Celebrating birth and re-birth with Timbaya

Achieving work-life balance for TVIRD employees at Canatuan

Timbaya sa Adlaw na Natawhan, roughly translated as a celebration of one’s birthday, is a quarterly must-attend party in Canatuan. It is a party held for birthday celebrants and participated in by the celebrants and their families, as well as officers and employees of TVI Resource Development Philippines, Inc. (TVIRD).

Organized by the Human Resources and Administration Department (HRAD), Timbaya is fun-time for everybody – complete with games, featured entertainers and impersonators, music and a lot of bonding among co-workers and friends. Hence, all those who attend always leave the party with a smile on their faces.

Delia Patoh, a lumad (native) and utility personnel in the mining site, is one such happy worker. Not only does she enjoy the entertainment but especially appreciates the time she spends meeting, talking and enjoying the camaraderie of fellow workers.

Timbaya, for her, is not just a celebration of birthday but also of re-birth. She admits being shy around other TVIRD workers before but Timbaya events have empowered her to become more confident. She now mingles with people, participates in games, and enjoys the company of friends and co-workers – all these make her more zealous about her job in the company.

At times, she cannot help but recall how life was prior to joining TVIRD. Her family was poor and their time was mostly spent in kaingin – a slash and burn method of farming where trees are cut down and burned to create a clearing or space for cultivation purposes. Her lot improved only after joining the company.

She considers her employment with TVIRD as another form of rebirth. She no longer works in the kaingin but in a company that provides her and her family with a decent living and gives her enjoyment in activities such as the Timbaya which she never experienced in the past.

“Attending the Timbaya is really a welcome respite from our routine work and breaks the monotony in upland living and working,” Delia says.

Rey Romero, Site HR Superintendent of TVIRD, is elated that the company’s Timbaya events are well received by company staff. He said, “The Timbaya party is our way of greeting and extending best wishes to our employees who are with us throughout the year. It is also our way of showing our appreciation for their contribution to the success of TVIRD”.

“At TVIRD we believe our employees are our greatest assets, and that is why work-life balance of all our staff is a priority. We believe the Timbaya event is one way by which we achieve this balance,” he adds.