The youth is undoubtedly the future of our world. The generations before us are our teachers, inspirations, and mentors. The essence of being young is learning and repeatedly making mistakes, experiencing failure and rejection to prepare us for when we become teachers, inspirations, and mentors. As we learn from our parents, professors and bosses we are enlightened about our purpose, and what we truly want out of life. Just like these young men and women who chose public service as their vocation.
1. Chlarizel Pangan
A graduate with Latin honors of Tarlac State University, Chlarizel is now a Social Media Officer/Content Producer of the Department of Transportation (DOTr). Like a lot of Filipinos, Chlarizel sought after a career abroad. Her rejection from opportunities abroad is a blessing in disguise. She shares that working in the government was a latter part of her life plan but a new page has been turned for her.
“That is, when I realized that there’s more than just fulfilling my own dreams and gaining experience for my own personal growth- That is, the country’s future, with our fellow countrymen’s dreams in it.”
As a Social Media Officer and Content Producer of the DOTr, Chlarizel produces content to be posted on social media platforms, cover department events, and assisting in the success of campaigns by the department. Amidst all her tasks, Chlarizel acknowledges the obstacles and challenges she faces. “I’ve been experiencing winds of pressure, as I am working with more highly-skilled public servants, who work in the government for so long, and are older than me. The feeling of being an inferior is present.”
Despite the pressure she faces, Chlarizel does not let that stop her. “But, In spite of these pain points, I choose to stay, because it’s an honor and a privilege to be a young government professional.” Her headstrong attitude when it comes to work and public service is clear. Through her work ethic and accepting that life may have a different path for her Chlarizel has remained hardworking and optimistic about the future. She shares that the DOTr Assistant Secretary of Communication and Commuter Affairs Hope Libiran along with her colleagues are mentors to her. They have helped her develop her skills and broaden her knowledge to become a more efficient and effective worker.
Assistant Secretary Hope Libiran continues to be an inspiration for Chlarizel, she keeps in mind what ASec. Libiran told her. “Do not be afraid to learn new things, and do more difficult tasks”. As people, we may be afraid to always commit mistakes and refrain from admitting our faults, but here, Chlarizel’s mentor encourages her to be courageous with her work, as that is the way to learn new things.
Chlarizel is hopeful for the future of the country and the DOTr, working for the department has made her optimistic about the future. “…what drives and motivates me to stay is my family, and the future I foresee for our country. A future I would want to be a part of. A future full of hope for young people like me, and for all our fellow countrymen, as I personally witness how the government persists to go above and way beyond, with whatever means and ways viable and possible, for the sake of the common good.”
2. Christine Caguillo
23-year-old Christine Caguillo is a graduate with Latin Honors of Central Colleges of the Phillipines and a licensed Psychometrician. She started working for the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as a Project Officer. Currently, she holds the position of Administrative Assistant II whilst assigned at the Office of the Director in the Bureau of Local Government Development.
As an administrative assistant, Christine helps manage ISO compliance as well as Human Resources, specifically with recruitment selection and promotions in the bureau. Coming from working in the private sector, Christine heard about a vacancy in the DILG from a friend. She was immediately interested because she is aware that the department plays a big role in the country. After working for the DILG for two years, she finds her work fulfilling and enjoyable. She shares that enjoying your job is important. “I enjoy what I do so far and it is very important because, through that, you won’t feel that you are working.” Working for the government, Christine wanted to return how the government has changed her life, because she was a government scholar during her higher education.
As much as Christine enjoys her work, she acknowledges that a challenge for working for the government is the public’s perception. “No matter what efforts the government will do, people will focus on the wrong did.” Regardless of the negative perceptions of the government and their actions, Christine remains motivated. “My motivations to stay are those people behind me and the environment where you can find a lot of passionate and dedicated government employees who are giving their best to serve the country well.”
Throughout her career with the DILG, Christine’s mentor through it all is her boss, Director Anna Liza Bonagua. One of the greatest things her mentor has taught her is that passion for your work is essential. That is because achieving your goals takes time and effort, thus one must be patient throughout the process. Aside from Director Anna Liza Bonagua, Christine’s inspiration is her family. “There are times that I would want to give up during the hard times but every time I will think of supporting my family being the breadwinner, it feels better and I’m getting all back my inspiration to work hard. “
Despite all the struggles Christine faces, she remains proud of her involvement in the DILG. “…DILG plays a vital role to pursue change that many people have been longing in our country. And I’m proud to be part of the better future that awaits us.” Christine has learned to take inspiration and motivation from her environment, she never forgets her humble beginnings and uses her life as her driving force. “Wherever I am right now, all I can say is that it just all started with a dream to finish my studies to get a good job and pay it forward to those who are in need. The vision to help people drives and motivates me to work harder. “
3. Kath Vitug
A graduate of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, 22-year-old Kath Vitug, works as an Information Officer in the Department of Health. Kath turned her love for multimedia communications into a career by working as a freelancer after graduating. After working remotely, Kath got bored and decided to apply for a full-time position. As a fresh graduate, she understood that what she was receiving was not enough to pay all the bills so she kept accepting projects to earn more cash.
