A month had passed, and after the dust had settled, there was one quite interesting event that went unnoticed — the State of the Province Address of Governor Dennis Socrates on October 3. It took a backseat since people were gripped with grief at the passing of the legendary Ed Hagedorn that very day. The so-called “Pambansang Mayor” died earlier during the day when Gov. Dennis was set to deliver his speech in the afternoon. Subsequently, the fever for the BSKE (Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections) cut through. As such, a beautiful piece delivered in the August hall had been left with a lesser spotlight and only a considerable minimum volume of sound.
More or less, the Address went on to last for an hour. Truth be told, I was all ears from the beginning to the end of the discourse. Not for anything else, but my mind had wandered far and beyond the lessons/lectures I have been giving in my classes on Catholic Social Teachings. As such, my one hour of listening has turned out to be a real treat of synthesis in a course syllabus, or that I had imagined the Governor as standing up for a graded recitation. Furthermore, the speech could also serve as a spiritual reading for those who are in the religious life. Listening to Governor Socrates then had me transported to reading the French philosopher Jacques Maritain (who advocated Integral Humanism) and, at the same time, San Josemaria Escriva (protagonist of the universal call to holiness and saint of the ordinary).
In his introduction, Gov. Dennis grounded himself deeply in the Doctrine of the Universal Call to Sanctity. “Ang pagpapakabanal ay maituturing ding paglago sa pagpapakatao, pagsisikap na maging mabuting tao, patungo sa ating kaganapan bilang tao,” proclaimed him. He then quoted, “This is the will of God: your sanctification.” (Thes. 4:3). In a nutshell, this reluctant Chief Executive would want to see to it that his position and what he does should be anchored in simply doing what is according to God’s will. In some instances, he would explicate, “Masiguro lamang na di na ako dadagdag pa sa pabigat ng bayan at magkakasala sa aking pagtratrabaho bilang pulitiko.” To say the least, one’s spirituality should be in place and intact as one engages him/herself in the public sphere. For what will profit a man indeed if he gains the whole world while forfeiting his soul? (MLK. 6:36)
Yet, a relationship with God alone is lacking and could even be detrimental. It must be translated or realized to care for others. Governor Dennis must be well-versed in this, as he mentioned, “… sapagkat ang tao ay espiritwal na diwa sa materyal na pangangatawan, a spiritual soul in a material body.” Henceforth, the plan of his administration for Palawan is necessarily anchored towards the common good, or “kabutihang panlahat.” This, as he kept pounding, can be achieved through following the rule of law, by being transparent, in the spirit of accountability, and by way of a wider participation of many. In such a way, good governance is guaranteed to the advantage of everyone.
Quite conceivably, such a Socratic approach (pun intended) would tend to be a rather slow, long, and tedious process. In a gist, it is giving a chance to law to function properly vis-à-vis listening to the populace with a gamut of opinions, at times, or more often than not, discordant. Otherwise, the leader could just turn impatiently dictatorial, following his whatchamacallits, or he could just let the entire constituency scream and shout to their respective delights. In both cases, nothing is served, and no one will be pleased. “Dahil dito, kailangan nating maging madasalin. At maging maingat, sapagkat, sa maraming pagkakataon, mas mabuti ang walang ginagawa kaysa gumawa ng masama,” he quipped in his speech. Moreover, Gov. Dennis borrowed from every physician’s basic principle: “Primum non nocere” (“to refrain from doing any harm first, before doing any good”).
From the “Ulat sa Bayan” part, two matters proved to be excitingly salient: culture and agriculture, according to my listening appetite.
Said Mahatma Gandhi, “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and souls of its people.” As such, culture functions as a grounding. It is the connection to all and a connection to ancestry and old folks. Along such lines, SOPA made mention of the revival of the iconic Governor’s Residence, the reprinting of Diokno Manlavi’s “History of Palawan”, the launching of the first literary contest, in which mostly young Palawenos participated, the re-imaging of Sagisag ng Palawan, the push for Tabon Caves to become a UNESCO Heritage Site, etc. It goes without saying that this is what keeps the community intact: values, language, arts, stories, norms, and artifacts, among others. With them and because of them, we can speak well and proudly of a truly Palawan culture that is faithful to history while relevant and responsive to contemporary times.
At the announcement of the budget for agriculture, it was impossible not to notice the jovial faces of Board Member Aris Arzaga and Dr. Romy Cabungcal, the former being Chairman of the Agriculture Committee in the Provincial Board and the latter as the current Provincial Agriculturist. Why did they have such a reaction? The Governor had vowed to increase, exponentially at that, the allocation for the said sector. “Madoble man lang,” he promised.
Surely, such a mighty agri-plan should usher in fresh and robust hope for every Palaweno. Navigating from the lessons brought about by the pandemic, a keen eye on food security is a no-brainer type of governmental decision-making. Our brethren farmers and fishermen, had long needed well-meaning assistance and reasonable attention. They are not to be considered the backbone of the economy for just nothing. On a personal note, being assigned to a parish where each family is connected and dependent on the produce of the earth and the bounty of the sea, I have sensed a sort of preferential option for the most marginalized, along with the indigenous peoples and other sectors of our society.
Finally, it seems almost always unavoidable that comparisons exist between administrations, past and incumbent, and their brand of leadership. Which style is better? What plan makes sense and is doable? Whose team and staff could deliver more? Are we going to pit the two against each other now? Is it healthy to compare?
The answer is yes and no. Yes – comparison is just natural and spontaneous. Every leader is peculiarly unique. Hence, no chief executive is ever the same. In every sense, Pope Benedict XVI is Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis is Pope Francis. As such, the answer is also no. However, if, by comparison, we tend to end up in a tussle, then political maturity would remain elusive. Consequently, it would be a disservice to the common good and would stunt the cultural growth that has been sown for many ages. In fact, the differences in personalities and in their respective focus could turn out to be advantageous for everyone in the long run. Remarkably, Governor Dennis does not fail to acknowledge the numerous initiatives that his esteemed predecessor has accomplished. As a matter of fact, his plata forma de gobierno is built upon the continuity and development of Governor Alvarez.
Capping off, the address has served its purpose to a tee. Listening intently to it, one can easily get the picture of the entire province and the road Palawenos are heading to, while Governor Dennis is at the helm. It is not perfect; it is far from it. Some may have felt disappointment, others may have gotten a sigh of relief. Many could have doubts, while plenty could also be hopeful. But then again, this is what leadership should be about. What will matter at the end of the day is, as repeatedly claimed by the Palawan Prexy himself, “magpakabanal sa pagsisikap na maging mabuting gobernador.”
