________In the continuous efforts to further develop the well being of city employees, another batch of city employees attended the Values Orientation Workshop(VOW) at ABC Session Hall, City Hall recently.

________Facilitators for the three-day orientation were Dir. Bienvenida L. Ragucos, Regional Director of Civil Service Commission (CSC), Ms. Lyrma Oalin, and Ms. Cecilia R. Bareng, Chief Personnel Specialist of Region I.

________Participants enjoyed, reflected and were challenged to the lessons and activities they have learned and performed in between sessions. Among their activities were drawing their memories, reciting their own self-assessments, listing their observations to the environment, economy and government, sharing their experiences in public service, enumerating their goals for the community and identifying the role of a good Filipino citizen in nation-building.

________VOW tried to focus on the three areas of a person: his personhood, his service as public servant, and his being as a Filipino citizen. It emphasizes the need for the government officials and employees to be aware of the core working values required of them and the norms of conduct they ought to follow as public servants.

________Discussed also was the role of values among public servants as embodied in Republic Act No. 6713  or  “AN ACT ESTABLISHING A CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES, TO UPHOLD THE TIME-HONORED PRINCIPLE OF PUBLIC OFFICE BEING A PUBLIC TRUST, GRANTING INCENTIVES AND REWARDS FOR EXEMPLARY SERVICE, ENUMERATING PROHIBITED ACTS AND TRANSACTIONS AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS THEREOF AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.”The Code serves as the Bible of public employees and officials to the “do’s” and “don’ts” of their duties and responsibilities.

After the three-day affair, a graduation ritual was presented in the presence of the event’s special guest, City Administrator Grace G. Singson. “Out of around 60, 000 people in the City of Candon, you are the blessed 400 who were able to get a job here in the government”, she said pushing further the spirits of employees who were lucky enough to be given a chance to be become part of public service.

________Singson also expressed her sincerity to her role in the city government now, “once that I accepted a position, I am committed to it (referring to her position as City Administrator); so I hope that you do the same on your respective work.”

________The graduation ritual was made symbolic.  The graduates put water and soil on their VOW tree on which the different parts symbolize the foundation of the Filipino character. A candle vigil was also performed as the graduates recited their commitments as public servants.

________The VOW is one of the seminars that are being encouraged by the CSC to public employees. It is initiated by City Human Resource Management Officer Doris G. Manzano in which the first batch of city employees underwent the same seminar way back in 2007.