Last December 16, 2023, I donned my second sablay at UP Open
University in Los Baños, Laguna. The first was four years ago for my Diploma in
Land Use Planning. This time, for my master’s degree in Public Management to
which I majored in Local Government and Regional Administration (LGRA).
Some have asked me what would now be my next plan. My reply was, I
do not know yet, because when I enrolled in both courses I was not thinking of
the future rather I was preoccupied with my self-imposed belief that my
previous and today’s positions should be matched with a good academic
background because such would help me give the best service to the people, the
brand of service that they rightfully deserve. And which university can provide
me such good academic background other than can be provided by the best
university in the country and one of the “bests” in the world, the University
of the Philippines.
Thankfully, there is the UP Open University that made UP education
readily accessible to someone like me who lives and work in the province and
definitely cannot make it to a UP physical campus. Thanks, too, to the
professors from the UP System who generously shared their time and brilliance
to us learners. Gratitude as well to modern communications technology that bridged
the distance.
In 2017, right after passing the board exam for environmental
planner which made me qualified to occupy planning and development position on
an assistant or department head level in the local government unit, I felt I am
still inadequate, knowledge and technical-wise. By the way, I was only
qualified to take the planner’s board because I was an incumbent planning
officer in our LGU by virtue of the five-year grace period that was guaranteed
by RA10587 or the Environmental Planning Act of 2013; which means after 2019,
all applicants for the board exam should be a graduate of environment planning or urban
planning or related courses. The classes for the Diploma in Land Use Planning
were delivered fully online for the first to three semesters and for the last
semester a practicum is required where students have to physically meet together
with the professor to conduct actual planning workshop. The coursework was a
huge challenge for a learner like me who have been away from school for fifteen
years. Self-doubt as in questioning my ability consumed me but have considered
it to be useful as it flexed my self-discipline and perseverance. In 2019, I
finished the course, wore the sablay, and smiled with a dream fulfilled.
By 2020, the position of secretary top the Sangguniang Bayan is
about to be vacated as the incumbent is about to retire in a year. That
presented a golden opportunity for me to elevate my present status of an
assistant planning officer to a department head position. Fortunately, I was vouched
by the mayor as well as by Sangguniang Bayan members and eventually hired by the
vice-mayor; the latter being the appointing authority. Being the secretary of
the sanggunian as my colleagues know is more than just preparing the agenda and
the minutes of the sessions and meetings, it is also having the responsibility
of making sure that all ordinances and resolutions being deliberated and
enacted are well-researched and properly formulated. At times, a secretary has to
initiate the passage of some ordinances and resolutions one deems useful and necessary
for the municipality.
Again, with my personal belief that a position in the government should
be coupled with necessary and relevant academic degree, one that is above the required
minimum, I enrolled in Master of Public Management program, where else, but in
the UP Open University. After three years of coursework and passing the comprehensive
exam, I got my second sablay.
Looking back some 23 years ago, what I only desire is to graduate in college and land a job in the government. I have no idea yet as to which agency or department and what specific task I would be doing. As time went by, surprising opportunities and challenges took their turns.
Going back to the
question as to what I will be doing now with my new degree and all that came
before it, again, I do not have a definite answer yet. What matters now is I
can assure the public that I am now prepared more than ever to serve them.
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