Socials/Team Building Night
All gathered at the patio and the COA officials enjoyed the
night by doing some COA version of the latest dance craze "Asereje" to
the delight of everybody. There were also games like spelling "COA"
using the body language. Of course, any fellowship night such as this, would
never be complete without the old time favorite dance "Paso Doble".
Everybody called it a night at around 10:30.
January 16 - COA Planning Conference Proper
The planning proper started on time. The opening prayer was
led by the PDC Coordinators, Didz T. Gacutan, and a lively warm up exercise led
by Bong del Rosario followed. Asst. Comm. Lourdes B. Dimapilis of the Finance
gave a short opening remarks welcoming and enjoining everybody's active
participation to make the conference a success.
WORKSHOP # 1 REFLECTIONS ON THE PAST: ISSUES,
CONCERNS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON –
Financial Audit
Implementation of the Restructuring
Program Implementation of NGAS
Other Concerns
The first workshop focused on reflections on the past:
issues, concerns and recommendations on the following areas: financial audit,
implementation of restructuring program, implementation of the New Government
Accounting System and other concerns. There were six groups formed and each
group was tasked to discuss among themselves highlighting reflections on the
past issues/concerns and recommendations. The output was presented on newsprint
and posted on the designated boards. Each group appointed a presenter called
"Poster Guard". As each group moves from one station to another,
questions were thrown to which the "Poster Guard" readily answered.
The Commission Proper was also invited to visit each bulletin
board. After viewing the six poster presentations and hearing the inter-action
of the viewers with the Poster Guards, the Chairman and the two Commissioners
gave their reactions.
There was never a dull moment while the activity was going on
because as each team moved from one poster presentation to another, healthy
exchanges of views, opinions and comments were made, and yet there was fun in
the process.
WORKSHOP # 2 HOPES: COA ENABLING
GOOD GOVERNMENT
After some few warm up exercises, the participants were
re-grouped by sector: Corporate, National, Local, Administration. Asst. Comm.
Creencia provided a brief background by recalling the planning conference last
year held in Tagaytay where the Chairman emphasized his hopes, plans and
expectations for the Commission on Audit. It was given an acronym HOPES and the
video on Paradigm Shift by Joel Barker was shown. Using this Paradigm Shift and
the HOPES of the Commission on Audit, Asst. Creencia showed the following
simplified outputs of the focus group:
PARADIGM SHIFT HOPES
Quantity to Quality
There were points for clarifications, exchange of views and
opinions and few other additional insights shared in the open discussion. Then
the table group discussion followed. This was the highlight of the conference
because the group output will be based on what COA should be- a shifting of
paradigm on three major areas: from quantity to quality; from complexity to
simplicity and from form to substance. To achieve that shift in paradigm are
HOPES expressed in various aspects which the top officials discussed by
groups/sector.
After a thorough discussion by the respective groups, the
output presentation was done in plenary. Recommendations were taken in and
included in the drafted group outputs.
TRIBUTE TO THREE RETIRING COANs
The conferees, in a "surprise move," paid tribute
to Asst. Comm. Jorge HL Perez, Asst. Comm. Marcelino P. Hanopol, Jr. and
Director Lourdes V. Alejan who are soon retiring after long, meritororious
government service, and invaluable contributions to the accounting and auditing
profession.
They each received their own portraits courtesy of their
respective offices/clusters after testimonials on their official and social life
in COA were given via video presentations.
January 17, 2003
WORKSHOP # 3: RISK MANAGEMENT AND ACTION PLANS
Asst. Comm. Creencia provided a lecturette on the Risk
Management Framework emphasizing the benefits to be derived from the process of
managing the risks obtaining from the workplace.
The groups were asked to accomplish the risk management form
considering the outputs from the previous workshop. The strategies and
objectives identified in relation to the HOPES were subjected to a risk
management process.
Presenters were the Corporate Government Sector representing the Operating
Clusters; Finance Cluster; Administration Cluster; and the ICTC/TSO Cluster .
