City officials requested the City Human Resource Management Office (CHRMO) and the Local Government Unit–Baguio Employees Association, Inc. (LGU-BEAI) to tone down or limit the activities for the upcoming celebration of the 2020 Employees Week to comply with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic health protocols crafted by the inter-agency task force for the management of emerging and re-emerging infectious disease.
Under Resolution No. 617, series of 2020, signed by Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, local legislators stated that even during the present crisis situation, alternative activities must be explored to boost the morale and dynamism of every local government employee as good and reliable public service providers for the effective and efficient delivery of the basic services to the people.
The council pointed out that the 2020 Employees Week can still be celebrated through activities other than the usual events that shall conform to existing health and social regulations albeit on a nominal scale but can still impact on the psyche of local government workers assigned in the different offices.
The body reminded that the country is still on national health emergency and state of calamity because of the COVID pandemic with various levels of community quarantine being implemented in the different parts of the archipelago, with stringent health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of the deadly virus that could eventually stress the health care system and overwhelm the frontliners.
According to the council, in compliance to issued COVID health procedures and practices, local government employees are enjoined to take the lead in its compliance and observance to effectively and continuously arrest the spread of the deadly virus that had already infected millions of people worldwide.
The city government, through the CHRMO and the LGU-BEAI, celebrates the annual Employees Week every first week of December with various activities to promote the welfare of the government workers.
The council stipulated that all the activities lined up for the 2020 celebration of the Employees Week should be consulted with the City Mayor’s Office, the City Health Services Office, and other concerned government offices on the conduct of the aforesaid undertakings without compromising the health and safety of the workers.
The LGU-BEAI is the duly recognized organization of city government employees pursuant to existing civil service laws, rules and regulations vested to make the appropriate representations with the city government on the welfare and benefits of the workers assigned in the different offices.
City officials remain optimistic that the prevailing community quarantine guidelines will soon be relaxed as part of the efforts to help revive the city economy and bring back the vibrance of businesses to generate more jobs and economic activities for the displaced workers in the private sector over the past 8 months.
By Dexter A. See