Before the Duterte Administration ends on June 30, 2022, National Housing Authority (NHA) General Manager Marcelino P. Escalada, Jr. expressed his gratitude to all officials and employees during the “Salamat-Paalam” send-off ceremony for 276 retirees at Seda Hotel, Quezon City on June 29, 2022.
GM Escalada thanked the retirees and all existing officials and employees of the Authority for the wonderful years he had journeyed throughout the last six years of his stay with NHA.
In his message, GM Escalada said, “For everyone, I would like to address the retirees that have already left the Authority, and we put a value on premium peer experience with us. Your comments are essential to improving the services and functions of the Authority. We would welcome that. To our still active DMs, RMs, engineers, and architects, how can we realign or redirect some of our visions para lang maayos ang NHA? I have said this several times, but these statements may be a recast of what I have said as a form of policy and instructions, but I would like to repeat that whatever the future holds for NHA, then we will be in better hands and better directions.”
He added, “It is in dribble to work as your GM of the Authority. It is an incredible job. Despite the challenges we face as an agency, we have accomplished so much together. I give due credit to all of you for the help and hard work, from the managers to the regular and contract service employees and personnel in the offices across the country.”
“In the last six years at NHA, we encountered several problems. You know that the problem Yolanda, Sendong, Pablo, and Zamboanga, among others, was, to me, the lowest time within which we experienced all those problems, and that was the most difficult part I had to face as your GM. It has been a very good fight for me to pick. I don’t normally pick a fight, but whenever I see issues, I picked that fight for you,” he said.
In closing, GM Escalada echoed the words of St. Paul, saying, “I have run the race with perseverance but have finished the race with faith. It was a great privilege and honor to have worked with all of you for the last six years of my career in the public service. Mahirap, but it is the most inspiring remaining six days of my public service with the Authority. I could not have been very successful without the contribution of everyone.”
As a gesture of gratitude and tribute to GM Escalada, MSG Group Manager Agnes R. Agay presented the BALAI Digest and The GM’s Journey in NHA on behalf of the NHA officials and employees, showcasing the six fruitful years of NHA under GM Escalada.
In her message, Ms. Agay said, “GM, the coffee table book will be that tangible memory for you to hold on to in the coming years. You may forget the names of the people you have shared them with, but I guess you will not forget the faces, the smiles, the joys, the memories, and how it felt at the moment.”
She added, “GM, this coffee table book will and cannot capture how you have felt being our GM for the past six years, nor can this capture the pains and the heartaches that come from the experience. These 350 pages showing what we felt or the highlights of your stay with us are not enough to catalog your many accomplishments and what you have done for us and with us. Also, it cannot capture the unwritten, undocumented efforts of the NHA employees as there are no cameras to capture these moments of sacrifice, perseverance, and pride.”
“Nevertheless, we hope that this coffee table will give a smile to your face as you sit in your rocking chair, of course, that is many, many years from now,” Ms. Agay said.