As expression of support to the Civil Service Commission’s Pamanang Lingkod Bayani (PLB) Program, more than 1,500 government officials and employees in the Region and La Union province participated in the Fun Run and Zumba 2018 which was held on September 6, 2018 at the Poro Point Freeport Zone and Baywalk, San Fernando City, La Union. The said activity was spearheaded by the Civil Service Commission Regional Office 1 and La Union Field Office in cooperation with the Association of Regional Executives (AREX) in Region 1.
More than 50 agencies in La Union, comprising of national government agencies, local government units, government-owned and controlled corporations, and one state university, participated in the said event. The Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) had the highest number with more than 400 instructors and non-teaching personnel participating in the run and Zumba.
The program began at 4:30 in the morning with a brief calisthenics/stretching led by DMMMSU personnel and the reading of the oath of sportsmanship by DMMMSU President Atty. Benjamin Sapitula. La Union 1st District Board Member Jonathan Justo Orros, representing La Union Governor Francisco Emmanuel Ortega, and Office of Civil Defense Regional Director Melchito Castro (AREX President) gave the welcome remarks and inspirational message, respectively. Simultaneous to the run, which lasted for around 45 minutes, was the Zumba for the non-runners. Some of those who finished the race eventually joined in the Zumba for another 30 minutes. The event, which posted a record-high in attendance, ended at 8:00.
In appreciation of their significant contribution to the event, CSC Director IV Hedy Jose B. Lardizabal and OIC Director III Violeta Nipal-Mendoza also handed out certificates of appreciation and tokens to partner-agencies, namely, AREX, DMMMSU, Provincial Government of La Union, Sangguniang Panlalawigan of La Union, City Government of San Fernando, Poro Point Management Corporation, Philippine Information Agency-RO1, Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center, Philippine National Police and Smart Communications.
The Fun Run, which formally kicked off the 118th Philippine Civil Service Anniversary in the region, also served as an avenue to promote health and wellness in government service as well as a bonding experience among public servants. Its advocacy, the Pamanang Lingkod Bayani (PLB) Program, recognizes public servants who died in the line of duty or while in the performance or pursuit of their functions, duties and responsibilities. They are honored through posthumous ceremony and conferred with award and plaque of citation. In addition, their immediate family members are given financial assistance worth P100,000 and scholarship grants.
The Fun Run in the Ilocos Region has been an annual undertaking of CSC Region 1, commencing in 2011 with the slogan, “Takbo ng Kawani Laban sa Yosi”, to create awareness on the ill-effects of tobacco use in government offices, before taking on the PLB advocacy in 2015. Now on its 8th year, the successful conduct of the said Fun Run in Region 1 is a manifestation of every Lingkod Bayani’s values of being Maka-Diyos, Makatao and Makabayan.
