written exams. At the end of the period, I surprised even myself for topping the class and getting exempted from the last test. That same month of June, some staff of mine, including myself, attended a rare seminar on Legal Aspects of Contract Management at the Ateneo Business Schools in Makati. With other government agencies as well as private corporation classmates, we got a unique learning experience never before experienced by my fellow DSWD-procurement staff.

When my notice from CESB arrived, I was immediately scheduled for my last phase, the mandatory but pro forma “Panel Interview” in Sept 2017. Chosen CESB members and validators comprising a panel of at least 3 persons asked very personal, almost embarrassing, questions, cross-referencing and fact-checking results from one’s Assessment and Validation results. For me, they indirectly asked about my sexuality, my finances, and the rather suspicious disparity of my supervisor’s and staff feedbacks.   

My moment of triumph finally culminated in the CESB Annual Convention for Pinning and Oath-Taking as a CES Eligible in Bacolod. I asked my wifey Toni to attend with me and have the honor of pinning me herself. She was, after all, the wind beneath my wings who kept pushing me to strive for more because she believed I could achieve more.