Laro ng Lahi - Vol. 01 (April-May 2022)

VALUES

Reiza Dejito, author CI Manila Agency Director

Once upon a not-so-distant time I hired two new graduates at around the same time. Dina joined as project assistant but what she really wanted was a seat at the senior management team. As PA, Dina was excellent. She was dynamic, curious, and very ambitious I knew my job was to encouraged her to pursue her dreams. I mentored her, gave a constructive feedback, challenged her, and supported her application to a higher position. Now she is the director of programs for a well-known international humanitarian NGO. Gil, on the other hand, started out as technical officer. He was quiet, loved his work, and was very good at it. He often worked in a stealth mode, and you don’t see or hear from

THE ROCKSTARS AND THE SUPERSTARS

his contributions.

One day, our office air conditioning system went haywire Freezing water flooded the work area Naturally, people stopped what they were doing and waited for the technician to come. The problem was that we had an important deadline in an hour and the technician was three hours away. Without a fuss, Gil went on YouTube and started to tinkle with the AC until it stopped leaking water. I then realized that Gil has been noticing when things were broken — the printer, the light bulb, the creaky door of my office and rolled up his sleeves to fix them, even if they weren’t in his job description.

As I sat down to write this editorial, a pocket book sitting on my desk unread for months caught my attention It’s called “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott. As I flipped through the pages, my eyes rested on the phrase “growth management.” Mr. Scott went on to talk about the difference between “rock stars” and “superstars. ” Superstars are the gogetters in the team. The ones that are continually

challenging themselves and others to do better and be the best versions of themselves. They know what they want for their future and work assertively towards it. Superstars have a steep career trajectory and is focused on growth — of themselves and their teams They are what we call the natural leaders.

“Rock stars and superstars are equally capable of driving excellence within our teams.”

Rock stars are literally the “rock” of the team; the force of stability They aren’t looking for a huge career move and are often contented with where they are and what they are doing and delivering high-quality results without fail They are often misunderstood as people who lack ambition or passion. But this is often a wrong assumption!

That said, rock stars and superstars are equally capable of driving excellence within our teams It’s just the growth trajectory that is different One is gradual, the other is steep. But they both have the capability to contribute significantly to the organization We need a

balance of both to succeed and achieve our goals!

For this edition of the newsletter, we highlight the achievements of the agency in the past two months, and the Values in Action awards in recognition of our colleagues who have gone above and beyond their duties and embodied the values of Children International.

May we continue to celebrate not only our Superstars but also our Rock Stars! After all, one can’t succeed without the other

There’s a silent testimony flushed against the wall of the Agency’s humble lobby. Barely noticeable but just beneath the surface of that dark and antique lumber is an ancient baybayinpurged in steel that says “Larong Lahi,” - a far cry to the triumphs and tribulations, of those who came within these halls. It hangs above the wall to remind us to pay homage to the people, whose lives became part of this legacy and made an impact to the work that we do.

As you sit by the lobby, it shall present itself to you with pride, reminding you that, “you are in a place of great history, where people and their life's work serves a great deal to others and helped improved lives.” Gaze to it and let yourself succumb to its great beauty. Find inspiration between the dark rich pigment of its grains. Whenever you feel disheartened of fate’s defiance, look up to it, and you shall be reminded that, that plank of wood is your blood, sweat and your contribution to humanity.

LEAN

An advocate of mental health, children’s rights, employee's welfare and prisoners “My professor in law school taught me not to forget prisoners for they are humans, too ”

PAT

CZARINA T HONRALES, SR Field Officer

A self-proclaimed Swiftie and a cat lover Former English teacher & newsletter moderator in a private school in QC Psychological and thriller movies/TV series are an unabashed fascination

JACOB

JACOB SAMUEL M MOJICA, FO - Employability

“I love to create engaging, fun, and intriguing stories Before joining CI, I was a monthly contributor for St Lukes’ Best Practices of Lean Six Sigma So paano, see you sa Batisan!”

JIHN

CRISTINA DS ADRIANO, FO - Education Program

OLIVER

GREGGY

GREGGY S BAUTISTA, MEL Coordinator

Greggy loves stories - novels, films, music, mundane conversations, you name it! He has a love-hate relationship with writing, but it wouldn't stop him from telling his own stories

SHAI

SHAIRA ANGELICA MARI C GARNA, FO - Empowement Program

“I love to travel I love to discover new places, and learn different cultures and their people ”

NINZ

“I was a feature writer in grade school and high school publications. Now, I make stories happen for people. I’m a social worker, a classical music ambassador, events coordinator, and an Anglophile.”

