The Department of Labor and Employment, with its attached agencies National Wages and Productivity Commission and different Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards, will recognize and benchmark establishments that have demonstrated and steadfastly overcome difficulties to reach their targets, sustain growth, while preserving jobs amid the Covid-19 pandemic and rallying behind its theme “Bounce back better.”
The 2021 Productivity Olympics is a national competition of the best practices on survival and resilience in the new normal of micro, small and medium enterprises, which have demonstrated resilience and overcome difficulties from the impact of the pandemic.
This year, five micro, three small, and two medium enterprises from the Cordillera were nominated to compete for the Productivity Olympics in the new normal.
These MSMEs practiced and lived up to the principles of business excellence despite the pandemic and were able to continue business operations, kept their employees engaged, committed to their business goals, and preserved employment while other establishments and companies closed.
From the Cordillera, nominated and qualified for the 2021 Productivity Olympics for the micro-agribusiness category are the Cosmic Farm in La Trinidad, Benguet; the Palayen Farms in Mountain Province; and the Fresh Buys of Baguio City for the micro-service category. The micro-industry category nominees are the Gabay Wines and Fruit Preserves of Sagada, Mountain Province and the Atok Arabica Growers Marketing Cooperative, popularly known as the “Atokape” of Benguet.
For the small-service category, the nominees are Baguio Benguet Community Credit Cooperative of Baguio and the Northern Roots SG Group Incorporated/ Session Groceries of Benguet, while the nominee for the small-industry category is the Easter Weaving Room, Inc. The Health 100 Restoreant of Baguio City will compete in the medium-service category together with Treasure Link Cooperative Society of Sagada.
These 10 establishments are not simply nominees to the national Productivity Olympics. They deserve more than just our congratulatory greetings but also our full support so they will bring home the national awards.
In a media briefing, RTWPB Chair and DOLE-CAR Director Nathaniel Lacambra said these establishments, aside from preserving jobs, need to be recognized for they have been compliant to labor and occupational safety and health standards as well as with safety and health protocols to prevent Covid-19 infection and transmission during the pandemic.
Launched in 2008, the Productivity Olympics originally aims to recognize productivity programs and practices of MSMEs in the agribusiness, service, and industry sectors.
This year, considering the economic impact of the pandemic, the competition will adopt new criteria and will be open to all MSMEs, including previous nominees and winners.
The 10 nominees from the Cordillera will join nominees from other regions and will be screened by the national screening committee. Finalists will be endorsed to the national judging panel who will select this year’s batch of national winners.
Nine MSMEs will be hailed as Productivity Olympics national winners for the nine categories – micro, small, and medium enterprises for agribusiness, service, and industry sectors. They will each receive a cash award of P150,000, a Productivity Olympics trophy, and priority endorsement to other training programs and service of the NWPC, RTWPBs, and other DOLE agencies.
The awarding ceremony will be in October in time for the Productivity and Quality Month.
The RTWPB-CAR board of directors is composed of Lacambra as chair; National Economic Development Authority Regional Director Susan A. Sumbeling, and Department of Trade and Industry Regional Director Myrna Pablo are vice chairpersons; Atty. Milton Balagtey and Renerio Lardizabal Jr., workers’ representatives; Alfonso Lao and Juan Johnny dela Cruz, employers representatives;and Atty. Marvie Fulgencio as board secretary.
NWPC is a key policy-making body on wages, incomes, and productivity mandated under Republic Act 6727 or the Wage Rationalization Act (1989) and RA 6971 or the Productivity Incentives Act of 1990 to determine minimum wages at the regional, provincial and/or industry levels; and promote productivity improvement and gain-sharing schemes, particularly among MSMEs.
NWPC formulates policies and guidelines on wages, incomes, and productivity and exercises technical and administrative supervision over the 17 RTWPBs, which are responsible in setting minimum wages and promoting productivity improvement programs.
For more information, visit www.nwpc.dole.gov.ph or the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-CAR@rtwpbcordillera Facebook page.
April 20, 2024
