President Rodrigo Roa Duterte led the conferment Tuesday of the Outstanding Government Workers Awards on exemplary state employees, underscoring the importance of integrity and dedication to service of Filipino civil servants.
“I am deeply honored to be with you today as we gather to confer the 2019 Outstanding Government Workers Awards. Let me express my gratitude to the Civil Service Commission for holding this annual event that recognizes the best among us,” President Duterte said in his speech during the event held in Malacañang.
“The event is a celebration of not only your individual and organizational triumphs. More importantly, this is a celebration of your accomplishments that have contributed greatly to the realization of our national development agenda.”
The conferment of the Presidential Lingkod Bayan, Dangal ng Bayan and CSC Pagasa Awards, the President said, is intended not only to motivate government officials and employees to do their job well, but also to give due recognition to their exemplary, wholehearted, and selfless public service.
The dedication, excellence, and integrity that each awardee demonstrated have set a benchmark for the rest of the country’s civil servants to admire and emulate, he added.
Praising the awardees for their brilliance and dedication to service, the President said, “I suppose that in the years or by the years that you have been in your respective office, I am confident you are really as honest as you can ever be.”
President Duterte announced the vacancies in the government as he carries out changes in the bureaucracy. He told CSC Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala about his plan to tap CSC’s roster to fill the vacancies.
Among the agencies mentioned by the President include the Bureau of Customs and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
With the absence of law and order and a graft-free bureaucracy, the Philippines cannot progress, the President said, telling his audience to shun corruption.
“I therefore take this opportunity to remind you to never engage in corruption and other unlawful activities that will smear your dignity and taint your integrity,” he said.
“’Public office is a public trust. As clearly enshrined in the Constitution, public officers and employees must always be accountable to the people. This is not a challenge. This is our mandate.”
He wants public servants to serve with utmost responsibility, loyalty, and efficiency and always act with patriotism and justice.
As the government’s central human resource institution, the CSC, through its Honor Awards Program (HAP), administers the annual search for Outstanding Government Workers. The yearly search aims to recognize and reward government workers for extraordinary acts or services that contribute to the attainment of efficiency, economy and improvement of government operations.
The search has three awards categories: the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award, which recognizes state employees for outstanding work performance and is conferred by the President. It is awarded in recognition of contributions or accomplishments that had nationwide impact; the Dangal ng Bayan Award for exemplary ethical behavior; and the CSC Pagasa Award for performance or accomplishments, which directly benefit more than one government agency.
The conferment of the Presidential Lingkod Bayan, Dangal ng Bayan, and CSC Pagasa Awards to outstanding government workers is the highlight of the month-long celebration of the Philippine Civil Service anniversary every September.
CSC’s 119th anniversary has for its theme: “Civil Service at 119: Upholding Integrity and Building a High-Trust Society.” PND
