Practicum Journal Entry #3: Third Week

Day 12— July 4 (Monday)

I arrived at the office early expecting to clean due to the weekend’s heavy rain. The office was already clean thanks to Ma’am Shen who arrived earlier than me. I asked her if she needed help but she said she can manage so she only made me put back the pails used with the water leaks from the ceiling. I found a vanity plate on my desk and I asked Sir Bayani if I could keep it; he only gave me laugh. I guess it was a no.

Remember last week’s meeting with the issue on IPCRs and DTRs? Well, this week is the deadline for submission so people in the office were a quite busy trying to meet the date. Today was a bit chill but I can sense a hint of panic with some employees in finishing their accomplishment reports. What I did today was to assist Ma’am Zenie with encoding data and printing of some documents. Ever had that feel-good moment with newly opened bond paper packaging? It was what I felt while doing the printing duties but paper cuts could be a real bummer. Anyway, most of the documents I printed were attached files like memos in emails from the CHR Central Office. I was also tasked to attend to incoming calls. My entire day was spent in the Admin Office with Ma’am Zenie, Ma’am Beck, Ma’am Maria Voy and Ma’am Shen together with paperwork.

Day 13— July 5 (Tuesday)

Today I arrived at the office early and Ma’am Beth immediately called my attention. My morning was spent glued to my laptop screen because Ma’am Beth asked me to make the poster for the Gender Sensitivity Training. I finished the layout but we still have a problem with the guest speaker. The people I emailed said that they were busy but there was one who said she can facilitate but charges Php 1,500 an hour. Although I understand that the amount was the usual rate of the speaker but it was too much with the given budget. After making the layout, the rest of the morning was spent on researching for other possible speakers, sending emails and hoping for a positive reply. Unfortunately, I heard nothing back. Since I was already in the zone of making pubmats, I also made the nametags for the GST while I was on my computer.

In the afternoon, Sir Leo’s orientation about how the office dynamics work had finally materialized. Sir Leo planned this during our first week but whenever he was free, other interns were not so we always took a rain check. Today, Sir Leo was free and he said today was a good time to discuss about how the Commission on Human Rights work and how the people in the office play their part. The purpose of the orientation is also for us interns to know what CHR is all about so we could also play our part and be better people after the internship program. Sir Leo’s discussion focused mainly on the mandate, vision and mission, and organizational chart of the CHR. Sir Leo is the head of the Investigation Section of CHR Regional Office 7. I have learned from his discussion about the tag-team system of the the Legal and Investigation Section. When clients come into the office, they usually go to the Legal Section for advise but it’s in the Investigation Section where the exciting things happen. The two offices are the bread and butter of CHR. Sir Leo also talked about the issue with the current administration and the plans to remove CHR. He has been in service since the start of CHR-7. From Sir Leo’s discussion, there are a number of people who wants to remove the office, even before, but if we imagine our country without CHR, where will we seek help if our human rights are violated? Where will we seek help if the police who are supposed to serve and protect abuse their power? States all over the world are establishing their own Commission on Human Rights and if we abolish ours, there is something wrong. The discussion was actually cool like talking to Papa during dinner where our opinions and questions were easily aired out. Perhaps the the Public Information Office needs to work more on making people understand the need for CHR.

Wednesday (Holiday)

May this special day brings peace, happiness and prosperity to everyone. Eid Mubarak!

I kinda miss No Class Wednesdays. My NCWs were my days to recharge and prepare for the other half of the week. Today, I stayed home and appreciated the beauty of NCWs.

Day 14 — July 7 (Thursday)

Today, my partner and I were stationed in the Consultation Desk at the Legal Office. Atty. Odron assigned us to compute the ratings in from last week’s interview. The office had an opening for one Administrative Officer so today they had to deliberate who among the four interviewees was accepted. The ratings were already computed so our task was actually to double or even triple check if the results were correct.

The other intern from USC, Niño, was stationed in the front desk but he said he had an exam so I was instructed be his substitute. I spent the rest of my morning and my entire afternoon in the ground floor of the office. I attended to calls in the Investigation Section, helped with printing, and entertained clients and visitors. My heart still pounds every time I answer the phone maybe because of the first phone call I received in the office where the person on the other line was crying and I didn’t know how to react and what to say. That was the first and I hope the last time to get a distressed caller but I’m building myself up to be tougher in case of another one. For now, I’d stick to the happy thought when Ma’am Lilybeth said that my voice on the phone was gentle and comforting.

Clients who go to the office for advice and help are people coming from different walks of life but they all have the same concern, human rights were violated. This made me ponder about what Sir Leo said the other day, without CHR, where will victims of human rights violations?

Day 15— July 7 (Friday)

Today was the deadline for submission of the IPCRs and DTRs so people in the office were busy bees with the typewriter, printer and the PC. Ma’am Zenie and Atty. Tirol were just chill today because they were already done last Monday. There’s really an advantage in finishing tasks ahead of time, my Mama always said this but I’m still a crammer. I always need the motivating force which arrives a day before the deadline; it is called panic. :D

I spent the day in the Admin Office helping the staff with printing. I became an instant tech with troubleshooting the PC of Ma’am Beck and installing Windows 7 in the newly bought desktop computer. In addition, I also helped Sir Jessie with deactivating the Auto-correct function in his smart phone. The office vibe was a mixture of panic and chill because those who were not yet done with their accomplishment reports were cramming while those who were done were relaxing. Anyway, Ma’am Beck made me encode some of her files. Next, Ma’am Maria Voy gave me paperwork. What Ma’am Maria Voy gave me were the files she made me sort last week but this time, I ought to write notes about the minutes of tardiness and under-time, leave/absences and the accomplished target on the side of every sheet of paper. There were plenty and it was quite a bore. At the end of the day, I finished the files for January‒May 2016.