Dropping by the Sangguniang Panlungsod…

by Marciano A. Paroy, Jr.

As Marlon Carbonel and I were waiting for Councilor Alma Sandra U. Mejia at the frontage of the SP wing of the city hall for our brief meeting regarding Miss Matagoan 2009, our attention was fully clutched by the on-going construction of the new city hall. We expressed how big it is, and that when it would soon house all the offices within the sphere of authority of the city government, there would be no more running around from one building to another.
To drive the fact home: it is big, and one can’t help but be proud that Tabuk would one day boast of a city hall which is one of the biggest – at least among the new cities, known as the League of 16 in their open letter to the Supreme Court (which emotionally calls for reconsideration).
Of course, big cities have far bigger city halls. Like the tall Makati City Hall, or Quezon City with an imposing 14-storey city hall which, aside from being the center of the city government, also houses other national government agencies.
When one looks at the artistic rendering of the Tabuk City Hall being constructed (which is plastered as the banner of the official website of Tabuk, courtesy of the website designer and administrator Nathaniel Dalanao), one gets the feeling of wanting to go in, and roam through the halls.
We just hope that when it shall have been finished, we no longer would see some employees who have this current annoying habit of standing by the back entry, giving cursory glances to people who come and go with their transactions. As a fellow government worker, I sometimes get the feeling that things are not fair. We get to work our ass off from 8 AM to 5 PM, while others have a lot of free time spent on staring into space – oh well, staring at the iron gates near the post office.
*****
Back to the scene began above.
While waiting for Madam Councilor Sandra, another Councilor joined us at our tambayan corner – Councilor Glen Wansi. I seized that moment to grill him with questions regarding his already anticipated filing for a position that is going to be vacated by someone who would be vying for that level directly above this someone’s present post (There, I hope I muddled you enough to be lost in your deduction).
But Hon. Wansi played the dodging game by refusing to be definite. He said, “Those rumors that you hear remain to be rumors. There are clamors from some quarters that I should consider what you are insinuating, but until we reach that final moment of having to submit what needs to be submitted… well, then things remain to be studied.”
“Well said, Konsehal,” I quipped, as though it were a beauty pageant.
Whatever Councilor Wansi may finally set his eyes on, this column wishes him well.
*****
It was then that Madam Councilor Sandra arrived – breathtaking in her mono-chromatic lilac blouse and skirt coordinates. Monday, first working day of the week – one should really start the week right by dressing-up appropriately. With a hint of power, if one needs to – at least for those with managerial, administrative and leadership functions (for those who are confined to the Monday uniform, a well-groomed face should complete the effect – not necessarily with full makeup. As a slogan in Laoag City screams “Napintas a buya, naragsak a rupa”).
Madam Sandra, Marlon and I then had our swift meeting to finalize our schedule in meeting the candidates for Miss Matagoan 2009 and their handlers, before she went into the SB Hall to preside over the meeting – she is the Matagoan Festival Director for this year.
Well, the Mayor has just returned from Canada, and she might be reporting the details of what has been decided upon (with Vice Mayor Rainier Sarol as acting mayor) while the Mayor was away.
We then parted ways with the stunning councilor. As we again looked at the construction site of the new city hall, we noted that it will be a two-storey building with a total floor area of 4,100 square meters. It is rectangular in shape with a length of 108 meters.
But that is not the figure that we would be interested in, this beauty pageant season.
Instead, we’re looking for 36-24-36 vital statistics.

Options for those who did not go to College, the Unemployed, and the Tambay sa Kanto

by Marciano A. Paroy, Jr.

