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.

   

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.

2015 for Senior Citizens

Maybe I was subconsciously gearing for a grand goodbye to my beloved sector, the senior citizens, because I practically devoted my whole 2015 to elderly concerns, although every so often I entertained a SOGIE or Solo Parent event. Even my one and only out-of-the-country trip was for senior citizens when I attended the ASEAN-organized Active Ageing Conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Just like my trip to Nepal in 2011 that was unceremoniously disapproved by the powers that be, a two-week scholarship to a Social Pension training in Chiang Mai originally offered to me was given to someone else in 2014. I felt this travel to Chiang Mai in March 2015 was like something to make up for it.

In May 2015, the Regional Coordinating and Monitoring Board (RCMB) Conference/National Training –Workshop for Senior Citizens Focal Persons and RCMB-Regional Inter-Agency Senior Citizen Committee (RIASC) members was held. Conducted in 2 parts – Luzon Cluster and Visayas-Mindanao Cluster, it was a capability-building activity for the various SC point persons, including the representatives of member-government agencies to ensure the reactivation and functionality of RCMBs-RIASCs. These activities meant I was working on my birthday again.

In between, I still lectured for small groups on occasion…out-of-town visits to far off towns like Rosario in Batangas which allowed me a rare sidetrip to Taal, short talks for the community partners of Bantay-Matanda, an NGO devoted to preventing elder abuse, in the New Manila, QC area and even the different barangays in District 5 of Manila City. These opportunities brought me to close proximity to the senior citizens themselves, seeing for myself who really are our clients and checking to see if they really do know about their rights and privileges. I never begrudged them my expertise for I know this direct knowledge would surely be of benefit to them. I can always feel their pleasure, their pride, and even in that empowered state, a sense of gratefulness.

In June, there was also a Multi-Stakeholders’ Dialogue organized jointly by the DSWD-COSE-CHR-DFA-PHRC and NEDA. This inter-agency initiative was meant to be a venue for raising and discussing relevant issues and concerns currently plaguing the elderly sector. The activity also managed to validate many aspects of the draft Human Rights Situationer of Filipino Elderly as highlighted in the Philippine Country Report on Social, Economic, and Cultural Rights. While it was an opportunity to highlight the “rights-based” approach in dealing with the elderly sector, it was also meant to emphasize the need for an international instrument, particularly a specific treaty or convention on elderly rights. The proceedings were meant to feed into the Philippine participation at the next Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA) to be held in New York annually.

In October, as part of the Elderly Filipino Week/month celebrations, the DOH organized the 1^st Public Health Convention on Health and Wellness of Senior Citizens. Invited were delegates from all over the Philippines who listened to researches and studies from the academe particularly UP Manila’s National Institutes of Health-Institute on Ageing, updates from concerned government agencies like the DOH and PhilHealth, as well as efforts and directives from relevant institutions like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Center of Geriatric Health (NCGH). Since the WHO began to look into Health and Ageing in 2013, it has consistently urged the DOH to have more initiatives towards addressing health issues of older persons and has supported activities such as this.

In November, the Workshop on Older Persons Policy and Legislative Agenda (OPPLA) was held in anticipation of the coming elections next year. Initiated by the COSE, it was co-sponsored by the CHR and NEDA, and participated in by DSWD and PHRC. After the enhancement done to the draft Human Rights Situationer of the Elderly from the feedback gathered at the June Multi-Stakeholders Dialogue, OPs were now being asked to look into their current situation and build on it for future policy and legislative directions. A draft Policy and Legislative Agenda was the expected output from this Workshop and which they will use to put forward their priorities to election candidates who will soon be campaigning for their votes. At the National Summit held on November 24th, this OPPLA was exactly what was presented to potential senators running for office in 2016 in the hope that these future legislators will remember to propose worthwhile bills which will address the needs of the senior citizens.

It was a very productive year and I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish. I was certain all these hard work would provide a solid foundation for future engagements and efforts. All we could hope for is that they can be sustained and maximized by both policy-makers and legislators alike.

I always considered that the greatest gift of my work for seniors is that while I had the honor of working for them from “the top”, I also had the privilege of interacting with them directly and on a personal level. I got to meet seniors from different walks of life and seeing their commonality, I knew my policy-making was always fed with first-hand information and fully grounded on realities.