Hooked by Capt. Hook, the Pirate

I still hear stories or claims that I got pirated by my present company from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). While being offered more financial rewards, as always associated to employee’s piracy, sounds music to our ears, I was not being offered such rewards by any company, which is too big and difficult to refuse.

I did apply and work my ass to get the position I am occupying at present. There were no Padrenos or political sponsors. This is what I love about our company and DTI – no politics within the organization. With no politics, corruption is out of the story. Moreover, DTI is considered “a department of choice”.  My company is one of the attached agencies to DTI.

Why did I jump from the mother company to an attached government financial institution?

It was all about the issue of “tenure”. While I enjoyed all the benefits earned by a regular DTI employee, we don’t have job security for we were bounded by a contract; a work contract renewable annually, which was shortened in 2006 to six months because of the rationalization program of the government. The rationalization program aims to streamline government offices to make them more efficient and productive.

My contract was also restricted by the term of the special government program, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), which DTI also implements and it’s program extension was due to end in 2008. My mind was always boggled then by the scenario of CARP not being extended for the second time after its expiration. We knew for a fact that it’s has been extended by congress to five more years.

It was in late 2005 that I started to worry about my future income. The image of CARP not being extended puts my future ianging in the balance. I couldn’t even have long-term plans then for I always believe that long-term plans should be funded by long-term sources of income. I longed for a permanent job and I couldn’t get it from DTI since they started implementing the rationalization program and that means a stop in filling in permanent positions in the department. Before rationalization was in placed, I did try to apply for permanent positions in the provincial and regional office but I was not so fortunate. So I wonder why they are saying I was pirated from them (wondering lang). I actually did apply also in January 2007 for TIDA position when I was told that they were hiring already.

Knowing that no government agencies were hiring due to the rationalization program I opted to try my luck in the private sector. Anyways, my first job was from the private entity. Destiny had stricken its magic and I was taken back to civil service in late 2007; still to similar family who values and prioritizes services to businesses – micro, small and medium alike.

I can say the position I have now is really meant for me knowing the circumstances I went through. I was able to pass the preliminary exam but was not able to come for the job interview in Davao City. I was living in Cebu City then. So I searched for any job hiring in Cebu. When I was about to accept the offer of car distribution company that gives up to 14th month of salaries a year, the 15^th month is still to be deliberated by the directors, I received a call from my present company for an interview , this time in Cebu. I came to the appointment but was not expecting to be hired. In most cases, you’ll get a notice week or two after the interview. On my way home I already set my mind on the car company’s job offer on the following day. Unexpectedly, I received a call from my present area manager, two hours after the interview, and was asking me if I can report for work in Davao on Monday.

To make the story short, I did accept the job for, one thing, it’s a government service and, for another, it’s an attached agency of the department I had known and worked with before.