DepEd receives PRIME HRM Maturity Level II Recognition from CSC

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Geared towards excellence in human resource management, the Department of Education Central Office (DepEd CO) received its Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM) Maturity Level II recognition from the Civil Service Commission National Capital Region (CSC-NCR) last February 14.

 

In a virtual awarding ceremony, DepEd CO, under the leadership of Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones, formally received the certification for the PRIME-HRM Maturity Level II from CSC Director II of Field Office Makati Phillip C. Apostol.

 

“We thank the Civil Service Commission for recognizing our efforts to improve our HR system. This journey has been long but fruitful. We intend to keep on improving our systems and processes to empower not only our HRM officers but also our personnel,” Secretary Briones said.

 

For the first time since the inception of PRIME HRM in the agency, DepEd passed the CSC-NCR assessment on all four core HRM systems, namely Recruitment, Selection, and Placement (RSP), Learning and Development (L&D), Performance Management (PM), and Rewards and Recognition (R&R).

 

“We have witnessed in the Department of Education Central Office the change that happened in their HR systems, practices and competencies through PRIME-HRM. Nakita natin ‘yung desire ng CO PRIME-HRM team to be ‘PRIMEd’ and capacitated, nakita natin ‘yung series of meetings, series of trainings, series of orientations conducted to capacitate the HR focal persons, the top management, the top committees, all officials and employees of DepEd CO. Nakita natin ang bayanihan. We are now reaping the fruits of our hard labor,” Dir. Apostol shared. 

 

After the meticulous review and audit of its HR policies and processes from the team of assessors from the CSC-NCR, DepEd CO is initially granted CSC accreditation or the authority to take final action on appointments.

 

“Hindi lamang po dito ito nagtatapos. Hindi masusukat ang galing at success ng isang organisasyon kung mananatili ito kung saan ito narito ngayon. Sa halip, ito ay isang hamon para muli natin akyatin ang sunod na baitang and hopefully ay maka-level three tayo. Hopefully, after that, we can claim that DepEd, the largest bureaucracy in the government, is the pioneer in this excellence,” Undersecretary for Human Resource Management and Organization Development Wilfredo Cabral stated.

 

At present, DepEd CO is awaiting for the results of the CSC Central Office’s validation and regional recommendation for the agency’s PRIME-HRM Bronze Award. Upon its official conferment for Bronze, additional CSC incentives and privileges shall be granted to DepEd as Level II compliant agency.

 

“With the strong support of our top management, DepEd successfully passed the assessment of our HRM systems. We thank our Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones, our ExeCom and Central Office ManCom, the employees of our central office for giving top priority to PRIME HRM preparations and activities,” BHROD Director Atty. Anne Rachel Miguel said.

3 Philippine cities join global partnership to access better digital tool that can help achieve a 1.5C trajectory

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The cities of Baguio, Makati, and San Fernando (La Union) have joined an international partnership with 47 other cities from 17 countries to use new digital tools, accessible data, and quantified feedback for their transition towards the target of Net-Zero carbon emissions.

Through the partnership, the local governments of these 3 Philippines cities will be able to develop more impactful climate action plans while collaborating with their own city departments, residents, and other cities across countries.

The participation of Baguio, Makati, and San Fernando (LU) is part of their engagement in the One Planet Cities (OPC) project led by WWF-Philippines and is part of the “Year of Climate Action” partnership between WWF and climate technology software company Futureproofed.

“We are delighted to see our Philippine cities take a step further in their journey towards 1.5C alignment while also strengthening both external and internal collaborations. The digital platform provided by WWF and Futureproofed will surely help in complementing the cities’ One Planet City Challenge (OPCC) feedback results, which they can use in their assessment and ways forward to an effective climate action plan for their city,” said Imee Bellen, Project Manager of OPC from WWF-Philippines.

Relevant feedback will be offered to the participating cities, including which measures and policies lead to the most significant emissions reductions and which actions are cost-effective in achieving their part towards the 1.5C trajectory of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

“No matter how good our data, climate transition today is less of an information and technology issue, and more about implementation and cooperation. Sharing knowledge, in real time, across countries, contexts and continents, about what works and what doesn’t; aligning experts within cities and across departments behind an overarching political plan and motivating everyone to take ownership, will lead to success” said in an open letter dated January 27, signed and published by select participating cities, including WWF and Futureproofed for the launch of the “Year of Climate Action”.

