(Delivered on September 29, 2020 at the NTA Central Office Training Room, Ben Lor-Building in Quezon City)
I WAS APPOINTED Administrator and CEO by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in June 2020 under a very unusual or unprecedented condition. I succeeded my father, the late Administrator Dr. Robert L. Seares, who suddenly died of illness in the early part of the metro-wide lockdown in March 2020. I was faced with a daunting task to lead the agency that he left amidst uncertainties brought about by the pandemic.
But then, I knew very well of the challenges that confronted the tobacco industry, particularly the farmers and workers, and the impact COVID-19 is having on every aspect of our industry. However, I was convinced that with cooperation and teamwork, we can work our way through the new reality we are facing.
Our administration was off to a good start accomplishing some of our initial goals of meeting with the Top Management, our two deputies, our branch and department managers, and the members of the NTA Governing Board to get our team in place.
I communicated regularly with our staff in the Central Office (CO) to get our work processes and financial records in order. Mostly important, I endeavored to keep health protocols in place to safeguard our employees.
Health is ultimate priority
The first thing the agency accomplished is the implementation of timely policies and procedures to keep our employees safe and healthy. We have been consistent in overemphasizing strict compliance to safety and health measures, as required by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
We required our Central Office employees to adopt alternative work arrangements, like requiring them to work in a skeleton force with the rest, in rotation, performing their tasks under a work-from-home setup, within the guidelines set by the Civil Service Commission.
We saw to it that shuttle services to our employees and a place of accommodation for them to stay, should they opt to, are adequately provided until the duration of the pandemic.
As a necessary precaution, owing to the death of one employee due to covid-19 infection, we imposed a four-week lockdown of our Central Office. We ramped up our efforts against COVID-19 with the distribution of free face masks, face shields and vitamin C tablets sourced from donations from our willing partners and friends, and required all our Central Office employees to undergo COVID-19 Rapid Antibody testing.
To sustain our efforts, we would be adopting a COVID Response Management Plan for the agency, which will be composed of Central Office staff with medical background, who are willing to assist in enforcing health protocols, propose actions to maintain mental health well-being of our staff, and serve as quick response team against infection.
All for sustainability
We have already made significant strides to make NTA responsive to the needs of our stakeholders in line with our commitment for a sustainable industry. We continue the formulation of the five-year industry development roadmap that was started during my father’s term. The Sustainable Tobacco Enhancement Program (STEP) is aimed at the development of the Philippine tobacco sector through the use of all available resources to accelerate the modernization and industrialization of the tobacco industry, and to increase production and farmers’ income.
I have set out a vision that underpins my mandate, and that is to continue the priority programs of my late father, but with renewed resolve to gain more success as we navigate COVID both in the short-term and long-term.
We have approved plans and budget and related communications of various programs and projects such as the Tobacco Contract Growing System, Rice Production, the Synchronized Tree Planting Activities, the NTA Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita, and Livelihood Programs.
We have started the farmers survey for the Farmers’ Registry as required for the Tobacco Block Farming and as a requirement by the Department of Agriculture.
We have joined Operations Group in various tasks preparatory for the upcoming tobacco season, such as the Techno-Updating and planning for our Oras ni Mannalon ti Tabako (OMT) radio program.
With a new model of tobacco production, we have been meeting with the Operations Group to plan for the implementation of various projects for the block farming and continue other interventions to assist the farmers during the pandemic.
Dialogue and consultation
In the context of building a strong, inclusive partnerships across various stakeholders, we conducted meetings and dialogues to reach out to our stakeholders as we prepare for the upcoming tobacco season. As a former mayor, I know it is important to listen to the ideas, points of view and concerns of everyone to achieve one unified goal or direction.
We were able to secure strong partnerships and sustained cooperation with our private partners in addressing major industry issues. To achieve sustainability of production despite challenges, we secured commitment for a stronger cooperation from cigarette manufacturers, leaf buyers and traders to boost the industry for the benefit of the local tobacco growers.
We received pledges from the manufacturers to increase their purchase commitment for locally produced tobacco. Our partners from the private sector also agreed to our proposals to come up with their own five-year purchasing plan in line with our medium-term roadmap and to submit quarterly report with respect to their local purchases and import data to enhance our data gathering.
We especially touch-based with our tobacco growers, through their farmer leaders. With the help of our managers from the branch offices, we were able to communicate to our farmers our different programs and projects, especially our intervention in the current health crisis to mitigate their situations.
In the coming days, we will continue our efforts to bolster NTA’s collaboration and interactions with the local government units. In particular, we will discuss with our local executives on how they can use a bulk of their resources sourced from their shares of the tobacco excise tax to set up programs and projects to increase productivity and income of their local farmers.
Teamwork is the key
Barely a month to my job, I eagerly joined the NTA Management Team as we prepared and successfully passed the ISO 9001:2015 1st surveillance audit for recertification. This is significant for me, not only for the fact that the certification of NTA for ISO 9001:2015 was earned during my father’s term, but also for the realization that I have the same team that is committed to provide customers with the highest level of products and services within the organization’s policy and objectives. This will always be my motivation in the coming days.
We recognize that people are key to every success, and that the agency’s employees are its greatest asset. I made efforts to meet employees and to talk to them regularly on various concerns. Even during the transition of administration, I vowed to retain all Job Orders in recognition of their vast experience working for the agency and to give them equal opportunities, along with the regular staff, to boost their morale in spite of the pandemic.
New Normal
The current pandemic has prevented me to visit our farmers and our industry partners in the branch offices. But this has not discouraged me to really work hard. I have been attending one virtual meeting to another in constant dialogue with our Operations Group and various stakeholders, especially our farmers to evaluate current programs and prepare for the forthcoming cropping season.
It is for this reason that I ordered for the enhancement of our communication and information capability. We purchased large screen TV for teleconferencing for the Central and Branch Offices, two-way radio sets for our frontliners, desktops for office and laptops for work-from-home setup. In the coming days, we will be enhancing our website and our social media platform for better interaction and information dissemination.
LOOKING back in my first 100 days in office, I can say that I am incredibly proud of how the NTA community has come together to work with me starting day one, even as we faced the challenges.
I assure you that our cooperation will serve as guideposts of my administration to continue our commitment to improve the economic lives of our farmers, and the rest of the stakeholders and for the sustainability of the industry.
We are known to be a resilient agency, and so I have a firm belief that we will get through these tough times.
Para sa Tunay na Pagbabago!
