Cagayan de Oro City — To say that Olipio G. Albao is humble, committed, trustworthy, and hardworking is an understatement.
No amount of words can best describe this lowly man who serves the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 10 here for 32 years now as a security guard.
His mission in work does not stop upon logging out in the logbook in the office. He always goes beyond his duty and responsibilities. He is the man that can be called and relied on 24/7 for assistance.
His dedication to his work with the agency has earned admiration and emulation from his colleagues, community, and family.
He is the concrete example of a worker that works efficiently with less supervision from his supervisors.
Loving Father and Responsible Husband
Albao laid a strong foundation of family life and has set an example in his community.
A soft spoken person and a man of few words, Olipio is a responsible father to his three children.
Despite his meager income from his salary, he was able to let all his children enroll in prestigious universities in Northern Mindanao.
The eldest John Mark who finished his education degree in Xavier University-Ateno de Cagayan is now a teacher in a public elementary school in Lapu-lapu City, Cebu while the middle child Rehannah who took up Certified Plan Mechanic in Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST) in this city is an electro mechanical officer of Coca Cola Bottlers Philippines in the biggest plant of Coke in the country in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.
Both are married.
The youngest, Rachel Mae, is a graduating student of MUST, taking up Architecture. She is now having her on-the-job training with Architect Sugoc, the architect of Limketkai Commercial Complex of Cagayan de Oro.
He also divides household chores among their children, promoting unity, cleanliness, participation and strong family ties.
He never falters in displaying his love and affection to his children. He would always extend his patience an extra mile in dealing with them, a legacy that his married children are trying to emulate.
Ask about his how he manage to be close with his wife, Mr. Albao would answer that his secret weapon is patience. He always had good quality time with her wife Cecilia, a venue for communication and love, despite his hectic schedule as security officer and maintenance officer of the agency.
Olipio does not let things get him down. He always wears a smile wherever he goes-a distinctive characteristic of him that goes viral within the agency. His facilitative mood can, at least, lighten the clientele’s feeling, especially those who are availing of funding assistance at the Crisis Intervention Unit.
Innovations and Best Practices
Thousands of pesos have been saved by DSWD Field Office 10 after Olipio volunteered himself to do maintenance work in the field office. Instead of hiring an electrician from outside, the field office enjoys the generosity of Olipio after he supervises and maintains enough power supply to the growing demands of the field office, which has recently constructed the Tatsulo Building and Encoding Station and Data Center; where it is occupied by numerous workers who are using computers and other equipment. As it is, power outage due to overloading experienced for several months within the DSWD Field Office has been addressed.
The agency also saved a lot of money because Olipio closely monitors the lighting facilities of the field office and replacing defective ones immediately. His dedication to implement cost-cutting measures in his end has proven sufficient that it merits recognition from his direct supervisors.
At one time, clients from Home for Girls and Canteen Personnel felt a sigh of relief after a sewerage system has been constructed to solve the floodings during heavy downpour. The construction was supervised by him.
The multi-tasking ability of Olipio does not end there. He has repaired defective electric fans used by the different divisions and units of the agency. This year, he has repaired 10 defective electric fans. He has repaired also defective chairs and tables and file cabinets of the agency.
To prevent leakage and maintain health and sanitation of occupants of Home for Girls; Olipio has installed a gate valve of the water pipeline of the center. The gate valve controls the strong current of the supply of water that before resulted to the breakage and leakage of pipelines.
During the relief operations and rehabilitation efforts of DSWD Field Office 10 in the devastation of Typhoon Sendong, Olipio supervised the packing of relief supplies inside the field office. He continued his passion in extending extra miles of excellent public service by making himself available to the field office as supervisor to packers who are under the cash and food-for-work program during the augmentation of relief operation efforts of the agency during the Pablo response and Zamboanga stand-off because of his passion to help others. This is true during the devastation of Sendong when he selflessly offered his services despite being badly hit by the deadly storm.
To facilitate a systematic release of cash assistance to beneficiaries of the agency, the agency put up a sound system that allows Cashier personnel to announce the names of the next beneficiaries to be accommodated while clients are waiting at the waiting area. This addresses overcrowding at the Cashiers Office. Olipio installed the sound system.
Trustworthy multi-tasking worker
If there is someone who can readily offer his/her services 24/7 in the DSWD Field Officer 10 without reservations, that is Olipio. He is the spark that has shined for 32 years in the field office. He is just an ordinary dweller of Zone 9, Phase 2, Macanhan, Carmen in this city, but with extraordinary achievements as worker.
Olipio claims a sense of responsibility in all undertakings of the field office, especially in attending to the needs of the clientele. He is not just a simple security guard of the agency that ensures order and peaceful environment for all, but a worker who adds other functions in order to facilitate easy accessibility of public service. As it is, he works at the field office with less supervision from his immediate superiors.
The service of the nominee is not rooted on his meager salary, but on the humility of serving other people.
He has encountered clients who scolded him for no apparent reason. He will just humbly lay down guidelines and systems and process flow of the agency in availing services and programs. He claims he will not get angry at the mad customers, instead, he will extend his patience of explaining on the laws and guidelines of the agency and facilitate them in availing services and programs.
He also happily endorses clients to the right unit or division if the need is beyond his control. With that, agency’s clientele go home happily and satisfied by Olipio’s facilitative attitude. This is true to Sendong survivors who attempted to hold rally against DSWD. After peaceful dialogue and resolution to issues and concerns, rallyists thankfully recognized Olipio’s efforts as the security guard with a facilitative attitude.
God-Centered Man
Olipio puts God at the center of his family and community life. Influenced by his loving parents, he was introduced to regularly attend and hear Holy Mass on Sundays early of his life until he got married to Cecilia. His family attends church together.
Like Jesus Christ, he learned the lesson of being humble at all times. He said it is in lowliness that he has acknowledged the manifold blessings the family receive from the Almighty.
These wondrous performances of the nominee have earned him respect, emulation, and love in his community, organization and family.
More than two years now, Olipio will retire. He is sure that he will have a legacy in leaving out the portal of the field office. He wants to be remembered as a humble person admired by people because of his excellent performance in public service.
Recently, DSWD Central Office through Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman recognized Albao as Best Support Staff – Sub Professional Category throughout the country during its 63rd Founding Anniversary. (Written by Oliver Badel Inodeo, Pantawid Pamilya Information Officer)
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