The Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR) conducted its annual Strategic Planning Session on February 13, 2023, at the BLR Conference Room, which consists of the activities, programs, and innovations in its services that the Bureau will pursue for the year.
Atty. Maria Consuelo S. Bacay, Director IV, gave the opening remarks to start the program. In her message, Atty. Bacay emphasized the relevance of the convergence of BLR programs to other Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) offices to maximize the capability of the Bureau to serve its constituents.
Director Bacay specifies the goal to attain a hundred percent requirements for the disposition of the case as well as the anticipated pilot-testing of WODP+ which she described as not just a supplement to the existing WODP program but also a part of the quick response team as it would be established as an additional option to help those workers who are displaced because of retrenchment or cessation of business operations.
For the program overview, Ms. Ma. Lourdes R. Villafranca, Chief LEO, further discussed the road map of activity and reminded everyone of the consultation meeting with the Financial and Management Service (FMS) regarding the budget concerns of the Bureau and the presentation of every BLR division of their 2023 Action-plan.
Mr. Charlie G. Rivas, LEO III, formally started the program with a presentation of the 2023 DOLE Priorities and started with a quote, “We, in government, have an unlimited duty to serve but we only have limited resources…” to which he implies the importance of identifying specific priorities for maximizing productivity and keeping with the objectives of the Bureau.
In the next activity, representatives from the Budget Division of FMS, Ms. Emelita L. Mercardo, Chief AO, and Ms. Elvie L. Orbeso, AO V, entertained the queries and clarifications from the BLR personnel in the discussion of 2022 and 2023 Budgetary Matters. During the discussion, they reiterated the importance of filing budget preparation Form 202 of DBM (Budget Profile) with the attached legal basis to be able to request an additional budget for Labor Relations (LR) Programs of the Regional Offices, for approval of the DBM.
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