ISABELA CITY, Basilan, Sept 4 (PIA) – The
seventy year-old, deaf utility worker, Kado Esmail, literally shakes a leg as
he receives the model worker award of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM), topping over 40 thousand other employees of the regional bureaucracy.
In a press release, the Bureau of Public
Information in ARMM disclosed that Esmail was awarded a certificate of
appreciation in paper, as well as on tarpaulin to immortalize his “lifetime
achievement” for keeping the ARMM capitol grounds in Cotabato City clean and
green in over three decades.
In addition, he received a cash reward from
money contribution raised by regional officials led by ARMM Officer-In-Charge
Governor Mujiv S. Hataman.
Hataman did not announce how much did he hand
over to Esmail in brown envelop during the awarding ceremony. But Esmail’s
family later disclosed the amount to fellow workers.
“For his exemplary service through exceptional
trait of sheer hard work, the present administration hereby recognizes his
contribution in the field of public and civil service,” reads the certificate
of appreciation in Filipino that Hataman and top officials of the Executive and
Legislative Branches of ARMM government handed over to the 70-year old Esmail.
Hataman said he wanted all ARMM employees and
officials to emulate the honesty and hard work that Esmail and 21 other utility
person-awardees have exuded in the name of public service.
Esmail, noted to be consistent to work as
utility person, sweeping a huge part of the 20-hectare capitol ground, was once
caught in a photo sweeping the grounds amid heavy rain by Myrna Jo Henry, a
senior employee of the ARMM’s Bureau of Public Information, who posted it on
her face book.
The FB photo of Esmail by Henry spread fast
among residents and ranking officials, including Hataman himself who met his
immediate staff in the thought of awarding the old man.
Still physically strong at his age, Esmail
who only speaks Maguindanaon couldn’t say anything but “salamat” and “sukran”
(Arabic for “thanks”).
Esmail said he keeps his family's
hand-to-mouth existence by working with a “job-order” appointment which
entitles him to up to P 9,000.00 monthly earning, depending on the “compassion”
of leaders at the helm of the regional government.
He said he could not retire even at his age,
lest he suffer frequent body aching, and that he would have nothing to reap in
terms of retirement benefits, just the same. Normally, housing or government
insurance policy contributions are not deducted from government or private
workers on “job-contract” appointments, said administrative officer Jane
Pelaez.
From his meager earning, starting with P
15.00 daily wage, Esmail had sent to school his now adult and married
children—and is still helping bear school expenses for his grandchildren and
great grandchildren. He was profoundly thankful, saying in Maguindanaon that
the P 50,000.00 cash reward was a big help to his family.
Assemblypersons, including Speaker Rasol
Mitmug Jr. of the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly, joined Hataman in paying
tribute to the region’s 22 lowly workers, who were also given awards
recognizing their labor. Most of the awardees have worked on their job during
the past 20, or 30 years from the tenure of ARMM’s forerunner—the Office of the
Regional Commission and Lupong Tagapagpaganap ng Pook in the 1970s.
Hataman said his administration will continue
the awarding system to cover other departments, offices, bureaus and
commissions under the regional government.
He appealed to workers, officials and
visitors of the regional capitol to observe cleanliness and to help keep the
ground clean by refraining from littering around.
Hataman warned that in the same manner, the
ARMM government will also give humiliating “awards” of sort to most littering
officials and employees.
Aside from Esmail, other awards recipients
were Marcelina Gomez-Vasay; Domin Manayol; Jasper Villamor; Faisal Gaos;
Guiamad Abubakar; Isidro Zafra; Abdulnasser Ibrahim; Peter Morales; Erlinda
Flores; Solaiman Gaos; Mama Kasuyo; Tito Beloy; Narlito Flores; Nguda Ali; Sali
Moldin; Simeon Ulama; Nida Salva; Wahid Atin Manguda; Email Manial; Ebrahim
Abedin, and Lester Najiv Ahmad.