The Provincial Human Resource Management Office (PHRMO), headed by PHRM Officer Dr. Ma. Carla Lucia M. Torralba, conducted the Alay sa Bayan (ALAB) Seminar from April 22 to April 23, 2025 in the Ammungan Hall of the Capitol Compound, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. The Alay sa Bayan or ALAB Seminar is an ‘induction program for new entrants’ initiated by the Civil Service Commission in the 1990s, aimed at broadening new employees’ understanding of their selves, communities, and responsibilities.
Mrs. Cristina S. Gurat, Training Specialist at Region II Trauma and Medical Center, was invited to be the resource speaker for the two-day event. Among the participants were newly promoted permanent employees and newly hired Casual and COS employees from various offices of the PLGU both within and outside the Capitol Compound. The seminar included several modules that focused on such topics as learning, communication, self-discovery, the Philippine identity and experience, and the traits, values, and duties of a good public servant. These lectures were punctuated with both team-building and individual activities meant to foster companionship and illustrate the more complex concepts under discussion.
Mrs. Gurat emphasized the importance of communication, the differences between patriotism and nationalism, and the conduct of public servants. She also reiterated that while some behaviors are not codified in the rule book, these will be frowned upon when it comes to upholding professional standards in the workplace. “We should always strive to be professional when we serve our fellow people.”
In her short opening address, Dr. Torralba encouraged the wholehearted participation of the attendees, as the seminar will remind them as to what their efforts on every work day equate and what their responsibilities are within the PLGU. The Alay sa Bayan Seminar indeed served as both a learning opportunity and a timely recall of the duties and responsibilities of a public servant not only to themselves, but to their communities and country at large. /igmb
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