Rama, CEMEX honored for “exemplary” works

CEBU, Philippines - A Cebuano mayor and a Cebu-based company were awarded by the People Management Association of the Philippines for exemplary public service and management.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama was picked as “Most Outstanding People Manager” for the public sector, and APO Cement Corporation (CEMEX), which is based in Tinaan, City of Naga, was awarded as “Employer of the Year.”

Rama and CEMEX were chosen based on performance, integrity, and impact to the people they serve, after more than five months of tedious search, screening and judging administered by Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma, chairman of the onsite validation and interview committee, along with Professional Regulation Commission Chief Teresita R. Manzala and former Supreme Court administrator Ismael G. Khan Jr.  as members.

Coloma heads the Presidential Communications Operations Office.

After 22 consecutive years of service in political and human resource arenas, Rama was acknowledged as the “People Manager of the Year” for demonstrating “exemplary personal talent and skills in transitioning from a political manager in the private sector to being a high-profile public servant,” during the recently-concluded 51st PMAP Annual Conference at the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel and Casino.

More than 1,500 human resource executives and practitioners from all over the Philippines attended the gathering.

“He served for 22 consecutive years in a top three positions in a government organization, served as human resource practitioner in one of the leading industrial organization in the country, embedded the egos of public service from earlier generations of role model and always demonstrated in his belief in the primacy of people, emphasized professionalism and competence in building and leading a well-organized and high-cohesive management team as pivotal element in delivering responsive public service in bustling community,” read the award citation.

“As a visionary, he has driven an organization to establish environment friendly infrastructure to people, to live high quality lives where their highest potentials can be actualized,” it further read.

In a press conference yesterday, Rama said the award serves as a “legacy” for his more than two decades of service.

“The award was not for me…it was intended for the people of Cebu because I was only good with all your help,” he said.

Rama was a former HR manager of the Cebu Oxygen and Acetylene Company of the Aboitiz Group. As a political figure, he started as a city councilor in 1992.

In an article, PMAP president and former Department of Labor and Employment undersecretary Josephus Jimenez said Rama brought into public service a rich reservoir of wisdom in leading and managing people.

“Rama was lauded (during the awarding ceremony) for his transparency, inclusive, innovative, and developmental and strategic leadership of the City of Cebu,” Jimenez said.

CEMEX, on the other hand, was chosen for its exemplary care for the health and safety of its employees by “embodying the values of leadership, collaboration and integrity in all its operations.”

Other winners for Most Outstanding People Manager for the public sector were Civil Service Commission Chairman Francisco T. Duque III (national office Category) and Bulacan Public Service Employment Office Chief Elizabeth Alonso (career service category).

The winners, Jimenez said, would serve as an inspiration for the country’s people managers to be of better service to the public.

Formerly known as Personnel Management Association of the Philippines, PMAP, as a premier organization of HR professionals and people managers in the country, promotes competence, integrity and professionalism. (FREEMAN)