Acting Senate President Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada is the guest of honor and speaker in the 2013 TOWER (The Outstanding Workers of the Republic) Awards ceremonies held Thursday afternoon at the Manila Hotel.
TOWER Awards is an annual nationwide search for the blue-collar workers and white-collar workers (occupying non-supervisory positions) who have demonstrated exemplary performance in their field of endeavors.
“I salute the awardees today for becoming role models for other workers, laborers and employees. I hope that this award will not only motivate you in your work, but also inspire other workers to work hard and fulfill their duties and responsibilities with zeal and enthusiasm. I hope that your number will increase exponentially,” Jinggoy addresses this year’s batch of TOWER awardees.
“The workers recognized today represent the best traits of our workers which have been in demand in many countries of the world,” Sen. Estrada says as he notes the sustained demand of Filipino workers overseas as a clear indication of foreign countries’ confidence in the abilities and work ethics of Filipino laborers.
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) records show that deployment figures continued to rise with around 1.6 million workers deployed in 2011 or an increase by 14% from what was recorded in 2010.
Sen. Estrada, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, nevertheless hopes that Filipino workers need not go abroad for gainful employment.
“While I accept that the remittances of our OFWs have been a major and critical factor in the growth of our economy, I have always hoped that there will come a time, as our economy grows, when we will be able to provide jobs for our workers here in the country.”
“I believe that we are not a nation that must be destined and condemned to supplying workers to other countries to support their economies. We must retain our workers here so that they will contribute to our economy in terms of building industries and manufacturing sectors, such that we can become suppliers of goods and finished products,” Jinggoy says in his speech.
TOWER Awards aims “to recognize the significant contributions to economic development of the legions of skilled workers who constitute the backbone of the country’s manpower capacity.”
The project is organized by the Rotary Club of Manila, in partnership with Metrobank Foundation, Inc. and in cooperation with People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
It also honors and promotes excellence, productivity and innovation in the manufacturing industries (automotive, drugs and pharmaceuticals, electronics, food and beverage, leather and leather products, machinery and equipment, metal processing and farming, non-metallic minerals, packaging products, rubber and plastics, and textile and garments) and services sector (communication, tourism, business and professional services, transportation, banking and finance, informational technology and BPOs).