This lifestyle of working full-time but also accepting commission projects made Kath burnt out, she felt like a robot and lost the enjoyment she used to feel. She followed her intuition, prioritized herself, and decided to resign and take a break. “I told myself that everyone needs to take breaks from time to time and I should not feel guilty about not making any “progress” in life.” After her well-deserved break, Kath heard about the job vacancy in the DOH from her cousin. The vacancy was specifically in the Health Promotion and Communication Unit, because of her history in the field of Communication, Kath applied.
She was employed as an Administrative Assistant for Health Promotion Services of the DOH Central Luzon Center for Health Development (DOH CLCHD). After only two months of working in the DOH CLCHD, Kath was offered a new position. Now she is an Information Officer II under the Health Promotion and Communication Service Unit of the DOH Central Office. Her job requires her to assist in developing and producing Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials, communication plans for DOH campaigns and so much more.
4. Rovin James Canja
During his fourth year studying Chemical Engineering at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Rovin Canja decided to shift his degree to Public Administration. Now 23-years-old and working as an Executive Assistant in the Department of Education (DepEd), following his intuition and shifting courses has served him well. During his college years, Rovin organized several socio-civic projects that catered to the student body and campaigned for advocacies. Rovin also participated in a First Bill Drafting contest which was organized by the House of Representatives. Rovin and his teammates were 1st-runner up in the contest with their bill, “An Act Establishing the Emission Cap-and-Trade System in the Energy Generation and Supply Sector to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and to Protect the Environment.”
His career in the DepEd started with a school requirement, a two-month internship to fulfill a subject requirement. Students can select a government agency to work for. He chose DepEd because he was interested in that it would be a challenge to work for bureaucracy and he found it a privilege to work under Secretary Briones. After the two months passed, his supervisor asked him to work full-time for DepEd, and ever since he has remained with the department, for 2 years now. His decision to work full-time for DepEd was grounded from one of his learnings from studying in UP. “…upon studying many years in UP, the most important thing that I learned was that there is nothing more noble than to serve the nation and the Filipino people.”
As an executive assistant, Rovin is tasked to ensure that the executive can dedicate their time to make critical decisions for the Department and to perform their duties with effectivity and efficiency. Rovin is also in charge of communications and document management. Rovin shares that working for DepEd is not easy, everything done has to undergo formal processes in accordance with the law, there are voluminous amounts of work, new issues every day, and pressures from the public. Regardless of all these challenges, he finds motivation in Filipinos. “I always remind myself that I must make sure that every peso the average Filipino taxpayer pays for my salary is well spent. Moreover, what motivates me to work hard is that every single task that I accomplish could help a teacher, a parent or a learner in whatever way possible.“
Rovin also finds inspiration from the dedication of the officials, personnel, and teachers who all work hard to help satisfy that every Filipino learner has a right to quality basic education. Working with Secretary Briones has made Rovin witness the applications of his public administration learnings. “It helped me appreciate the effectiveness of participatory governance and the role of the different stakeholders in the decision-making process. Being exposed to the day-to-day operations of the Department under the current leadership, I learned that “effective leaders do what is right, not what is popular.”
Rovin credits Secretary Briones as one of his mentors because she does not give up and has led the Department in the right direction. Another mentor of his was his supervisor during his internship, John Duldalao. “As a fellow UP Lingkod Bayan, he helped me learn through the ropes as I started my career in the public sector. In our free time, we always tend to have policy and political discussions which really helps me gain further understanding of the Philippine bureaucracy.”
His mentors taught him a valuable lesson that Rovin will always keep in mind. “…one must always think “politically”. This means that before making any decision, we should always think of the consequences of our action and how it may affect others. Whatever we do, no matter how big or small, can make a difference, and may create a huge impact to the people around us, or to the society as a whole.”
As the DepEd continues to face challenges regarding how to go about education during the time of a pandemic, Rovin sees the future of DepEd to be at the forefront of national development. “I see the Department will continue to be the forefront towards nation development through the advancement of education and will constantly improve to fulfill its mandate of delivering quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating education for all the Filipino learners. “
Chlarizel Pangan, Christine Caguillo, Kath Vitug, and Rovin Canja, all have faced difficulties after college but have found solace in working for and with the Filipino people. Constantly inspired and inspiring, these four people are a snapshot into the future of our country. Working effectively and efficiently may Chlarizel, Christine, Kath, and Rovin continue to serve the Filipinos to become their mentors and inspirations for the generations to come.
Photo Credit: Chlarizel Pangan
Photo Credit: Christine Caguillo
Photo Credit: Kath Vitug
Photo Credit: Rovin Canja
