The Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) stressed the need for research on volunteerism in the country during the Volunteerism Forum for Public Sector Employees Organizations (PSEO) held in Occidental Mindoro State College – Labangan Campus. PNVSCA Executive Director Donald James D. Gawe said that the majority of data on volunteerism are from foreign studies. He added that volunteer efforts can be better sustained if the motivations behind volunteerism are studied.
SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro (PIA) — The Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) conducted a Volunteerism Forum for Public Sector Employees Organizations (PSEO) held in Occidental Mindoro State College – Labangan Campus, which aimed to tap the potential of volunteerism among the public sector.
PNVSCA Executive Director Donald James D. Gawe underscored the role of the public service sector in leading the way for volunteerism among private stakeholders, “Bago tayo manghikayat sa pribadong sektor, tayo muna sa public service ang manguna.”
One of the suggestions raised by the Provincial Department of Health Office (PDOHO) representative Dra. Arlene S. Sy during the forum is to craft a resolution at the provincial level to integrate volunteerism as a strategy for all government sectors to create more volunteerism efforts.
Gawe proposed to bring the suggestion to the regional level as this could be one of the pioneering initiatives of Mimaropa, “Pass a resolution to [Regional Development Council] para buong Mimaropa na, encouraging the LGUs especially the local health boards to integrate volunteerism as a strategy.”
Moreover, he encouraged the local school board to delegate a volunteerism focal person per school to adopt volunteerism strategies according to the students’ capacities and interests.
Gawe highlighted that volunteerism has the potential to be a developmental strategy by harnessing its power through structuring undocumented and informal volunteerism efforts.
In a study presented by the PNVSCA, volunteer efforts contributed 0.6% of the country’s GDP in 2009. On this note, Gawe stressed the need for research on volunteerism in the country as the majority of data on volunteerism are from foreign studies. He added that volunteer efforts can be better sustained if the motivations behind volunteerism are studied.
To wrap up the forum, a call for volunteers for the upcoming Bayanihan Day ng mga Lehitimong Asosasyon ng Manggagawa ng Pamahalaan (BD-LAMP) was extended, which will be held on September 30, in the municipality of Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro.
Volunteers are invited to participate in various community activities such as coastal and river clean-up, and awareness campaigns on mental health and teenage pregnancy.
Representatives from provincial offices of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Health (DOH) were present, as well as delegates from the academe and local government units. (DSG/PIA Mimaropa – Occidental Mindoro)
