THE CHANGING OF GUARD

By operation of law, Senior Commissioner Cesar D. Buenaflor becomes the Acting Chairman of the Civil Service Commission effective upon the rejection of the appointment of Secretary Ricardo L. Saludo as Chairman of the CSC by the Commission on Appointment.

Section 15, Chapter 3, Title I, Subtitle A, Book V of the Administrative Code of 1987, provides:

“Section 15. Duties and Responsibilities of the Members of the Commission. Jointly with the Chairman, the two (2) Commissioners shall be responsible for the effective exercise of the rule-making and adjudicative functions of the Commission. They shall likewise perform such functions as may be delegated by the Commission. In case of the absence of the Chairman owing to illness or other cause, the senior member shall perform the functions of the Chairman.”

More than a year ago, we published an article to revisit the government's reforestation program in "SQUIRREL AT CSC FOREST". In October 2008, we created the blogsite "POWER OF YOUR LOVE", to revisit government's program on peace, development and environmental concern. In July 2009, we made this site, "CSCRO No.5: Making a Difference" , for us to remember what has happened in Bicol during typhoon Reming. Today, what we have been afraid to happen more than twelve (12) years ago . . . happened.

More than twelve years ago, our problem was food security because of the La Niña (dry spell) phenomenon brought about by climate change. All of us from within and without the government moved as one to address the problem. Those in government , specifically in NIA, was then espousing to upgrade the Geographical Information System (GIS) of the entire country to provide our decision makers accurate information to predict climate condition and to implement a unified approach in agriculture and urban planning to address water and land use problem because our growing population. In less than three (3) years, the government silently constructed major dams, San Roque, Casecnan, Mal-Mar, Bohol Irrigation Project, among others, to provide adequate water reserve needed by the agricultural as well as the urban sector because of shortages due to climate change. The government has been advocating for the implementaiton of its complementary programs to address environmental concern, drainage and urban planning foreseeing future problem because of the change in climate condition. Nothing can be heard of about corruption and discrepancy in the use of funds to implement millions or even billions worth of projects. We can only imagine its magnitude today.

With the changing of guards, however, priorities seemed to have been changed until what we have been afraid of to happen more than twelve (12) years ago . . . happened. Who then are we going to blame for the lost of lives and billions in property by the recent typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng? We have been adequately forewarned more than twelve years ago.

We have been advocating for measures to revisit government programs on peace, development, environmental concern and urban planning even before Amando Doronilla wrote his analysis entitled: "Calamities as Catalysts of Political Upheaval", which was published in the front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer on October 19, 2009.

People in government comes and go. The changing of guards and colors passes as days move on towards another epoch in our history. Those left behind, however, still continues to hope that a leader would somehow emerge to continue the struggle for this country and its people to move as one. Ondoy and Pepeng drastically changed our landscape and our vision towards the future of this nation, which must be immediately addressed before its too late. The way the frequency of calamities hit our country from typhoon Reming, Frank and others, dictates that we have to review our property and document security procedures and manuals to consider calamity not only as a potential but, actual risk. After his appointment as Chairman of the Civil Service Commission was rejected by the Commission on Appointment, Chairman Ricardo L. Saludo gracefully turned-over the CSC Flag to Commissioner Mary Ann Z. Fernandez-Mendoza on October 16, 2009. Among others, it was during the term of Chairman Saludo when the Salary Standardization Law (SSL III) was finally enacted, the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) was implemented and the Pamanang Lingkod Bayan Endowment Fund was established, in a year's time.

Senior Commissioner Cesar D. Buenaflor by operation of law is now the Acting Chairman of the Commission with Commissioner Mary Ann Z. Fernandez-Mendoza as member. Like typhoons that comes and go, we have to move on.

WHAT AN IRONY!

It is ironic that the intended beneficiary of this blog project, i.e., Albay and the Bicol Region per se, to help the people therein recover from the havoc caused by typhoon “Reming” - by featuring a CSC Awardee , a driver, who works at BIR RR No. X, Legaspi City, who makes a difference in his community, including the present development in a remote Barangay in Legaspi City without any means of public transport where he used to live – were the very first ones from the among the provinces in the country to organize a caravan to bring relief goods to Rizal, Caloocan and other places in Metro Manila. A lawyer, who is a President of a Foundation consisting of Bicolanos in coordination with Church based organizations, organized a movement to gather donations and transport it by land to the Metropolis.

It is ironic too, that CSC employees and officials in Region I, which sent relief goods to the CSC Central Office for distribution to the beneficiaries, by themselves was hit by typhoon “Pepeng”, specifically, in Ilocos Province.

Tragedy awakens the Bayanihan spirit among Filipinos. We seek refuge to the Divine that the kindness of those who have the heart passes on to those who have faith to move on despite the challenges of time.

We cannot find any images readily available in the internet to feature those who sympathized with us , to touch the lives of other Christians and good Samaritans along the way thru images and the cyber world. We hope that somewhere, somehow . . . there are still many left behind. There is hope, so long as we hold on, so long as we have faith.

Our landscape drastically changed. This is an acid test of faith for our nation and its leaders to formulate a long term plan regardless of politics and to heed the call of the Divine for us to move as one to rebuild our nation . . .

The Spirit of Volunteerism at CSC

After the Civil Service Commission, its officials, employees and union (PINTIG), conducted relief operation for its more than 40 personnel affected by typhoon "Ondoy", some employees took the initiative to organize a volunteer brigade. The volunteer brigade was originally conceptualized and organized in 1994 during the term of Chairperson Corazon Alma De Leon, who is now the Executive Director of Transparency International Philippines, to instill the spirit of volunteerism among government personnel. It was during the term of Chairperson Corazon Alma De Leon under the Ramos Administration , when the spirit of volunteerism was promoted in the hope of institutionalizing volunteer brigades in government agencies. It was an epoch in our history when we enjoyed peace nationwide, a period when government and its people moved as one . . .

With the help of some seminarians and priests the donations gathered by the volunteers from among the officials and employees of the CSC were distributed to typhoon victims at Barangay Burgos, Montalban, Rizal, an isolated Barangay hardly hit by "Ondoy" not yet reached by relief operations by other sector. We learned later that GMA 7 Foundation conducted relief operation in the same area after three days, augmenting the limited relief goods distributed by the brigade.

It's touching to see old women and children wondering about their future.

The Spirit of Volunteerism:

(Juris De Leon is a MassCom graduate from Far Eastern University. She was the Director of "The Rubrics", which won an award at FEU's Indie Film making contest in 2008. Recently, she directed "Carl", which won the Best Story and Best Actor Category at GMA Cine Indie. She has been with Alimukon Advocacies for quite sometime developing her skills in freestyle video production.)