TACLOBAN CITY- Under the newly-introduced strategic performance management system (SPMS), all employees of the government will have to serve their respective positions in order to get at least a passing rate.
Supreme Court (SC) employees down to the first and second level trial courts are not exempted from the operation of the SPMS, a new scheme designed by the Civil Service Commission to ensure who will be qualified to receive the annual performance-based bonus (PBB).
This was stressed by Atty. Aristeo Franklin Garcia, chief of staff of SC Deputy Court Administrator Thelma Bahia, who led the regional roll-out of SPMS held at the Bulwagan ng Katarungan, this city, recently.
An employee could get the PBB equivalent to one-month salary if he gets the required rating prescribed by the SPMS.
In the SPMS, one can qualify to receive the PBB equivalent to one-month salary if the rate gets 130 percent of his target in the major final output (MFO).
Lower than that rate will correspondingly reduce the amount entitled.
The agency or office should likewise get an average outstanding rating to make its employees qualify after all the final ratings of each staff are all together computed.
“You can give additional function that refers to another item as long as that item is vacant, but the situation wherein the staff is complete but one cannot function in his position because he is incompetent to do so,” Garcia emphatically clarified.
“Under the SPMS, it is not anymore allowed. So now, the target that will be indicated in the form pertains to your own position,” he stressed.
This situation, although not necessarily happening in the judiciary, is known to happen in other government agencies such as the local government units.
He jokingly warned that, as intended by the SPMS, incompetent employees will have to sing “Let It Go,” a very popular song from the Disney movie “Frozen.”
Garcia likewise cautioned all lower court employees to strive to achieve the highest rate so as not to affect the rating of other co-workers in the agency.
Under the SPMS, the entitlement to a full amount demands an outstanding rate which is 130 percent of the total target.
A lower rate obtained by only one employee as against the perfect score of all others will pull down the general rating of the entire group of employees in one office or unit.
Holding multiple functions, however, will mitigate the negative effect on the employee’s being able to get perfect score in his major final outputs.
All the functions being held by the employee should be given MFOs including those in his own item or position in the office.
Garcia stressed that additional functions does not entitle the employee additional bonus but it will serve as mitigating factor in his favor.
“In the event that you cannot achieve your target for the original position, the fact that you are doing multiple or dual positions will provide a reason why the target for the original position has not been met,” he said.
Garcia disclosed that quite a number of promotions are pending approval yet with the Civil Service Commission without the SPMS results of applicants.
He encouraged all judges to create their respective performance management team in their individual salas.
This team will be the one responsible to rate all the employees. Any protest on the rating made will be elevated to the OCA-PMT for final resolution of the controversy.
He appealed to all court employees and judges to give the new SPMS to ultimately work for the improvement of the judiciary’s service to the public. (EILEEN NAZARENO-BALLESTEROS)

TACLOBAN CITY-Tacloban City Police Office led by its acting city director, S/Supt. Rolando V. Bade, accepted the support of Jack Uy, president the of Tacloban Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce, Incorporated (TFCCCI) and proprietor of Astra Mart, as the latter donated to the city police office three units of computer desk top, two units Centrix wall fan, one unit Sony digital camera and two units Dell laptops, to be utilized as an additional office equipment.
The turnover ceremony on December 20, 2016 at about 3:00 pm held at Tacloban City Police Office (TCPO) multi-purpose hall, was formally started with the welcome remarks of Supt.Mateo Macale, deputy city director for administration, followed by the ceremonial turn-over of office equipment; the message of the S/Supt. Bade and finally, the response message of Uy.
The activity was also attended by the board of directors of TFCCCI, namely: Esteban Rendino, Marcos Aquino, Malcom Ching, Cocaine Go and Colan Go, representative from ABS-CBN Network Tacloban, Geron Ponferrada and ATV ha DOS and the TCPO commissioned officers (PCOs) and non-commissioned officers (PNCOs).(PR)

TACLOBAN CITY- The newly designated officer-in-charge of the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office-8 immediately buckled down to work by taking his first-ever official engagement with the members of the public and private media in the region.