JEFF

JEFFRE G CUIZON, FO - Emotional Wellbeing "Former Community Youth Reporter (CYR) Director in Children International and literary writer in high school, ako ay kalmado lang sa buhay kahit araw-araw – kape , #NoToPalpitate"

ALVIN

ALVIN D PEREZ, SR Field Officer

“I

CHRIS

CHRISTIAN JAY A TANDOY, FO - Education Program

Chris has been writing since elementary school beginning as a feature writer He has a keen interest for indoor sports, international politics, and global cooperation

CHESKA

MA FRANCESCA G PERALTA, Agency Journalist

ANGELO NIÑO U. CACHO, SR Assistant

CHRISTIAN LEAN F CALANO, HR Admin Assistant

PATRICIA

TALENT GROWTH DEPARTMENT

TG Department spearheaded the successful Staff Development and “Values in Action Awards” on May 17-18, 2022 in Morong, Bataan Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA) also conducted activities for employees to know the important things in accepting change.

Kudos to our special awardees!

• PEACEMAKER AWARD

James Arthur E Doctor

• BEST INNOVATOR

Marvin L. Posion

• AWRA KING & QUEEN

Ronan Diokno

Dhasey Ree A Rubis

Congratulations to our VIA Awardees:

• WE ARE ALWAYS LEARNING Michelle P. Baldemoro

• WE LIVE THE MISSION

Jeffrey Mark R. Santos

• WE OWN THE IMPACT Violeta G. Pecson

• HUMAN CONNECTION MATTERS

Patrick Elven P. Banaco

• WE SEE POTENTIAL IN EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE Edelyn Jedy S. Molina

Camaraderie doesn't happen by accident. Developing a strong sense of trust, accountability, and kinship around team goals require intentional effort. These are the words uttered by Don Yaeger. This remarkable event happened for a purpose. Long live, Children International Manila!

OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT

OPD noted a list of accomplishments such as identifying new vendors, maintenance activities, among others Additional highlights include:

• Purchased additional 165 mobile units for Education program

• Created collaboration tools in electrical and water utilization

• Delivered bulk orders for Demand Generation Supplies

IT DEPARTMENT

It was a fruitful month for the IT Department as they achieved things beneficial for the whole agency for April and May.

• Migration of files and removal of non-used groups on teams.

• Globe and Smart postpaid plan re-contracting.

• UPS / Battery replacement for CIM server and equipment.

• Cebuana orientation and launching.

• Pull-out & re-allocation of JMD Printers in Central Office and Community Centers.

• Deployment of AIO computers on Community Centers and configuration of shared colored printers.

• Technical support for our Regional Director, Ms Liz Orellana.

ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT

We are always learning & Human connection matters are two CI values that the team practiced during the visit of Ms. Bolet and Ms. Ela to CI Bicol on May 1-6, 2022. The purpose of the exposure visit is to see the hands-on Accounting activities in CIB and learn from processes, and possible improvements needed

Accounting also reported the on-time submissions of Cash Report for the month of May and Idle fund proposal.

Another interesting activity of the Accounting Team was the “Kamustahan 2022” with CI staff. The purpose of the virtual activity is to address the needs and feedbacks of the staff to the operations of the Accounting Department.

PROGRAM REACH

• 12,849 families were reached through CONNECT

• 2,769 children, youth, and caregivers are engaged in activities to promote their emotional well-being

• 698 youth being supported to acquire life skills such as leadership, social responsibility, and empathy, among others

• 2,793 Telehealth calls facilitated by CI Doctors and Dentists

• 17,814 children and youth received their Birthday Gifts

• 5,643 children and youth have been provided with gadgets or wifi/routers to aid in their schooling

• 547 youth awarded postsecondary scholarships for AY 2021-2022 second semester

PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT

Activities:

• Bakit Sessions?: A Voter’s Education Training with 25 Youth Empowerment Seed (YES) participants

• LearnWell Quarterly Reflections

• Engaging Youth towards Child Safeguarding Promotion where youth leaders created advocacy videos to raise awareness.

