ILOILO City – Western Visayas’ civil servants who showed exemplary commitment to public service were feted by the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
Mechanical Plant Operator III Pepito Pauchano of the National Food Authority Regional Office 6 led this year’s regional awardees for the CSC’s annual Honor Awards Program (HAP) – the highest and most coveted recognition given by the government to deserving government officials and employees.
CSC Region 6 held its Pasidungog 2019 for HAP honorees on Sept. 11.
Pauchano was also the region’s lone national awardee for this year’s search; he was named one of the recipients of the CSC “2019 Dangal ng Bayan” award.
President Rodrigo Duterte conferred the award to Pauchano on Sept. 10 in Malacañang.
Pauchano received a trophy crafted by National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon Abueva, a gold medallion handcrafted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and a P200,000 reward
In addition, Pauchano is also entitled to an automatic promotion to the next higher position subject to the provisions of Section 6 Paragraph 3 of Republic Act 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees).
Aside from Pauchano, another regional nominee, Master Teacher II Christopher Pillora of the Department of Education (DepEd) Guimaras, qualified as semifinalist in the Pagasa Award category.
The Regional Committee on Awards selected and submitted 11 individuals and groups, out of the 28 nominations received by the CSC, to the National Honor Awards Program Secretariat for national screening.
The 11 nominees were the region’s winners in three categories: Presidential Lingkod Bayan, Pagasa Award and Outstanding Public Officials and Employees or the Dangal ng Bayan.
The Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award recognizes government employees for exceptional or extraordinary contributions resulting from an idea or performance that has nationwide impact on public interest, security and patrimony.
On the other hand, the Pagasa Award is for outstanding contributions resulting from an idea or performance that directly benefits more than one department of the government.
The Dangal ng Bayan award is for exemplary conduct and ethical behavior.
Regional winners for Presidential Lingkod Bayani category were:
* Dr. Pablo Crespo, oresident of the University of Antique
* Mayor Mary Jean Nicopior-Te of Laua-an, Antique
* PhilHealth Local Health Insurance Office – Capiz
* Inigo Garingalao of the Iloilo City’s anti-smoking task force
For the Pagasa category, three of the five regional winners were from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology Regional Office 6:
* Senior Inspector Imee Lopera, Senior Inspector Norberto Miciano Jr. and Jail Chief Inspector Maricon Castidad-Tulayan
* Christopher Pillora
* Dennis Clark Uguil, Education Program Supervisor I of DepEd-Negros Occidental.
Another regional winner for the Dangal ng Bayan category is the multi-awarded former Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) Director and now Acting Chief Regional Staff of Police Regional Office 6, Police Colonel Marlon A. Tayaba.
During his stint as the IPPO director, Tayaba posted significant accomplishments especially in the campaign against illegal drugs. He was instrumental in the apprehension of top criminals and criminal groups in the region.
He also institutionalized various community relations programs.
In his message, Director IV Nelson Sarmiento of CSC-6 hoped that awardees will help fulfill the mandate of the Commission to promote moral integrity, efficiency and responsiveness in the government.
According to Sarmiento, statistics show that of the 1.7 million state workers from the national government agencies, government-owned and –controlled corporations, local government units, state universities and colleges, and water districts, barely five percent are nominated to the HAP Awards.
The rewards and recognition program is one of the four areas of the Civil Service mandate that is very slow.
The other three areas are recruitment, selection and placement; learning and development; and performance and management.
“We still have a lot of homework to do to promote rewards and recognitions,” said Sarmiento. “If you don’t take care of the entire gamut of human resource management, more particularly the rewards and recognition, we will lose the best of the best of your people. It doesn’t have to be money all the time, there are a lot of ways.”
He encouraged government agencies to make their Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) operational to be able to innovate on the granting of rewards, awards and incentives. (PIA/PN)