OIC-Regional Executive Director U-Nichols A. Manalo underscored his plans for the coming year even as he assured them that existing programs and projects will continue so long as they are responsive to President Duterte’s thrust of providing available and affordable food for all Filipinos.
This was learned during the media interaction- cum- DA innovations forum held recently at the Kitchen Yum, Brgy. Guindaponan, Palo, Leyte attended by over 50 local media practitioners including officers and members of the Association of Government Information Officers in Region 8 (AGIO-8).
Manalo took over the post of Regional Executive Director Wilson A. Cerbito, who has been on medical leave since last week of November, this year.
In his message, Director Manalo expressed his gratitude for the warm reception accorded him by the DA-staff and personnel led by DA-8’s Assistant Regional Director for Research and Regulations, Dr. Elvira C. Torres.
He likewise acknowledged same degree of warm welcome he got from the local media and the government information officers whom he considered agents of change being the bearer of information to DA’s ultimate clients – the farmers and fisherfolk.
Manalo assured that the DA –8 will continue to provide assistance to farmers and fisherfolk by way of finding long-term solution to the lingering or old farming practices of some rice farmers and the seeming lack of farm machineries, equipment and tools.
He also mentioned about Secretary Manny Piñol’s order for the agency to follow the national framework in addressing climate change in agriculture by strengthening the implementation of Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture (AMIA).
According to him, AMIA will serve as the umbrella program covering climate change across all programs, functions, and agencies attached to DA.
AMIA is one of the seven systems-wide mainstreaming programs which should mainstream at both the strategic and operational level across agencies and programs systems-wide. This means transforming systems, adjusting development programs/projects, and capacitating people to achieve efficiency at all levels of implementation.
“Starting next year, I will go around the region, especially to the areas where our Secretary has not visited yet. This will be one of my priority agenda in order to better understand the place as well as to really determine the needs of the farmers and encourage them to be actively involved in my style of collective or participatory management,” Director Manalo said. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY- Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno urged the public to celebrate the New Year holiday sans firecrackers to prevent firecracker-related injuries and accidents.
Sueno issued the statement in the midst of the annual tradition in welcoming the nativity of Christ, as well as in greeting the New Year, which by practice is accompanied by fireworks and firecrackers display.
“I believe there is no better way to celebrate this Holiday Season than to be in the company of our loved ones enjoying the happy, safe and peaceful comfort of our individual homes. Therefore, I enjoin everyone to try to welcome the festivity with utmost care by going back to our old way of making noise,” he said.
Sueno said that Christmas is not only a season of giving but also a time to rekindle the dwindling Filipino tradition and culture that has taken a back seat due to the evolution of technology.
“Magandang ipakilala din natin muli sa ating mga kabataan ang ilang bagay na nalipasan o nakalimutan na ng panahon ngayong Kapaskuhan tulad ng paggamit ng torotot, kaldero at takip (pot and lid), blowing of horns of the vehicles or by using cellphone ringtones, setting up a sound system outdoors that will encourage community countdown while waiting for the clock to strike at 12 midnight that will signal the coming of the new year,” he said.
Sueno said that while the government still allows the use of some firecrackers, resorting to the customary way of greeting New Year is danger-free and cost efficient.
He added: “Filipinos create noise to welcome the New Year and at the same time drive away the negativity. But we will not be able to do this if at the start of the year if a member of the family will have to be rushed to the hospital for immediate medical attention due to firecracker accident.”
The Secretary also reminded the sellers of pyrotechnics that display centers for such materials will only be allowed outside of malls and with proper safety protection to persons and property under existing rules and regulation.
He also reiterated that all pyrotechnics that will be shown in the display center should be marked with a Philippine Standards Product Certification issued by the Department of Trade and Industry.
In connection to this, Sueno urged all local government units (LGUs) including the DILG’s provincial and regional offices, as well as its attached bureaus and offices to be at the forefront of the campaign.
Last year, the Department of Health recorded 932 cases of injuries nationwide from Dec. 21, 2015 to Jan. 5, 2016.
Of the 932 reported injuries last year, 920 or 98.7 percent were due to fireworks, 10 or 1.1 percent from stray bullets, while 2 or 0.2 percent were firecracker ingestion. (PR)