National awardees in the government service from the Cordillera Region and their nominators were recognized by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) during the first Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) Committee Convention held last week at Hotel Supreme, Baguio City.
Leading the awardees was Teacher Celia Piloten of Luna District, Apayao, who was CAR’s lone 2004 Lingkod Bayan awardee.
Rank number 2 nationwide next only to the National Capital Region with the most honor awardees as the best in the bureaucracy, CAR has a total of 51 awardees—25 for Dangal ng Bayan Award, 18 for Lingkod Bayan Award, and 8 Pagasa Award since the region’s participation in the honor awards program in 1989.
The search for top performing public officials and employees is a CSC-administered incentive program to recognize and reward civil servants who have exhibited extraordinary dedication and honesty in performing their tasks, specifically those who exhibit excellence in innovations and inventions or who carry out their duties mindless of obstacles and difficulties.
The Dangal ng Bayan Award or the Outstanding Public Officials and Employees Award is conferred on an individual for exemplary conduct and ethical behavior based his observance of one or more of the eight norms of behavior provided under Republic Act 6713, namely: commitment to public interest, professionalism, justness and sincerity, political neutrality, responsiveness to the public, nationalism and patriotism, commitment to democracy and simple living.
The Presidential or Lingkod Bayan Award is given to an individual or group for outstanding work performance that has nationwide impact on public interest, security and patrimony while in the Pagasa or Civil Service Commission Award, the outstanding contribution resulting from idea or performance directly benefit more than one department of the government.
In his keynote speech, CSC Regional Director Lorenzo Danipog underscored the need for people in government to persevere, sustain commitment and pursue culture of excellence in public service.
Under CSC Memorandum No. 1 s. 2005, all government agencies through their respective PRAISE committees are enjoined to conduct a thorough review of the performance of their officials and employees and to submit to CSC their nominations for their top performing employees for the prestigious honor awards, Danipog said . He added that the recognition of nominators is aimed to entice people to serve as talent scouts of “high flyers who serve as exemplars in government.”
Danipog explained that the convention was intended to heighten awareness on the HAP and for the PRAISE committee members to understand their critical role in the identification of potential awardees. It also served as the launching of the Search for the Best PRAISE Committee in the CAR.
In the glimpse of CAR’s honor awards program presented by CSC Chief Personnel Specialist Cornelia Padinay, the region has consistently produced awardees in the three categories especially during the 1990s. For three successive years from 1996 to 1998, CAR produced four or more awardees.
The 1996 Dangal ng Bayan Awards were then Kiangan mayor Teddy Baguilat, midwife Agustina Bagwan of Bontoc, Mt. Province and Carlos Corpuz, utility worker of the Philippine Military Academy while Lingkod Bayan Awardee was Ifugao Provincial Environment Officer Jovito Layugan Jr. Kapangan Municipal Nutrition Council captured the Pagasa award.
In 1998, CAR produced five awardees for Lingkod Bayan, namely: Victor Baculi (barangay captain, Luplupa, Tinglayan), Perseveranda Acoba (nurse, BGHMC), Edwin Balaki (BSU), Pedro Enon, Sr. (barangay captain, Caganayan, Tineg, Abra), and Armando Galimba (DTI). Julian Bacnog, utility worker of the Ifugao College of Arts and Trades was bestowed the Dangal ng Bayan Award that year. The Leprosy Control Team of DOH-CAR was given the Pagasa award.
Other Dangal ng Bayan Awardees include Osmond Belmonte (DOST), and Ray Ekid (Baguio City Police) in 1990, Jovito Sumadchat (1991 - warrant officer, Baguio Police Station), Rolando Galera (security guard DECS, Abra) and John Ullibac (Baguio Fire station) in 1992, Francisca Bayle (1993 - DECS,Bangued), Victor Cosalan (Benguet) and Isidro Vazquez(Provincial Board Member, Abra) in 1994 , Gaudelia Ciubal (1995 - Pilar, Abra), John Marquez (DPWH), and Joseline Niwane (DSWD Ifugao) in 1997, Meriam Aldaca(1999 - PHO Abra), Cipriano Conslacion (BSU) and Rosaria Pang-et (municipal laborer,Sagada, Mt. Province) in 2000, Vilma Fangsilat (2001 - Baguio City Jail), Nadelline Orallo (COA-GSIS) and Basilo Saking (BJMP) in 2002.
Posthumously awarded were midwife Elena Buenafe and public health nurse Rosario Magala, both of DOH Abra in 1993, and midwife Teresita Dodon of Sablan, Benguet in 1994.
Lingkod Bayan Awardees were: Genara Buenafe (1992 - DECS Abra), Candelaria Alzate (1993 -DECS Danglas, Abra), Petra Bringas (1994 - DECS Abra), Persinia Belmes (DECS Abra), Mauricio Domogan (Baguio City mayor) in 1995, Caroline Idos (1997 - COA), Valeriano Banggolay (1999 - DENR Alfonso Lista, Ifugao), Ramon Dacawi (PIO Baguio City mayor’s office), Sagada, Mt. Province mayor Thomas Killip in 2001, Danilo Falgui (Kalinga State College) and Elena Tampican (Luis Hora Memorial Hospital, Bauko, Mt. Province) in 2002.
Other Pagasa Awardees include: The Silkworm and Egg Production Project Staff(1991 - PTRI, DOST), Mercedes Garcia (1992 - PNP Baguio City), Barangay Bila-bila of Sallapadan in 1997, Abra OFW Team (1999 - Office of the Governor), The Sweet Potato Homegarden and Snackfood Processing Enterprise Team (2001 - BSU) and Under 5 Clinic (2002 - BGHMC).
For this year’s search for outstanding public employees, deadline for submission of nominations will be March 30 in any CSC Regional or Field Office.
Those who may nominate officials, employees to the honor awards are the immediate supervisor of the officials, employees or groups, co-workers and private persons or organization. Nominations will be sent to the Agency’s PRAISE committee for evaluation.
–PIA-CAR