Thursday, January 10, 2008 Speak out: Our lives, our selves By Arnel Balagat Banzon Police Chief Inspector
(THIS speech was delivered during the flag-raising ceremony at the Cebu City Police Office last Jan. 7, 2008)
Coming here today and speaking before you is my first since I joined the Cebu City Police Office.
It took me some time to ponder over this speech. But then again, I know you and I speak the same language.
As public servants, our mandate is to serve and protect: our lives, our properties, our well-being, and practically everything that is imperiled by lawless elements or even by calamities and misfortunes.
I once read that, “it takes dignity and dedication to serve people.” I say that, in our profession, it takes more than dignity and dedication but LIFE to serve people.
Ours is a thankless job. As we perform our duties and responsibilities, we are mocked, ridiculed, insulted, embarrassed and even put to shame in sermons.
We are not spared from people’s criticisms and condemnations if they are frustrated or disappointed with our performance. We are the subject of broadcasts if we commit mistakes or if we fall short of expectations.
Dedication
Yet, here we are, standing before the Philippine flag and again pledging our allegiance to it. We are again uttering our dedication to the service.
Dedication does not mean we have to pour all our time on our work. It does not mean we will do impossible things.
It simply means that we give our best efforts, that we go the extra mile, so that, at the end of the day, we can proudly say that we did our job and did it well. And that we are worth what government has paid us for.
We cannot over-emphasize the fact that the community relies on us. People depend on us for their safety, their security and even redemption from their misery.
Sometimes, they ask for the impossible from us. Sometimes they forget that we too are humans, that we also have our own frailties and shortcomings.
If we do not have dignity and dedication, we will not be able to do what is expected of us. Our dignity, our dedication to the service should be our source of inspiration to do our job, and do it well.
Our dedication, our dignity, our love for the service – all of these spring from the heart.
We could have pledged ourselves to our profession for various reasons: to serve our country and countrymen, to be in those distinguished-looking uniforms, to have a decent job, because our parents forced us, or because we ran out of options.
No matter the reason, let us congratulate each other for courageously presenting ourselves to be at the service of society even at the expense of our lives.
To be at society’s beck and call twenty-four hours a day is not easy. To be of service to a society that is quick to point our flaws but seldom appreciates our good efforts is not easy.
Sacrifice
Let not the mockery, ridicule, insults, criticisms and condemnations stand in our way to keep our dignity and dedication to the job.
Let us not bow our heads in shame for things we are not guilty of. Let us not drown in embarrassment for faults we are not party of.
Though we could not deny that among us are some not-so-dedicated and not-so-perfect men, let us not forget that such is true for any group or organization; such is true for every work or profession.
But we should also not use this as excuse for the things we may be guilty of.
We could not afford to deliver less of what is expected from our noble profession.
As we struggle to perfect ourselves in rendering services to the public, let us recognize our frailties and strengths as public servants. Let us likewise constantly refresh the dignity and dedication we have for our job.
It is in the acceptance of who we are in and to the society we serve that we become better in unselfishly and generously sharing our personal sacrifice to the society we are serving.
As William Carlos Williams puts it, “the better work men do is always done under stress and at great personal cost.”
In our case, that personal cost is our lives, our selves.