As part of their starting activities, more than 30 City Government officials and staff from Baguio, Makati, and San Fernando City have joined the Local City Team Launch sessions last February 15 and 17, 2022, with other cities from Indonesia, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

The sessions consisted of two main parts, with the first one led by Futureproofed City Climate Coach Annabel Vanhoven presenting the role of cities in climate change and an overview on the OPCC and Futureproofed cities.

The second part was a breakout session where participants were divided into groups per city to discuss the status, challenges, and points of collaboration for their climate action plan with the various city departments present.

Meanwhile, results from OPCC, WWF’s friendly competition on climate action among cities globally, will be announced by March 2022, with other local OPC activities in the pipeline for the 16 PH participating cities for the rest of the year.

*Futureproofed is a climate technology software company that provides software-platforms FutureproofedCities and CarbonCap to help cities and organizations to measure, manage and reduce their CO2-emissions. The “Year of Climate Action” partnership with WWF runs for the entire 2022. See futureproofed.com/about

New Philippine ePassport Renewal Center inaugurated in Singapore

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Hon. Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, inaugurated the new Philippine ePassport Renewal Center in Singapore on 28 January 2022 in the presence of other distinguished dignitaries. In a bid to ease the ePassport renewal process for Filipino nationals living overseas, the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines and VFS Global had signed a contract on 6 August 2021 to extend Philippine ePassport Renewal services to eight other countries aside from Singapore.

The launch of the VFS Global ePassport Renewal Center in Singapore marked the first time the Department of Foreign Affairs outsourced its ePassport renewal process for its nationals living in the Asia Pacific region. Following the success of the operations in the pilot location in Dubai which operates 12 hours every day, VFS Global successfully expanded its services to one more city in the UAE. This was followed by Centres in other countries like Ireland, Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UK, and the US, amidst the pandemic.

Commenting at the launch of the ePassport Renewal Center (PaRC), Hon. Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines, said "The establishment of ePassport Renewal Centers in various parts of the world is an attestation of the President's commitment to ensuring that government services are accessible and convenient to every Filipino. Singapore is certainly a priority for this service, as over 200,000 Filipinos in Singapore will benefit from having the option to renew their passport in another location aside from the Philippine Embassy."

Mr. Jiten Vyas, Regional Group COO, VFS Global, added "We would like to thank the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines for its continued faith in us. Our passport and consular services have been growing from strength to strength, and we look forward to bringing those best-in-class services to Filipino nationals here in Singapore with this new Centre."

Key benefits of the Philippine ePassport Renewal Center:
- Improved passport services to Philippine nationals living overseas

- Reduced crowding at Consulates/Embassies and greater convenience for the customer submitting their application with VFS Global

- Strict verifiable processes to ensure accuracy of biometric data collection

- Flexible 'prime time' services at select locations for submissions beyond regular office hours

- Optional two-way courier services for safe delivery of your passports

- Application tracking facility with the SMS service

- Form filling support

Important information for Philippine ePassport Renewal services customers in Singapore:

As the safety of our customers and employees is our priority, VFS Global has implemented strict health and safety measures in line with Government guidelines for physical distancing at the Centres. Customers must wear a face mask/face covering to enter the premises, and a temperature reading will be required on arrival. Customers exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, including fever (higher than 37.3 degrees Celsius), cough and difficulty in breathing, will not be allowed to proceed with their applications and be allowed to reschedule their appointments for another day. Customers can visit our website: https://services.vfsglobal.com/sgp/en/phl or email us at info.philippinesg@vfshelpline.com for more details.

Philippine ePassport Renewal Center
Address in Singapore: 79 Anson, 15-02, Singapore 079906
Email id: info.philippinesg@vfshelpline.com
Website: https://services.vfsglobal.com/sgp/en/phl
Submission Timing: 0800 hrs-1600 hrs (Monday to Friday, except holidays)

*VFS Global will be responsible only for accepting applications for client missions. All applications submitted will continue to be assessed and processed by the respective client missions. Timelines for turnaround are as per the discretion of the authorities.