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Published: 27 November 2012

DILG Pampanga personnel, under the leadership of Provincial Director Angelina S. Blanco, joined the City Government of San Fernando during the biggest-ever Independence Day Celebration last June 12, 2012, reaching a record of over 5,000 individuals from various local, regional and national organizations and sectoral groups – who marched in high spirits from City Hall to Heroes Park where wreath-laying ceremonies honored the country’s foremost heroes.

City Mayor Oscar S. Rodriguez urged Fernandinos not to lose sight of their common responsibility towards attaining the objectives and fruits of good governance that benefit all and not just a few, pointing out the theme of this year’s commemoration, “Kalayaan: Pananagutan ng Bayan para sa Tuwid na Daan.”  It marked the 114th anniversary of the Philippine independence from three centuries of Spanish rule.
 “We owe our brave heroes the freedom that we now enjoy,” Mayor Oca said. “Let us not waver in honoring them and in defending the independence that now allows us to attain our aspirations.”

Together with Vice Mayor Edwin Santiago and the rest of the officials of the city administration, Mayor Oca launched the day’s activities at 6 a.m. with the ceremonial raising of the Philippine flag.

Vice Mayor Santiago said that Fernandinos should value independence and “always bear in mind the noble acts of our heroes.” He said that the people should be free from the ill-effects of poverty to become “excellent citizens.”

Sought for comments, Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PamCham) chairman              Rene Romero said there was need to “continue supporting the people [in terms of] employment that would make them feel that they enjoy their independence from hardships.

“One cannot claim that one is truly independent and free if one is still not free from poverty,” Romero stressed.

PamCham’s contribution in celebrating the Independence Day annually, Romero said, is to create jobs for the people by expanding businesses. The group, according to him, is also inviting local and foreign investors to set up industries locally.
Romero said that “the modern day heroes of today, the OFWs, should also be given recognition for their contributions in the progress of the economy.”
Among the most active participants in the day’s celebration was the Muslim community in San Fernando. A colorful float representing Muslim culture was one of the widely applauded features at the parade.

Muslim community secretary and spokesperson Samad Zacharia said that the group regards this celebration as “an important event in the history of the country and our community.”  The June 12 event is “an appreciation of the independence that we now enjoy,” he added.
In the evening, Mayor Oca hosted the annual Independence Day Banquet, which was attended by different representatives from government, religious groups and the private sector.

Mayor Oca said in an interview that “we should fight for freedom from want, freedom from illiteracy and freedom from extreme deprivation before we can confidently say that we are free.”

“Here in the City, we are addressing these needs simultaneously because we believe that this is the key towards a better life. We are again pleased to celebrate with our cabalens this year in this important gathering,” he said.

The night ended with an impressive fireworks display at the Heroes Hall Park.

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Published: 27 November 2012

As part of the continuing information and educational campaign supporting the Departments’ advocacy on Disaster Preparedness and Climate Change Adaptation, DILG Zambales represented by PD Armi V. Bactad, CESE had a  Radio Guesting at Radio Natin 105.7 Mhz, a local radio station in Iba, Zambales in the segment “ Kamusta Bayan?” hosted by Cesar Villa and Polly Leomo last June 4, 2012 from 11am-12nn.

The radio guesting also aims to promote and encourage the complete attendance of expected participants for the Regionwide Tapatan Roadshow entitled “Magtapatan Tayo, Handa na ba Kayo?” on June 6-7, 2012 at Oxford Hotel, Clarkfield, Pampanga which will highlight the need for LGUs to institutionalize DRRM Plans; ensure establishment of DRRMOs and to clarify the roles of everyone regarding disaster preparedness. 

During the guesting, PD Bactad, emphasized the urgent and significant need for all local government units (LGUs) to be prepared for any disasters. Further, she stressed that being ready for disasters is not the sole responsibility of the government but every stakeholder should take part and be involved  in it.

Moreover, PD Bactad  confirmed that 6 LGUs of Zambales who were awarded in the 2nd round of the Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH) last 2011 will be receiving their Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) checks on the said event. They are the LGUs of Castiilejos, San Antonio, Iba, Palauig, Candelaria and Sta. Cruz.

