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.

Surprises of 2014: When Problematic Transports Lead to Amazing Trips

Every year as the holiday season comes in, and both Christmas and New Year celebrations come bearing down, our moods change drastically, and we somehow turn introspective. As a matter of practicality, we are also forced to assess how the past twelve months turned out for us. For me, writing about my past year helps me plan out my coming months as well. I always revel at my so-called annual “accomplishments”, my new and exciting trips, and my ever-transforming relationships. And so it goes that I manage to cross off some more things from my personal bucket-list.

2014 started out slow and boring for me. I have been awaiting the resolution of an issue at the office, and it had dragged on for months. This unresolved issue would eventually get settled against my favor, and I would once again lose faith in the so-called “justice system” at our office. Things had apparently gone from bad to worst since my days with the Legal Service. Later in the year, another injustice would be dealt me. A training scholarship which had originally been intended for me was offered to another colleague without even giving me the courtesy of being informed. I had all but given this up to the Lord. I keep faith that one day I will be vindicated somehow.

But my 2014 was not without its surprises and exciting adventures. While there weren’t any trips outside the country I got to enjoy my fair share of local travels. While sometimes the schedule got too hectic, I never minded this as long as I know I am doing meaningful work and my time and effort are worth it.

There are still a lot in my bucketlist of places to visit, and I was fortunate to have crossed off some of them in 2014. Foremost of this was Sta.Ana in Cagayan Valley and Coron in Palawan. However, I still appreciated some “return” visits to the likes of Cebu, Puerto Princesa and Oriental Mindoro.

Sta.Ana and Coron proved to be the highlights of my year. They were prime tourist destinations, but because of their distance, not many are able to visit these beautiful islands-paradise. Awesome, majestic limestone cliffs and powder-fine white sands are reasons why the Philippines is best known for its beaches. Island-hopping via boat-rides, snorkeling in abundant reefs teeming with life, sunbathing and swimming are simple pleasures that bring us so close to nature and its beauty. I took the chance and visited these two places during the second half of the year, known as the rainy season in the Philippines. Fortunately, my travel companions and I were blessed with sunny weather on both occasions. 

Our Sta. Ana visit was part of a great Northern Luzon adventure, an inter-region cross-over trip that began because three out of four buslines to Cagayan Valley were suspended by LTFRB. Since Victory was jampacked with passengers, I got it into my head to try our luck with Partas in Cubao to catch a Laoag trip, and from there, we’d catch another bus for Cagayan. It took all of 9 hours from Manila to Laoag, another 4-5 hours to Sta.Ana crossing over from Ilocos Norte. From that difficulty came one of my best travels with my sister, Giselle, eventually leading us to a cross-country Cagayan Valley adventure and even taking us as far as Palaui island in Sta. Ana, a place not really frequented by tourists for its great distance. In the end, the time and the effort was well worth for the rare sites we saw – like the amazing Crocodile Island, which proved to be a lesson in geology, and the famous Spanish-period lighthouse, Cape Engano.

The Coron trip was also marred with bad luck. Our PAL flight was cancelled due to the plane’s technical problems. By the time it was fixed, it was late in the afternoon and the Busuanga airport in Palawan didn’t have facilities for nighttime air traffic. Fortunately, PAL takes care of its clients (unlike that other airline which lets you fend for yourself) and put us up for the night at no less than Century Park (Sheraton) Hotel. They provided a shuttle to and from the hotel, assured us of buffet dinner and breakfast, and even let us get individual rooms depending on availability/vacancy. We later found out that as we enjoyed the hotel food in spite of the inconvenience of our delay, the first batch of our colleagues had to spend personal funds for their initial meals upon their arrival in Coron.

While the trip to Coron was official and was for an annual year-end evaluation activity, we didn’t mind the work much because we were assured of some Rest and Relaxation (R&R) as well as some bonding time with our officemates. The sun, the sand, and the sea air was worth it…the change of scenery lifted our spirits somewhat after a busy and tiring few months. The island-hopping allowed us to see the various must-see tourist spots like Kayangan Lake, a freshwater lake high atop limestone cliffs and the Twin Lakes which is a unique island with saltwater on one side, and freshwater on the inner portion which you cross into through an underwater cave. One can swim through it if low tide, but once high tide and the cave fills up with water, you must climb the wooden ladder to the other side instead. There are white sand beaches to be enjoyed as well as old WWII shipwrecks one can see while snorkeling. I vowed to return to Coron some day with my loved ones.

The culmination of 2014 was the main event itself. It ended as well as it did, and not so bad as I expected it to be. Still had lots to be thankful for in spite of some disappointments, but things always have a way of turning out as they should.