• Partnership with UPLB College of Human Ecology for Training of Out-ofschool Youth

• Health Services team Meets with Barangay LGU Partners for Social Accountability Program

• Emotional Well-being Program Strengthen Partnership with Schools

100% Scorecard for April & May:

• Welcome Letters,

• Sponsor Correspondence,

• Participation Photos,

• Memos (Single Donation)

Special Needs Donations

• (April 2022)

$ 23,238.360

Peso value, ₱ 1,191,430.71

• (May 2022) $ 14,702.00

Peso value, ₱ 753,771.54

Donations has been utilized for clothing, grocery items, school supplies, hygiene items, vitamins, food supplies, household items, reimbursement for bills payment and other needs.

COMMUNITY CENTER FIELD OFFICES

Regional Director for Asia & Africa, Liz Orellana paid initial visits to Community Centers 2, 3, 4 and 9 since she arrived in the Philippines on April 2022

Liz was able to meet MJ, the 25,000th child to be registered in the agency last December. While in Community Center 9, Liz had conversations with some families in Bulacan who are prone to flooding given that the community is situated in a lowlying area.

Meanwhile, the Nutrition & Education Programs has been thoroughly discussed in her CC4 visit. According to her, the center visits were very interesting for her, as it provided her enlightenment and greater understanding of the people in the communities that we serve. She was also amazed by the stories of the volunteers and learned the importance of their role in delivering the services of Children International.

CI Manila staff with local officials in Brgy. Holy Spirit, Quezon City

Patrick Elven Banaco

One of the values that is important but has been a challenge to live up to in this pandemic is the “human connection matters” Because we know that the strain the whole world has gone through, and we are still going through, is our distance from one another. However, even long before Patrick Elven Banaco (VIA awardee) entered CI, he has been seen a notable demonstration of connecting and valuing relationship with others.

According to him, he takes delight in working with beneficiaries through health services and gives him a sense of fulfillment. He feels that through the things he does in our work, he brings glory to God by being an extension of blessings to others. When the pandemic striked, Patrick was not exempted from experiencing sudden changes and challenges in connecting with others.

To fight mental health issues, he

shared that he keeps himself occupied with good things, like bonding with people through social media, renovating his room, enrolling in online classes, and forming a habit of taking 10,000 steps a day.

On the other hand, Children International continued to deliver services to our sponsored families and through modifications done in our work, challenges and defiance in connecting with our sponsored families became more bearable. Over time he learned, most specifically in these trying times, that working together is better than working alone, two heads is better than one. How different he is today is the result of being guided by different mentors and being influenced by different leadership styles which contributed to developing himself professionally and in personal life.

"Know the proper time when to talk, and the proper time when to listen.”

“

Patrick (right) with CI Manila Agency Director, Reiza Dejito

But how does Patrick live with this value - human connection? "Know the proper time when to talk, and the proper time when to listen.”

CIM BATISAN CORNER

BATISAN SITE: IT Department

Sinetch Itechiwang bortang otoko sa IT na mahigpit ang paniniwala sa kasabihan na, “Happy wife, happy life”

a. Bob B. Ian C. James D. Ryan

BATISAN SITE: Accounting Department

Sinetch itey na gurlaloo na kahit warlang warla at jines na jines na sa checking ng liquidations di padin papakabog sa pagiging mahinhin at mahinahon?

a. Glen b. Ela c. Nida d. Jas

BATISAN SITE: SR Department

“Timing is everything, there are times when you just need to listen, because there are people who just need to express how they feel, there are times when they only need someone to listen ” He believes that the Foundation of human connection is how we communicate and associate with others. He shared how important it is to get somebody's trust and confidence; providing them with an atmosphere of security and assurance that they can trust you. That is something he acquired while learning Nutrition in UP (University of the Philippines), a medical ethics of confidentiality.

“Weexplore the world not with the places we travel. We explore the world, one personatatime.”

-PatrickElvenP.Bañaco,2022

Sa kanyang early age ay naging business owner na ng cosmetics. Though, the business was shaken, but the great lesson was learned with the courage, love and support in the family...they put up a food business na tuluy tuloy pa rin hanggang ngayon. Isang ka SR na talented, mahilig mag travel and continue to stand and fight against poverty.

a. Dhel b. Stef c. Pops d. Dhasey

BATISAN SITE: Programs Department

Sinetch itey na starlette na jowable na jowable sa dami ng investments? May 3 policy plan, may St. Peter plan, may Forex Trading Funds, COL financial, Coop funds and many more?

a. Sab b. Vince c. Dara d. Shaira

FIND OUT IN OUR TEAMS CHANNEL ON JUNE 18, 2022 EE YOU AGAIN, KA BATISAN!