2024 PRAISE Awardee for Best Technical Social Worker (Regional Winner)
Passion and Compassion in Action
ANTIQUE – Influenced by his parents as both former public servants, Jeffrey Gabucay as a registered social worker has started his career in DSWD6 as a Community Facilitator of the Kalahi CIDDS program in 2004. Then he joined in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in 2009 being the Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, which focuses more on crafting of reporting templates, conducting of community assemblies.
He then the Social Welfare Officer III in the Provinces of Antique and Guimaras, up until his present position as a Provincial Link in Antique. He is already doing his part of seeking the marginalized and ensuring equal access to the resources, services, and needs in the context of 4Ps. It is safe to say that social welfare is his life’s work.
As a PL handling eighteen municipalities with 113 4Ps staff, it was never easy to carry the weight of responsibilities on his shoulders. His technical expertise is shared with the entire team through direct supervision, guidance, strategic planning, and proactive delegation of tasks, especially in delivering quality deliverables in a strenuous timeline.
Aside from this, in terms of Disaster Response, Gabucay has been instrumental in coordinating timely and effective interventions during emergencies. His ability to mobilize resources and coordinate with different agencies has been crucial in providing immediate assistance to affected communities. Gabucay’s dedication to disaster preparedness and response has not only mitigated the impact of disasters but also contributed to the resilience and recovery of vulnerable populations.
With this, the 4Ps team headed by the nominee received several recognitions for their prompt and active augmentation as Antique Quick Response Team, most notably when Gabucay was the OIC- SWAD Team Leader during Severe Tropical Storm Paeng in 2022.
A holistic and goal-oriented person. His experiences widened his perspective that he is bound to deal with things using a proactive approach giving him the advantage of solving unexpected complications easily. He is driven by a sense of purpose and he strives to complete specific tasks to reach a certain outcome in the best way possible. His technical capabilities give him the advantage to properly execute his role, especially in case management, facilitation, technical support, resource person, and other social work.
Under his superior leadership, Antique POO achieved significant milestones that complimented the Departments’ organizational outcomes. More importantly, his effective networking skills with the Provincial Government of Antique led to the recent approval of Resolution and Ordinances for 4Ps households.
His dedication to capacitating the staff is shown in his commendable initiatives like the practice of interoffice memorandums, the formation of coach monitors for each municipality, and attendance monitoring of field staff. Aside from this he also believes that maintaining a good relationship with colleagues is vital in achieving goals and meeting desired outcomes. His optimism creates a ripple effect that lessens the weight of pressure and worries of staff. He never stops motivating and empowering the people around him through his effective communication skills. He takes time to hear employees’ concerns and suggestions for a productive discussion and plans to address issues and give appropriate solutions.
With his holistic approach to dealing with employees and executing his technical expertise, it is high time for him to be acknowledged in this field. The numerous accounts, testimonies, verification, and proofs PL Gabucay has proven well enough that being a HERO is more than just excelling in your chosen field it also boils down to the ceaseless desire to uphold the dignity and integrity of all clients served.*
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