By Charm M. Galvez

One of the best feelings an employee could ever have is when their exemplary performance and contributions are recognized by their leaders and colleagues. This gives them a sense of accomplishment, pride, and high self-esteem. They are given the confidence being recognized as having done a good job, and they are inspired to continue living the excellence values at work even more. 

These were affirmed by three of our colleagues who have made the cut to this year’s MPTC Circle of Excellence Awards, a prestigious group-wide rewards and recognition program.

And while we acknowledge our awardees for their exemplary performance and behavior, it’s also equally worth admiring their respective nominators. It is their attitude of gratitude and their eyes for appreciation that truly creates a culture of recognition in our organization.  

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE – LEADER CATEGORY

Jennifer “Suppy” Lomerio, Toll Supervisor, Operations Management

“It is with a grateful heart when I first learned about it. Being included in the Circle of Excellence awardees is such an honor, not only for myself but for my family, for NLEX Corp., MPTC, and for my Toll Operations family. Masarap po yung pakiramdam na may naniniwala sa kakayahan mo. I am very blessed that I have superiors/ mentors who trusted me. In return, I want to give back all the pride to my dear NLEX Corp., especially to my superiors – Ma’am West, Ma’am Ycel, Ma’am Elaine , and Ma’am Yen. I will never get tired to share all the skills that I have wherever I go.” 

For Suppy, it’s important that as a leader, you set an example for your team. While she acknowledged that being a leader is not an easy task because it takes a lot of responsibility, she believes that she can make a difference even in her small actions.  

“I always ensure that I can attend to every concern immediately, as much as possible I sit with my subordinates and discuss with them every possible solution to a certain problem. I let them discover their strengths, their skills that will help them do better at work. Mahalaga din na alam nila ang weaknesses nila to know where areas to improve and pano nila iha-handle pag nandon na sila sa sitwasyon. Mahalaga din to always remind them that I trust and believe that they can. I believe that everyone has their own special skills”, she added. 

Elaine Rose Madrid, Toll Operations Manager and nominator of Toll Supervisor Jennifer Lomerio said, “I nominated Suppy because she is a leader who exemplifies what a true leader is. She always shows a positive attitude in everything she does, be it an additional task or a challenge. She deserves to be recognized because of her outstanding and consistent performance. From Toll Teller to Senior Toll Teller and now a Toll Supervisor, she serves as an inspiration to her subordinates. She never gets tired of guiding, motivating, and instilling discipline to our lane personnel.” 

Elaine remembered the nervousness she felt at the start of the screening process since she knew that MPTC Circle of Excellence is a notable award thus, defending her nomination would not be easy. But she still went on and appeared to be confident because she strongly believes that Suppy deserves to be a Circle of Excellence awardee. 

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE – PEOPLE CATEGORY

Dennis Mendoza, Patrol Crew-NLEX, Traffic Operations

“[First] I’m surprised when I knew it because I didn’t expect that I would get an award like this. All I know is I am just doing my job with love and dedication because I understand that my job is very important to me since it supports my family’s needs. But I feel honored and at the same time valued that my dedication at work was recognized.” 

PC Dennis admitted that upholding excellence at work is not easy all the time but having his family as his inspiration motivates him to do better and be always better. 

Liezel Uy, Traffic Supervisor and nominator of PC Dennis Mendoza said, “The notable unselfish act of PC Dennis Mendoza really prepared me in advance to nominate him in the MPTC Circle of Excellence Awards. He is a living and shining example of a sure result, if one employee will heed the call of “no” to silo mentality and “no” to complacency. This was even reinforced by the new culture of I-CARE. During the most challenging times of our operations, Dennis quickly transforms himself into an agile and innovative individual. He showed enthusiasm by joining the Special On-Site Team to help manage our toll leaks brought by the barrier-up condition. He also volunteered and rendered toll tellering duties to help in the much-needed manpower requirement for Toll Operations when most of its personnel were afflicted by the covid-19 virus/undergone mandatory quarantine.”

Liezel’s confidence braved that grilling process of nomination screening because with her are untarnished data and documentation that evidenced the excellent performance of her nominee PC Dennis Mendoza.  

And when Liezel was asked why PC Dennis is deserving to be recognized, she answered, “The feat of Dennis was not a walk in the park. The competition in productivity is huge in consideration of the 180 plus Patrol personnel. He practically moved mountains of more seasoned personnel making it to the top. Dennis dreamed of landing a stable job at NLEX Corporation. He patiently waited for the big break while working as a Security Guard until it came. As his immediate Superior, it is my duty to report his accomplishments. As a fellow NLEX Corp employee and to champion the I-CARE Culture, I am not only duty bound but it is also a calling now…”. 

Eric Segundo, Patrol Crew-SCTEX, Traffic Operations

“When I heard na ako po ay isa sa mga awardees, sobrang saya ko. Parang feeling ko nasa basketball game ako at ako ang napiling MVP. Ganun yung feeling eh kasi sa tingin ko, itong award na ito ay ang pinakamataas sa lahat ng mga awards. 

In my daily work routine, I always make sure to be a role model to my co-workers, specifically accomplishing the things I can do on my own and not passing it to others. Kaya feeling ko wala naman co-worker ang umiiwas sa akin para hindi nila ako maka-buddy sa duty. Kasi since the day na na-hire ako, alam nila kung papaano ako makisama at magtrabaho.” 

Allan Sugue, Traffic Supervisor and nominator of PC Eric Segundo said, “I nominated PC Eric Segundo because of his exceptional performance in 2021. Despite the risk of the pandemic, he continued to serve customers and received a significant number of commendations from well-satisfied motorists without any complaints. He also has the highest attendance percentage, highest Performance Evaluation, and was awarded two NLEXEMPLARY awards in the People category. PC Eric exemplifies a model patrol crew, steadfast in his passion for customer service despite the risk of the pandemic, an inspiration to his fellow employees.” 

For Allan, having been in the hot seat during the nomination screening is an unforgettable experience, feeling more anxious than during any job interview that he had. He was eventually able to gain composure as he was presenting his nomination because of his determination to recognize those who are worthy of it and for him, it is PC Eric Segundo. 

As our dear President, Sir Luigi Bautista congratulates the awardees of MPTC Circle of Excellence for the hard work and passion they poured in, he also shared that he believes all these also came with failures; failures which were turned into growth opportunities. That’s why he encouraged everyone to make their MPTC journey an enjoyable one no matter what the circumstances or challenges might be.

To our MPTC Circle of Excellence awardees and nominators, we are very proud of you. Congratulations! 

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