THE Provincial Government of Misamis Oriental on Saturday, December 30, marked the 121st death anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Provincial Capitol grounds.
Despite the absence of Governor Yevgeny Emano, the annual wreath laying commenced with a message from Judge Jarley Sulay-Trugillo who challenged public servants and the private sector to work on realizing the will and needs of the people.
"We should not be comfortable with what profession we have earned. Rizal was a doctor and to reach out to the poor, he went as far Dapitan to spend his life with them, to change their lives; it is also a challenge every day. Are we comfortable of what we have and it’s not only being comfortable but, especially with the public service, for example, how do we let the people feel that we are present, that the government is present, public service is always available for them," Trugillo asked.
She said the challenge for both public and private sectors is to usher change that “we can do not only to our lives but to our people."
"And so not only to respond to what they need but also to be proactive in doing not just only their identified needs but what they need every day with sustainability so that’s always a challenge to public sector and also in the public sector," Trugillo added.
She also told the private sectors to change the lives of the people not only because of business purposes but also in "making them feel that they person, that they are humans," adding that what Rizal wanted to impart is the substantive rights of each and every person.
"Even when he (Rizal) was abroad, he was writing the El Filibusterismo and Noli me Tangere to tell the Filipinos that there's hope for us, there's hope and we will be liberated from whatever situation that we have during the time. And this is also what Rizal is telling us today. That we will be liberated from this situation, situation of poverty, situation whatever, situation we have right now," Trugillo said.
She also urged the government to not only let the people feel and see their presence and be responsive to their needs but also to be responsible to the future of the generation yet to come.
"Again, I would like to end my brief speech with that same challenge. That same challenge for us to reach out to our people, to teachers, to engineers, to doctors, to lawyer, to our peers, and who are not here, to make their lives not only comfortable but with a change and to a better, not only for this generation, but for generations yet to come," Trugillo said.