A young man considering his options for the future may find himself beset with queries that revolve around the issue: what is the fastest way by which he could bridge the gap between being un-trained on one hand and, on the other hand, being fully prepared to tackle in-demand jobs that could equip him with expertise which he could use for gainful employment, not only in the locality of Tabuk, but anywhere else in the globe?
Normally, college would have been the preferred direction – but considering the current trends in the global economy which is described by, among others, the need for highly skilled workers. Obviously, the best alternative is to be trained as efficiently as possible. And to get that training fast.
The question is where?
In here comes the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority – under Provincial Director Julie Banganan – with its wide array of training programs and packages that are designed to cater to the training needs of those who have the vision to gain additional competence in an area other than what they have been naturally blessed with.
TESDA’s work is made even easier by the commitment given by its partner agencies and organizations. By setting-up close ties with TESDA, a partner agency can send trainees to the Provincial Training Center, or other TESDA-administered schools, or come up with its own training activities and workshops – which the agency may schedule for various clients: women groups, entrepreneurs, the youth, farmers and other interested trainees.
Because of such partnership, the mandates of TESDA are realized and, as a result, a forward-looking batch of trainees are developed regularly – ready to face the global challenge, ready to be productive members of the society, ready to make a change in their lives and in the lives of others.
Because of such collaboration, the vision and mission of the partner agency find meaning, and the local leaders – from both the executive and the legislative arms of the LGU – live up to their commitment to bring about tangible change in the community.
This is what LGU-Tabuk does.
Inspired by the concept that the maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty and property and the promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment of all the blessings of democracy by all people, Mayor Camilo T. Lammawin Jr. initiated a program that would address issues and concerns that would normally lead people to get out of bounds from the law.
Thus the Matagoan: A Unique Solution to a Unique Situation was born.
Matagoan, a Kalinga term which means “Zone of Life” rests on the premise that Tabuk should be a community that embraces diverse cultures – and provide its citizens with opportunities of improving their lives. It is envisioned that if people perceive the impact of the program, and participate in its activities, then the temptation to be led astray and become a community burden is minimized and eventually eradicated.
How does the LGU hope to attain this?
“A productive individual who maintains a steady source of livelihood or business would normally set his eyes on increasing the sustainability of his venture,” Mayor Camilo T. Lammawin Jr. stressed. “When this happens, we develop a class of citizens whose attention is focused on their gainful contribution not only to their family’s income but to the community as well.”
Indeed, sociology teaches us that a well-fed population whose members are scaling the heights of profitability is a community of people who are contented, happy and whole-heartedly willing to take part in other development projects – especially so that most of these people came from poverty-ridden subsistence early on in their lives.
These are the people that LGU-Tabuk is endeavoring to upgrade.
*****
If you know people in your neighborhood that you wish to take out from your daily sight as you pass by them in your street, send them over to TESDA, instead of frowning and giving them the judgment “Awan serserbi yo ketdi.”

The LGU-Tabuk and TESDA-Kalinga Partnership: Anya ti Nadanun na, so Far?

by Marciano A. Paroy, Jr.

I recently got involved in a DevCom task for Technical Education and Skills Development (TESDA)-Kalinga, as requested by its Provincial Director Julie Banganan. The job: to collate the data that pertain to the partnership between TESDA-Kalinga and the local government unit of Tabuk – and come up with one info-material that highlights and boasts of the outputs of said partnership.
Normally, working alone is the more ideal option, as this would push us to attack a task the way we would want it done. The danger of having too many heads is that there is a tendency of being out-of-focus and unfortunately come up with a poorly done product (Don’t get me wrong. I am specifically talking about info-materials – not programs and projects in general, which, of course, necessitates participatory decision-making by as many sectors as possible).
That is why advertisements are, for the most part, created by a single designer – and just later on presented for approval or, hmmm, rejection.
The production of the TESDA promotional/info-material, however, entailed close working ties with the two agencies concerned: TESDA and LGU-Tabuk. I had no prior knowledge about the working attitude or the speed and vigor of the people I would be dealing with, so I was quite adamant about our ability to meet our target.
Surprise: the target was hit, bulls eye.
My salute to Judilyn “Judith” Langgaman of TESDA-Kalinga and Loyda Saboy, the Public Employment Services Officer of Tabuk. Collaborating with them gave me a peek into the working environment of their respective offices. Oh well, there were moments when impatience would ceep in but these were always doused off by the completion of a desired element. Taking the holistic view, hassles and minor irritants were treated as inconsequential details – they did not matter as long as we come up with the intended goal.
I realized that the two key person I mentioned above were always worried about our ability to deliver. There seemed to be this unspoken notion that it’s their necks on the line, not mine. Ms. Langgaman has TESDA PD Banganan to worry about, while Ms. Saboy has The Mayor.
I was, sort of, the outsider – from the academe at that, where working attitudes are somewhat different . For one, we (instructors) have this conscious self-evaluation and the constant desire to please.
In my book, Judith and Loyda are competent at what they do. Being in offices that directly deal with a specific set of clients – the jobless members of the society – they truly have wealthy reserve of patience and commitment.
I also would like to single out Gailin Soriano, also of PESO, and Nathaniel Dalanao of the City Information Office under Sir Olive Gacuya – for the photos they supplied us.
And so we wish “Goo Luck” to LGU-Tabuk as it vies for the TESDA Kabalikat Award.
*****
The Kabalikat Award goes to outstanding partners of TESDA in the public and the private sectors. They are singled out for their drive in implementing and promoting technical-vocational programs and services. Awardees are chosen on the basis of their con¬tribution in terms of investment and resources poured into technical-vocational programs, plus the employability of trained and certified workers.
*****
So… is LGU-Tabuk worthy of such distinction?
Yes.
As I pored over the materials littered with figures and cold hard facts, I noted that Tabuk should be one of the hands-down winners. No one from LGU-Tabuk brandishes much about the fact that, through the years, Mayor Lammawin and his team of planners have been allotting a considerable slice from Tabuk’s yearly budget – directed to technical/vocational concerns.
But really, the support given by LGU-Tabuk to TESDA programs is one thing that should be lauded about.
I just hope that the evaluators at the regional and national levels will recognize such fact.