President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Saturday lauded the employees of the Office of the President (OP) for their hard work and dedication to genuine public service.

During the annual celebration of OP’s Family Week, Marcos acknowledged the staff’s invaluable contribution to the accomplishments of his administration since he assumed office in June 2022.

“Maraming, maraming salamat sa inyo sa nakaraang taon, sa inyong pagsisikap, sa inyong sipag, sa inyong galing upang tayo nga ay makapagbigay ng  magandang serbisyo sa taumbayan (Many, many thanks to you for the past year, for your efforts, for your diligence, for your talent so that we can provide good service to the people),” he said in a  speech delivered at the Kalayaan Grounds of Malacañan Palace in Manila.

“Kahit gaano kasipag, kahit gaano kagaling ang namumuno, kapag kayo ay hindi rin masipag at hindi rin magaling, hindi natin nagagawa lahat ng ating kailangang gawin para tulungan ang ating kababayan (No matter how hardworking, no matter how good the leader is, if you are not hardworking and not good either, we cannot do everything we need to do to help our countrymen),” Marcos added.

Marcos said OP employees deserve to relax and spend time with their families, recognizing that they have little personal time because they tend to overwork.

“Alam naman naming napakarami naming pinapagawa sa inyo at kung minsan mahaba-haba ang oras ng trabaho, kaya naman siguro dapat once in a while, makabawi naman at mabigyan kayo ng kaunting kasiyahan, lalung-lalo na sa mga pamilya ninyo na hindi na kayo nakikita dahil nga sa haba ng trabaho (We know that we make you do a lot and sometimes the work hours are long, that’s why maybe once in a while, we should make it up and give you a little pleasure, especially to your families who don’t see you anymore because of your jobs),” Marcos said.

“Kami naman na namumuno ng Office of the President, lahat po ng nandito ay ito na ang aming paraan upang magpasalamat sa inyong lahat, sa inyong napakagandang trabaho na ibinibigay (For us who lead the Office of the President, everyone here, this is our way to thank all of you, for your wonderful work that you provide).”

Marcos, accompanied by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, also led a raffle draw for all OP personnel after delivering a keynote speech.

Bersamin picked two winners of a multipurpose trike each, while Marcos picked the 10 winners of housing units from the National Housing Authority.

Marcos also toured the booths which offer various government services, free medical consultations, and affordable food directly sourced from local farmers.

Spearheaded by the OP and the Social Secretary’s office, the Family Week this weekend aims to extend gratitude to all the staff who play an indispensable role in nation-building in support of the President.

The two-day event also provides an opportunity for all employees and their families to come together and utilize the services being offered.

A free concert open to the public will be held along Mendiola Street at 6 p.m. Saturday, featuring singer Bamboo.

The OP Family Week is an annual event initiated by the late president Fidel V. Ramos in 1992, originally in September. (PNA)