Reality bites. When stereotyping, the term “government employee” connotes eight hours of work, benefits and slow delivery of service. It hurts but, most of the time, it is true.
Despite this image hurled to public servants, some government workers try to make a change.
Now that we are celebrating the 112th anniversary of Civil Service Commission, the agency acknowledged employees of the government who showed exemplary achievements in the field of public service.
Twenty years ago, a social worker from the province received the highest award bestowed to a government employee, The Lingkod Bayan Award.
Some people may not remember her heroic deeds during the Mt. Pinatubo Eruption but her genuine service continues these days. We can hear her voice during relief operations, distribution of Philhealth cards and other activities related to social service.
She is no other than our very own officer-in-charge of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), Elizabeth Estiller-Baybayan.
Ma’am Beth, as we call her, has been in the public service for 24 years. She is a mother of five children and married to Col. Arthur Baybayan of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Aside from being a registered social worker, she has her Masteral degree in Public Administration.
It was her sixth year in civil service when Mt. Pinatubo erupted—a big challenge to a social worker like her was how much they can sacrifice in exchange of their sworn duty as civil servants.
Being the Social Welfare Officer III of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Luzon then, she bravely headed the team that rescued the Aetas from the mountain. That was already a challenge in itself, but for her, who was then five months pregnant with her third child, the stakes were even higher.
“Sa harapan ko mismo, pagkatapos naming dumaan sa Apalit-Pabanlag Bridge nakita ko kung paano ito lamunin ng lahar. Kung hindi kami naging mabilis baka natabunan na kami,”Baybayan narrated.
Ma’am Beth said that during the rescue operation she was unmindful of her condition, acting on instinct to save lives. Because of this, she was able to save the lives of 15, 079 aetas from being buried in lahar.
“Parang nakalimutan kong buntis ako nung oras na yun, basta ang nasa isip ko ibaba sila sa bundok dahil kung hindi maraming mamamatay,” she added.
Her tale of valor was documented by a major television network in their documentary program BAYANI.
Baybayan served as the Municipal Social Welfare officer of Floridablanca, Pampanga from 1994 to 2011. Among the prominent achievements of MSWDO under her leadership were: institutionalization of Budget of Local Social Welfare and Development Program and Service to the municipal and barangay level; establishment of 47 Daycare Centers over 33 barangays; endorsement of the full implementation of the Magna Carta to provincial social worker; and, facilitation of the construction of Daycare Centers turned ECCD fund at the Provincial Level.
Her accomplishments in the municipality reached the provincial government, thus, Gov. Lilia “Nanay” Pineda tapped her services for the whole Pampanga.
Now the PSWDO, Baybayan has been in the forefront in the delivery of programs and services that give emphasis to the welfare and development of the Capampangan such as the Child Abuse Prevention and Intervention Network (CAPIN), wherein Pampanga was chosen to be the model for CAPIN’s International Organization for Standardization (ISO) accreditation.
She said that a social worker should have a magnanimous and passionate heart to accommodate less fortunate people. Thus, their programs are directed to addressing the best interest and welfare of the people in poor conditions.
Her will to serve did not falter for more than two decades in civil service, this was proven by the awards she received since 1992 up to present wherein she was given the Lingkod Bayan Award by President Fidel Ramos, Pusong Magiting Award by DSWD III, SPED Leadership Gawad Parangal Partnership Award by DepEd, Outstanding Layman’s Award of DepEd, and Outstanding MSWDO 2010 of the Association of Local Social Welfare and Development Officer of the Philippines Inc. Pampanga Chapter and the numerous certificate of merits and Commendation that filled her office.
For Ma’am Beth civil service is not a job, it is a commitment to serve.
If all government employees will emulate this belief then we can proudly say that public servants are no less than our unsung heroes.
(Jenna V. Lumbang, PIO – Pampanga)
