I was hoping that my visit here would give me some relief from Manila’s heat but I had no such luck. Your welcome is far warmer than the summer noon and I am delighted to join your fellowship today. Thank you for the kind introduction and the honor of keynoting your gathering.
I would like to congratulate your district on its silver anniversary. A quarter century of service is a major milestone which we are all pleased to celebrate with you. I am equally happy to see that in true Rotarian tradition, you have chosen to celebrate this milestone by lining up a wide stream of events for the upliftment of the needy. I commend you for living up to our ideals in a quiet and heroic manner. But then this is to be expected for while Lions may roar, Rotarians act.
Setting aside humor and friendly rivalries, this DisCon is more than just an opportunity to bond with our brothers and sisters in service. It is a profound venue to exchange thoughts on the timely concerns that affect not only the Rotary, but the people whom we have pledged to serve above ourselves.
Specifically, we gather to discuss government and how change can be reached with government, through government and in government. We cannot seek to accomplish what scholars since the creation of the State have spent lifetimes debating, but we can plant good seed for dialogues and more importantly, cooperation to sprout from.
When we talk of change, government is the most visible vehicle for institutionalizing it. Charged with promoting the common good, at least when government is clothed in democracy, it creates, enforces and upholds laws that uphold the universal human rights of each one and protects the welfare of the people from whom its mandate emanates.
Service is therefore a basic mission of government and since Rotarians live according to the tenet of service above self, it is not difficult to find areas of convergence where we can achieve our mutual goals.
The Rotarian way is one of selfless service and of living the highest standards of ethics, discipline and excellence in every facet of our lives. This is true in our ordinary daily tasks and even in the more complex duties of our chosen professions. But perhaps it is during the dark hours of crisis that this light of service shines like the brightest star.
I note the Shelter Box displayed outside of this hall. I vividly recall that rushing to Cagayan de Oro City in the aftermath of Typhoon Sendong. There I witnessed the relief efforts conducted by the Rotary Clubs of Cagayan de Oro City. Alongside other heroic organizations such as the Red Cross and Gawad Kalinga, Rotarians responded swiftly to the needs of the afflicted communities and displayed unceasing dedication to the mission at hand. I could not have been more proud to be part of our distinguished ranks and I assure you that then and there, Rotarians resoundingly proved that they lived what they preached.
It was also then that I saw the shelter boxes deployed. I later learned that these tents were made possible by the efforts of the Rotary movement led by Past District Governor Jess Nicdao of District 3790 in Pampanga. I understand that to date, Rotary has provided more than 4,000 shelter boxes to victims of major typhoons and those displaced by the recent earthquake in Negros Oriental. All in all, P 173-million worth of tents has been donated and this has eased the great burden that government bears during such trying moments. Of note, these structures provided families with warmth, shelter and indeed dignity when everything around was washed away or uprooted. No amount of money can equal what this has accomplished. I applaud the Rotary for exuding this sanguine concern.
The Sendong experience is a superb example of what a tight synergy between government and citizens groups can accomplish but we should not be content to explore this power only during crisis. We should be able to apply this chemistry to the ordinary business of governance. Just as Rotary came together to put temporary roofs above the heads of the needy, I look forward to seeing the Rotary as partners in making permanent homes for the homeless a reality, as well as active partners in the concerns entrusted to me by President Benigno Aquino III.
The President has charged me to attend to critical areas such as providing affordable, decent and climate-resilient houses to our countrymen in search of a home; and furthering the security of our Global Filipinos, to ensure that their dreams of prosperity do not end in fates inflicted by the criminal and inhumane. Under these mandates, I chair the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and serve as the chief adviser of the President on Overseas Filipino Workers’ (OFW) Concerns. I am also Chairman Emeritus of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and the head of the Presidential Taskforce Against Illegal Recruitment (PTFAIR).
In each of these spheres, both a spirit of service and timely partnerships are welcome and necessary. As we have strengthened the role of LGUs in giving life to locally responsive housing projects, we have explored and continue to push for attractive instruments through which the private sector can contribute its expertise. The drive towards green technologies and indigenous materials creates added opportunities for business and employment. With growing demand for houses from our offshore nation, and an ever increasing membership in our provident funds, the time could not be any riper for private sector participation in the housing sector.
The situation is no different in our quest to safeguard our nationals from exploitation and trafficking. Our most vulnerable countrymen are those who have little or no skill, usually being contracted as domestic helpers. Making them more prone to abuse is their meager knowledge of their rights – both those recognized in their deployment area and those that cannot be denied wherever in the world they may be.
Agencies such as OWWA continue to render sterling service round the clock, and aiding them is a network of private entities that train aspiring OFWs in skills that are valued by the global market. Educating them in their rights as human beings and as contracted workers is also done by both government and private organizations. There are many opportunities here to equip our countrymen with the proper tools to brave the worlds that lie beyond our shores.
The complex coastline of our country is not easy to watch but with the help of several NGOs, what was once difficult to monitor is well within our radar. Thousands of potential trafficking victims, many of them minors, have been saved by NGO port watchers working closely with government authorities. Our rising convictions in human trafficking cases, including a recent landmark case in Singapore, rides on the wings of the private and public actors working in concert. Increased support from organizations such as ours can only enhance the protection that government can provide to our people.
I am confident that everywhere, my fellow Rotarians, in government, business and all other vocations remain committed to serve and work for lasting change wherever this is needed. I am equally sure that many, or I should say, all of you will look at the arenas we’ve presented and examine where the ethos we live and the men and women who comprise our ranks can work with and through government.
All of us are sworn to live within the law, to uphold it at all times, and to extend our most constructive support to the government that our nation has elected into office. The government cannot succeed absent such support from the people and it is our most sacred duty to ensure that whatever government is granted a popular mandate is given no less than the chance to succeed.
A large number of people are willing, even raring, to contribute to nation building and lend their strongest push so that the poor may see their suffering end. People who live and breathe the Rotary creed are in the thick of this fight but perhaps, some of those gathered here may wish to look beyond.
It would not surprise me if public office has whispered or even cried out to you. All who fuel the fire of service in their hearts eventually hear this call echo in their very soul. I do not ask that you answer this call right away. However, I do pray that you will not dismiss it casually.
Government is not a popular path, and up until recent years, it suffered from prejudice that was not always undeserved, and gave proof to Lord Acton’s words - “Men cannot be made good by the state, but they can easily be made bad.” Yet, if we wish to see revolutionary change, we must strive to raise the bar in both the citizenry that bestows power and the governors that wield it.
It is not an easy life nor will it ever be. But the difficulty of the calling should spur those whose competence and resolve match the vocation, to cast their most honorable lot. Many of you possess wisdom and perspective that is not easily earned and the skills you have built over years of practicing your trades and professions can cause new blood to surge through the political life of our land if these are brought to bear on a higher and more noble forum. Armed with all this, remain open to assuming greater roles in all levels of governance.
"You can never have a revolution in order to establish a democracy. You must have a democracy in order to have a revolution." So wrote the English essayist G.K. Chesterton. Our nation has endured so much to be able to weave and renew the fabric of its democracy. If this way of life, where each man can be what he freely seeks to be, is what we wish to leave our children when our time is up, let our courage hold.
In seeking to make a true difference in government, let us prepare ourselves well to serve in any and all capacities. And should the moment come, when our nation cries out to her sons and daughters for true hearts to man the helms of State, let us not be afraid to come to her aid. Let us be bold and charge confidently into the breach.
Again, thank you very much.
Mabuhay kayo!