After selling their house in a squatter’s area somewhere at Barangay Holy Spirit in Quezon City in the hope of raising his two children and an adopted child away from the environment where he used to live, Teody’s dream was shattered in a matter of hours. The house they bought out of his lifetime savings and from the money he loaned in a government financing institution together with all the belongings they acquired through the years out of his meager income vanished before his very eyes.
Teody and his family now temporarily lives at CSC’s dormitory, his second home, without anything but clothes soaked in mud and a grim reminder of the past. This is only one story of the thousands affected by typhoon Ondoy. It will take time before they can rebuild their dreams. They need our help . . .
A day before the Gawad Parangal Program to Honor outstanding CSC Employees with Chairman Ricardo L. Saludo and Commissioner Mary Ann Z. Fernandez Mendoza, Senior Commissioner Cesar D. Buenaflor was the guest speaker in a Christian concert sponsored by life.com, a Christian organization at CSC. Regardless of religion, it is for the glory of God that we serve our fellowmen.
In memory of Joven Cagulada, President of the Department of Agriculture Employees Association (DAEA), who died at the age of 55 on September 19, 2009. He will go down in the history of DAEA as the DAEA President under whose watch, DA employees enjoyed having their own Health Cards.
[CSC Chairman Ricardo L. Saludo taking his oath of office with Senior Commission Cesar D. Buenaflor and Commissioner Mary Ann Fernandez Z. Mendoza]
Who would ever imagine that a high school graduate - a driver, whose only wish is to raise a family from the meager income he receives from the government; to have a house he can call a home in a remote Barangay in Legaspi City, Albay, with no public transport; and, to send his children to school, with unserviceable toilets – could make a difference. Who would ever imagine that this person can touch the lives of those working in his office, his neighbors in their Barangay and his fellow parents in a public school where his children were enrolled. Who would ever imagine that this person can attract the attention of many and shall continue to touch the lives of others, WORLDWIDE!
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita with CSC Chairman Ricardo L. Saludo confers the 2009 Pag-Asa Award on Laoag City Mayor Michael Fariñas. [Photo by: BERT CANILANG OPS/NIB] [Cesar Letada, Driver, Office of the Director, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Revenue Region No. X, Legaspi City, 2009 DANGAL NG BAYAN AWARDEE]
On September 17, 2009, days after Vice-President Noli De Castro visited Barangay Estanza, in Legaspi City to oversee the government’s housing project in the area - Cesar Letada, a driver in the Director’s Office, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Revenue Region No. X, Legaspi City stood before the Honorable Chairman and Commissioners of the Civil Service Commission, the Honorable Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita with high ranking government officials in the civilian service at Malacañang to receive one of the most coveted award being given to civilian employees – “The Dangal ng Bayan Award”. The affair was hosted by Director IV Ma. Luisa Salonga-Agamata of the Public Assistance and Information Office, CSC, who was formerly connected with the Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process (OPAPP). [Above photo: Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita during the 1st Anniversary of Pilipinas Ngayon Na!]
[Cesar Letada with his wife and five children at their home in Barangay Estanza, Legaspi City] [ Dir. IV Cecilia R. Nieto, Dir. III Salvador C. Villarosa, Jr. with Jocelyn L. Marifosque and the staff of the Examination Service Division with some teachers of Rawis Elementary School]
While the awarding rites attended by high ranking officials in the civilian service may have been important, the efforts exerted by those in different agencies of the government and in the private sector who extended their support to bring about reliable and accurate information during the conduct of the investigation and validation to gather information concerning the nominees - is equally important. [Photo: Dir. IV Ariel G. Ronquillo, Office for Legal Affairs (OLA), with CSC Chairman Ricardo L. Saludo. OLA sent five of its staff to conduct background investigation concerning the nominees]
In honor of all the awardees and those who participated in the undertaking, this is only one story among the many Gawad Parangal Awardees: “A driver who returned a wallet containing P 10,000.00 and who donated a used toilet bowl to benefit the school children in his Barangay - a very simple person, could make a difference WORLDWIDE!
The weather was good in early morning on July 14, 2009 when a plane from Manila landed at Legaspi City Airport in Albay with a passenger on board to look for a man who, not known to many, touches the lives not only of his fellow government workers - but also of those residing in his community. A man who, due to hardship of life in Manila resettled in a Barangay somewhere in Estanza, a place without any means of transportation, to put up a structure he can call a home for his family. A man who loaned from a financing institution to purchase a motorcycle and thereafter organized motorcycle owners in his community to provide transport for their neighborhood. A man, who despite earning less than Two Thousand Pesos (P 2,000.00) monthly manages to donate their used toilet bowl to benefit the children of a public school in his community, deprived of clean toilet. A man who returned a wallet by searching for a woman whose picture appears in the walltet he found, whose husband was working as a technician on top of the highest peak in the entire Legaspi City. It is then but fitting to climb the highest mountain and to raise a flag if necessary for everybody to know that the good deed of this person is worthy to be emulated and for the public to know that government after all is on top of the situation with personnel who possesses the integrity worthy of the people's trust. There are other deserving individuals and groups from among the candidates whose accomplishment equal or even surpasses the nominees. Most if not all of them does not even expect to be recognized. Any information about the person or persons who are nominees of the award is very much welcome in order to provide the appropriate body accurate information about the candidates, which might have been overlooked by the validators.
