Working Beyond Overtime
Volume XVII NO. 50 (October 4-10, 2014)
No to work just for compliance.Yes to doing your best. Know your work and know the deadline. No to not knowing your work and not knowing the deadline. Yes to commitment and you know what to deliver. No to no commitment and you do not know what to deliver.
These are the yes and nos of Lourdes P. Estioco, the Director of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) – CAR towards a worker. She was installed to the position on September 19, 2013 for a year now. An accountant by profession, Ms. Estioco graduated from the University of the Cordilleras in 1983 and finished her master’s in Public Administration in 2002 at the Lyceum of the Philippines, Manila.
She has been working with the NCMB since 1988, 2 months after its conception in 1987 under the newly elected President Corazon Aquino.
Rising from the ranks, Ms. Estioco worked as a Senior Clerk, Administrative Officer, Accountant then as a Chief of the Financial and Management Division of the NCMB.
As a director, she plans, directs and supervises the activities of the regional branch. She conducts conciliation and mediation conference on labor disputes. She also conducts seminars, workshops, conferences to promote the board’s programs in the region. She coaches administrative staffs on how to do work well. She implements laws, policies, rules and regulations of the NCMB in the Regional Branch.
“Working as a conciliator – mediator in settling labor disputes is a very challenging task and sometimes stressful, said Ms. Estioco. If a dispute is not settled at the regional level, parties may elevate the same to the central office to explore other options for settlement. Although, this rarely happens since most disputes are settled if not during the first conference, it is during the second or third conference, and that depends on the issues involved, she added.
Being a conciliator needs patience and being analytic. You should be keen in proposing and presenting to parties for solutions if they are deemed plausible. This is because a conciliator is not a judge. “We facilitate the negotiation of conflicting parties in order to bring about an amicable settlement” , said Ms. Estioco.
It has been 26 years since Ms. Estioco started working at NCMB, but she did not notice the passing of time. People even say to her that she is married to her career. “I’ll retire at this office with this work”, said Ms. Estioco. This because she likes and enjoys the job.She does conciliation not only to their clients but within the office, since conflicts are at times inevitable.
“It has a multiplier effect to both parties if a dispute is settled”, said Ms. Estioco. Parties will have a more peaceful working environment if labor management cooperation exists in a workplace that will result to improved productivity and will make the company more profitable which redound to a higher benefit for the workers. The value is the biggest help that resonates to their families and workers as well.
This is her personality, And as for Ms. Estioco, she considers herself as silent, and work is work. She did not dream to be in the frontline service, but now she is. As head of the branch, she is particular to timeliness, quality, and completeness of reports. She enjoys working because she is focused on her commitment to serve their clients.
Ms. Estioco is a management person. Her achievements include the de-centralization of accounting systems of the board to give autonomy to the regional branches in managing their finances. During her term as the chief of the finance and management division, no major COA disallowance was recorded by the board.
She has been to the US herself and to Singapore visiting her relatives. She has been to all regional offices in the Philippines during her tenure as Chief of the Finance Division.
“I work beyond over time with no pay”, said Ms. Estioco. My consolation is if the case is settled and both parties go home with a smile. I work on weekends if these are the only available time for the requesting parties. It’s a 24/7 on call duty, she added. In May this year, she went to Singapore at Nanyang Polytechnic for a training on Innovation and Enterprise Development. After the training, her re-entry plan is to improve the records management of the branch.
At 53, Ms. Estioco is single. “Maybe I have not yet met the my man of my dreams”, she said. I am not looking, if it will just come it will, she added.She likes love songs. She meets with her friends to dine with their favorite dishes. She loves Japanese and Filipino dishes. She is a homebody and goes out less often than not. She loves reading all sort of books.. Director Estioco is a God fearing person and makes sure to have a quiet time with the Lord everyday. She cooks and loves experimenting on it. She goes home at Naguilian, La Union to spend time with her mother on weekends. She was born on January 10, 1961 in La Union./By: Ezequiel D. Banas-e
