Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), through its Administrative Services Department – Human Resource Division (ASD-HRD), conducted a week-long Succession Planning Workshop and its Requisite Course Programs via blended training and workshop (teleconference and on-site) at the University Hotel, University of the Philippines – Diliman on October 4 to 12, 2022.
This seven-day training is the PFDA’s response to the need for a stronger and more established succession plan in the agency. In addition, this serves as a preliminary step towards the agency’s application for accreditation to the Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) Program to Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM).
PFDA Officer-in-Charge General Manager Ms. Iris R. de Vera said that this succession planning is a very important workshop and training and requested everyone's full attention on the workshop. OICGM de Vera said that this activity will help them identify potential employees that can assume important roles in the organization. In addition, this will also be a venue for all the participants to identify their capabilities that needs improvement to be good future leaders.
“As we all know, we are all in the middle of the implementation of our flagship projects. Our logistics and our source of income are available but what is lacking are the people who will sustain the operations of the fish ports and the organization. Madami na sa ating mga personnel will be retiring within the next two to three years, so we are here to make a good succession plan,” OICGM de Vera explained.
“I understand that there are criteria in selecting the participants. That means nakikita sa inyo na you will be contributing a lot in the preparation of this succession plan. Let us imbibe all the trainings and lectures from our facilitator para makagawa tayo ng maganda at successful na succession plan dahil dito nakasalalay ang continuity ng organization natin… This should be an ongoing commitment in the next years so we can imbibe it to our employees and our future leaders to focus on the direction and goals so that the PFDA can achieve its objectives in the next years to come,” Ms. de Vera added.
Mr. Al Marcial Bengco, Lead Consultant at the East Sherpa Management Training and Consulting Services served as the resource speaker and facilitator during the week-long training and workshop where he discussed three interrelated courses.
On October 4-5, Mr. Bengco made an in-depth discussion on Succession Planning and Management. This course aims to prepare stakeholders and align all initiatives.
Additionally, on October 6-7, the participants tested their BEI Skills for Assessing Successors. Through this course, Mr. Bengco focused on the preparation of supervisors and managers in assessing potential successors and candidates effectively using a structured interview process.
Finally, on October 10-12, Mr. Bengco theoretically and practically discussed Coaching and Mentoring Leaders. This course can help enable leaders to create individual development plans of successors and support them throughout the development phases.
At the end of the succession planning workshop and training, ASD-HRD OIC Chief Mr. Dexter P. Trilles presented a draft Office Order concerning the Succession Plan of PFDA. During the presentation, the participants had an open forum to conceptualize and combine all their insights and ideas in the initial drafting of the agency’s Succession Plan.
Fifty participants from the PFDA Central Office and Regional Fish Ports actively participated in the seven-day succession planning workshop and training.
(Mark Angelo N. Perez – Public Information Division)