Career Executive Board (CESB) confers Brenda Nazareth-Manzano, the Regional Director of the Department of Science and Technology Regional Office No. IX (DOST-IX) as recipient of the 2012 GAWAD CES Presidential Award on July 31, 2013 at the Heroes Hall, Malacañang Palace, Manila.
The 2012 Search for GAWAD CES included a two-tiered rigorous evaluation screening. A Screening Committee composed of previous GAWAD CES winners initially short-listed the nominees into eleven finalists. The finalists were subjected to a field validation of accomplishments and performance. The final selection was done by the Committee on Awards that is chaired by Presidential Communications Operations Office’s (PCOO) Secretary Hon. Herminio B. Coloma, Jr. This year’s judges also included Ateneo de Manila University’s School of Government Associate Dean Dr. Mario C. Villaverde, People Management Association of the Philippines’ Immediate President Mr. Arthur Luis P. Florentin, Manila Bulletin Publishing Company’s Assistant Editor-in-Chief Mr. Vicente Edgardo C. Bartilad, CESB Board Members Mr. Antonio D. Kalaw Jr., Mr. David Cabanag and Ms. Charito Elegir.
A Presidential Award given annually, GAWAD CES was established by virtue of Executive Order No. 715 on March 28, 2008. The award recognizes members in the Career Executive Service (CES) for exemplary performance and significant contributions, particularly in the areas of innovation, information and communication technology, social services, administrative reforms and public policy.
Dir. Brenda or Brenz to her friends and colleagues joined DOST-IX as Regional Director in 1992. In her 21 years stay as chief executive of DOST-IX she has achieved so much. As a leader, she takes the initiative in finessing the brand vision for DOST-IX, including the three provincial offices in Ipil, Dipolog City and Pagadian City, through setting herself as an example of honesty, discipline, fortitude, openness and commitment to quality work.
The CESB recognized the excellent performance of Dir. Brenz based on the following accomplishments during her leadership in DOST-IX:
Dir. Brenz propelled DOST-IX to embark into the journey of organizational transformation in improving its government standards by using international benchmarks through spearheading the attainment of Philippine Quality Award, implementation of Quality Management System (QMS) that turned the DOST-IX to ISO 9001:2008 in 2010 and attainment of ISO/IEC 17025:2000 accreditation of the Regional Standards and Testing Laboratories.
For strengthening technology promotion and commercialization program in the region, Dir. Brenz encouraged more micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to avail the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP), nationwide strategy encouraging and assisting to adopt technology innovations to improve their operations and thus boost their productivity and competitiveness, where 355 MSMEs successfully assisted and SETUP projects success rate registered upward trend – from 70% in 2008 to 98% in 2011.
For prompting the development and implementation of various cost-efficient IT based systems which expanded DOST-IX’s operations to a very time efficient borderless office. All these systems are time, energy, and cost saving mechanisms which helped a lot in the austerity measures being implemented by the office. With the office transactions can be managed thru a paperless process, saving 95% of the paper and ink expenditures of the office.
Dir. Brenda received a plaque of recognition from his Excellency President Benigno S. Aquino III and a PhP100,000.00 cash prize.
Among the other executive awardees are Undersecretary Alicia D. Bala, Department of Social Welfare and Development; Provincial Director, Grace F. Baluyan, Department of Trade and Industry Kalinga; Regional Director Arnel B. Garcia, Department of Social Welfare and Development Region II; and OIC Schools Division Superintendent RAMIR B. UYTICO, Department of Education Division of Dumaguete City. (DOST-IX Press Release)
