Sec. Brion guests at the Kapihan @ NCMB

Speaking before the officials and employees of the Department of Labor and Employment in its Monday flag-raising program on April 16, 2007, Secretary Arturo D. Brion commended the NCMB for successfully maintaining a relatively strike/lockout- free labor relations front in the country. With only one (1) strike incident in the first 105 days of 2007, the Secretary asked the Board if it can work on keeping the remarkable record until the opening of the 14^th Congress in July.

The program sponsored by the National Conciliation and Mediation Board, simulated a forum dubbed as “Kapihan @ NCMB” with Deputy Executive Director Eliot S. Cojuangco acting as a talkshow host interviewing Secretary Brion. and Undersecretary for Labor Relations, Luzviminda G. Padilla. It is the NCMB’s entry to the DOLE’s Flag Ceremony Contest 2007 where various offices and attached agencies compete for best presentation, with the theme “Marangal at Makataong Pagsisilbi”. All-star cast and production crew consisted of NCMB’s conciliator-mediators, technical and administrative personnel.

Watching NCMB Studio 19, the DOLE employees enjoyed acting as audiences to a live morning show with anchor hosts, Ms. Sandi C. Comla and Mr. Allan P. Datahan. Phone patch reports were received from field reporters of Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and Mega Region regarding the current industrial relations situation and on-going activities in their respective regional clusters. The audience was also treated to alive rendition by the NCMB’s all girl band, “”Quintoplet”. of Yeng Constantino’s hit song, ‘Salamat”.

The concept of the Kapihan as presented by Deputy Executive Director Johnson G. Canete, was based on the story about how we ought to emulate a brewing coffee and positively respond to pressures in life and work.

In closing, the talk show hosts, emphasized the concept of the presentation by quoting NCMB Executive Director Reynaldo R. Ubaldo, “ Ang usapang tapat, sa kapihan nagaganap’. Ema A. Aguirre