Let it be then known to the world if necessary, like that of the AKLAN SPED CENTER, which now enjoys foreign grants for the construction a building to propagate the advocacy it promotes. After all, the advocacy of these people is worthy to be featured, in support of the Civil Service Commission's mission under the leadership of Chairman Ricardo L. Saludo with Senior Commissioner Cesar D. Buenaflor and Commissioner Mary Ann Z. Fernandez Mendoza for the government to move as one.
The day started with a simple early morning breakfast with the pupils of Rawis Elementary School, beneficiary of the Civil Service Commission Regional Office No. V's (CSCRO No. V) "Feeding Program Project" in celebration of the National Nutrition Month. We do not know if our friend Elsa Bayani of the National Nutrition Council is still around. Nevertheless, we hope this reaches the NCC to support this noble project of the CSC for us to move altogether, from within and without the government. Simple as it maybe, this is just a beginning of the advocacies we shall be featuring concerning Legaspi City and Bicol per se. Let us make a difference and may God give us the faith, strength and courage to move on.
Our story starts with CSCRO No. V's early morning Feeding Program on June 14, 2009. Simple as it maybe, its essence, however, is deep - for the children of Rawis Elementary School to realize that government reaches out - a government with people worthy of everybody's trust. In the book of Jeremiah 23 (1-6), our people deserves justice and equality from their leaders. The food feeding project of the government the way being implemented by CSCRO No. V, in celebration of the National Nutrition Month, in You Tube:
(Inset pictures from the top: 1.) Dir. IV Cecilia R. Nieto, Dir. III Salvador C. Villarosa, Jr. with Jocelyn L. Marifosque and the staff of the Examination Service Division with some teachers of Rawis Elementary School; 2.) Cesar Letada, Driver I, BIR RR No. X, Legaspi City, with his family; 3.) Dir. IV Nieto with the Chief of the Legal Service CSCRO No. V; 4.) Mr. Roy R. Luga with Atty. Diosdado Mendoza, OIC-RD, BIR RR 10; 5.) Dir. III Villarosa, Jr. with the Assistant Director of BIR RR No. X; 6.) CSCRO No. X's Legal Service Division; 7.) The Head of CSCRO No. X's Public Assistance and Information Service and staff; 8.) CSCRO No. V's Security Guard Jerome; 9.) Dir. IV Nieto during the CSCRO No. V's Feeding Program)
The most promising place in Albay today, specifically in Legaspi City, is Barangay Estanza. Located at the highest elevation in the City or maybe, in the entre province of Albay, the place is safe from calamities and destruction caused by volcanic eruption, such as the Typhoon Reming experience. Roads under construction were immuned from floods or lava flows in the lowland - which shall provide ingress and outgress to and from Legaspi City and to the soon to be international airport to be constructed. Roads under construction leads to other places in Albay including the province of Sorsogon. The climate is so cool and the scenery is so elegant that you can see the entire Bicol province right at your window from atop the mountain should you decide to put up a home or a villa, which you can convert into a summer getaway. It will take you less than 15 to 20 minutes drive from Legaspi City to Estanza.
The place is so promising. See it for yourself as Barangay Captain Antonio Lara shows you the future city in Albay - Estanza: in You Tube, compliment of Alimukon.com in coordination with CSCRO No. V and the CSC per se:
(Note: Research conducted at the internet disclose that Estancia is spelled either as Estancia or Estanza)
Relevant to the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA), the Civil Service Commission Regional Office No. 5 , under the leadership of Dir. IV Cecilia R. Nieto, through the initiative of Jocelyn Lozada Marifosque and her staff at the Examination Service Division, produced an Audio Visual Presentation of the Civil Service Examination Administration on DVD. The project was uploaded in You Tube and was embeded on a free site. This can serve as a prototype of a cyber design where an AVP presentation on how to take CS Examination, with linkages to the application requirements, the forms necessary and even the payment of fees, which can be sent through banks, maybe done. In such case, bureaucratic process can be lessened. It could also mean less expense to the government and to its client, as the latter's expenses for transportation, time and effort shall be greatly reduced. It would also mean an evironmental friendly undertaking as less paper shall be used in the transaction. Additional revenue as payment of fees for its operational expenses can also be raised (CSC enjoys fiscal autonomy), to lessen government expenditures for its operation. Everything can be done via the internet.
This might be the first time that the CSC shall produce an instruction material without cost to the government to be reviewed and edited by its production staff via internet that can be viewed not only in the country but, worldwide. The project was undertaken through the initiative of Jocelyn L. Marifosque, the staff of the Examination Service Division and the CSCRO No. 5 per se headed by Dir. IV Cecilia R. Nieto.
Our first draft of the Video Presentation on the Procedure in the Conduct of CSC Examination, in You Tube:
The above counter does not include our site viewers in You Tube and in other sites where this page is being linked. The You Tube component displayed herein is on autoplay mode, you can click on the You Tube site to check the number of viewers therein. The combined viewers of the uploaded videos in You Tube, posts in this site and other viewers in its links, are not reflected in the above site counter.
This is a non-profit undertaking. The information contained herein does not necessarily reflect the official position of the Civil Service Commission. This project was undertaken in support of CSC's programs and projects and the cyber technology advocacy being promoted by the designer of this site. The development of this site is a work in progress with the end in view of donating the same to its beneficiary, an organization maybe, within the CSC for its beneficial use.