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Published: 27 November 2012

To further raise the city’s standards for disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation, village chiefs together with their council members convened in a four-day seminar  on June 25-28, 2012 at the Maharajah Hotel, Angeles City to analyze hazards, prepare plans, identify needs and have an overall awareness for calamities.

The seminar-workshop, dubbed “Enhancing the Local Government Unit on Disaster Risk Reduction & Management and Climate Change Adaptation”, was spearheaded by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) with the support of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

According to Myrvi Apostol-Fabia, DILG Director of Angeles City, the main concern of the workshop is to capacitate the barangays and its officials on how they are going to respond to certain disasters and calamities.

“Let us remember Cagayan de Oro and how it was devastated from typhoon Sendong – we should not wait for such to happen in Angeles City,” Apostol-Fabia said.

Apostol-Fabia explained that all these measures are requirements which are to be used in the city’s attempt to be awarded of the DILG’s ‘Seal of Disaster Preparedness.’

“The seminar also checks to see if the city is ready to face calamities, mitigate disasters and prevent them in the near future. Several aspects like availability of equipment, contingency planning, emergency response, search and rescue and the formulation of a disaster and risk reduction management plan is all covered,” she added.

According to Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, the city has to further strengthen its efforts to combat disasters that may occur in the future.

“The cooperation of all our barangay officials is an imperative to make the city and its citizens safe from any untoward incidents during the occurrence of heavy rains and strong typhoons,” Pamintuan said.

The mayor also appealed for the cooperation of the citizens of Angeles to be aware of how they can ask for aid when calamities would strike.

“The responsibility does not lie solely on our barangay captains and councilmen, but to all Angeleños to stay vigilant and cooperative in times of disaster,” he added.

The mayor recalls how Angeleños were able to turn tragedy into triumph in the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption where his administration back then rallied the people to one united cause.

He hopes that this could be emulated today for climate change adaptation and the preparation for disasters and calamities that may come.

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Published: 26 November 2012

PD Armi V. Bactad has recently completed the multi-phase and multi-faceted Executive Leadership Program (ELP) for Career Executive Service Officers. This program is targeted to the development, advancement, and nurturance of the core management competencies relevant to the roles of public managers. It aims to raise the level of competence of the members of the Career Executive Service (CES), instill a deeper sense of commitment to public service amongst career executives, and help them understand the CES as a program of government, as a service, a culture, and a way of life.

The ELP follows a three-pronged leadership and management framework of knowing oneself, relating with others, and leading the organization. This framework is translated into three training courses, namely: “Salamin ng Paglilingkod” or SALAMIN which focuses on the self, “Diwa ng Paglilingkod” or DIWA which focuses on others, and “Gabay ng Paglilingkod” or GABAY which is more geared towards the “organization.”

An integrated approach to the SALAMIN and DIWA courses, the SALAMIN-DIWA ng Paglilingkod Course Session XVI, was conducted on March 06 to 19, 2012 at Splash Oasis Hotel, Splash Mountain, Los Baños, Laguna. Its aim is to enhance the effectiveness of public managers and reinforce their belief that leaders must first know themselves well before they can lead others effectively. It also intends to enhance the working knowledge on interpersonal skills and how a manager can make use of these skills to elicit productive behavior from subordinates and positively influence superiors’ and peers’ behavior towards cooperation and support. Part of the SALAMIN-DIWA course is the Community-Organizational Attachment Module, popularly known as “Barangay Immersion,” where the public manager will have the opportunity to live, eat, and interact with foster families in the barrio for four days and three nights. It seeks to sensitize the public leaders to the development challenges that confront the marginalized communities and allows the CESOs to know the aspirations of the people whom they serve.

The final component of the ELP, the Integrated Gabay ng Paglilingkod or GABAY Session XII course, was conducted at Hotel Ariana, Bauang, La Union on May 03 to 11, 2012. The GABAY course provides learning modules aimed at addressing the executive’s needs to remain effective on the job and also seeks to impart a deeper appreciation of the policies and programs of the government. As the term suggests, the GABAY course seeks to impart know-how and tools to guide public managers in their day-to-day management of governance concerns.