Republic of the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources PROVINCIAL ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES OFFICEILOCOS NORTE

DENR Provincial Building, Giron Street corner Castro Avenue, 2900 Laoag City
Tel. Nos. (077) 772-0254; (077)770-3439; Fax No. (077) 771-1475; E-mail: penro_inorte@yahoo.com

OFFICE OF THE PENRO

Juan P. de los Reyes, Jr. PENRO MESSAGE
K4 PRESIDENTS MEETING May 15- 17, 2013 Plaza del Norte Hotel and Convention Center Laoag City It is with great pleasure and honor that I extend my sincerest appreciation to the distinguished and hard working Presidents of the Kalipunan ng mga Kawani sa Kagawaran ng Kalikasan, and to the host affiliate unionthe Samahan ng mga Manggagawa para sa Kalikasan of DENR 1, as you hold the K4 Presidents Meeting here in Ilocos Norte. This meeting is timely because of the essential matters that evolve in the institution which we belong, such as the rationalization plan and other employees welfare program of the DENR, as well as other national and regional issues and concerns which are of significance to discuss. Today, I assume that the general goal of this gathering is to show the crucial role played by the public sector employee unions in the field of governance, management roles, and especially the welfare of each DENR employee. In so doing, this will somehow temper the negative perception which the agency heads have of public sector unions that the latter has no other goal than their downfall. Yet, there is optimism that there will be least resistance/reluctance on the part of the agency heads to accept public sector unionism. Government employees need not hide whenever they campaign for union membership or gather for meeting such as this assemble. All that they have to do is to go to management and say "Sir/Madam, we want to be your
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partner in achieving the agency goals and we are forming a union for this purpose." After all, the major objective of public sector unionism is to harmonize working relationship within us for more effective and efficient public service to the people. Under this approach, no reasonable management can afford to reject the offer of organizing employees union in the government. There will thus emerge a responsive management and a responsible public sector employee union with a common objective-- efficient and effective public service delivery. What is meant by public sector unionism? How can it contribute to good governance . . . to the overall growth of the country? What is its role in the everyday interaction between the government employees and the heads of agencies? These questions have long been addressed by the effectiveness of K4 all throughout the years, if only to justify the importance given to public sector unionism by the Philippine Constitution when it incorporated various provisions to guarantee its exercise and to ensure that the efforts of the framers of the Constitution are not in vain. Truly, the efforts of the framers of the Constitution are not in vain because private and public sector unionism or the right to organize has been given more essence, empowerment, and duties to fulfill every commitment to the agency or institutions we serve. For example, the SAMAKA members and officers of PENRO Ilocos Norte vowed to help the poorest Barangays in this province in their own modest way. How? They put their resources together, collect gift items from various sources, pledge a little from their bonuses-- and I am proud to tell, that this feat of making other people smile every December has been going on for six (6) consecutive years. Page Speaking of empowerment, the rationalization plan has recently challenged our employees in Ilocos Norte. The promise of security of tenure under such
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plan is too convincing and too plain to ignore. Again, what our co-workers in SAMAKA did is to help their colleagues have that chance to win a security of employmentthus, they approached the Civil Service Commission through our central office and requested them to conduct a special exam for our co- workers. Yet, the empowerment did not cease there. Menbers and officers of SAMAKA in PENRO Ilocos Norte have also organized a free group review to prepare their co- workers for the exam. With such acts and performance of obligation, a responsible public sector union therefore, is an organization of government employees which: 1. Makes government employees aware not only of their rights but also of their responsibilities; 2. Knows not only to make impositions or demands but also to listen to reason; 3. Looks upon Management not as rival but as partner to social and economic progress and; 4. Balances its interests with those of the management and the agency as a whole. Hence, may this gathering create opportunities for innovation in the field of secured environmental and human development through your combined efforts and ingenuity; a chance to inspire each other for the advancement of the institution and the union; and invest to the DENR management a workforce which will truly uplift the lives of every Filipino, so that at the end of the day, that path which our present leaders chose to take shall be the same path our younger generation of professional and dynamic workers in the institution will follow. My best regards and gratitude to K4 for choosing Ilocos Norte as the venue for this years Convention. As you hold the event here, may the association and the participants also find time to discover the natural beauty and world- class tourist destinations, and the Ilocano hospitality that our peace- loving people of Ilocos Norte has to offer. Thank you and God bless us all! oOo
STN 001-51513- FAN- IOPIN

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