SINCE I joined the government service several decades ago today, I have never really appreciated a light moment with a cabinet official who visited the places and realms of my influence.
Even if during their visits, they talk and joke about mundane things like any human being does, they can’t reach and touch the heart. They maintained their distinctive flair for royalty and being society’s top honchos.
The events of their visits have always compelled everybody to be serious with almost all resources trained and commandeered at any moment to serve them. At most, the atmosphere can be suffocating as everyone, except the lowly operatives of the agency, behaves like they are all dignitaries themselves.
The light moment, I sought from the Cabinet came last May 2018, a stunning surprise during a meeting between Secretary Manny Piñol, Mayor Mauricio Domogan and the municipal mayors of Benguet Province at the Venus Parkview Hotel.
Prior to this meeting, we spent the day chasing Secretary Piñol from one event to next, from one venue to the other in Baguio City and La Trinidad, Benguet, which was no different from the previous encounters I have had with DA Secretaries of regimes past, who came here and pursued as many activities while they had the time and opportunity to do so while they are outside of the comforts of their cubicles in Metro Manila.
But Secretary Piñol is rather different. He had time to spare and is uncomfortable with cooled cubicles. He likes the outdoors and prefers joking and bantering with common-looking people in the market and in the fields. Unaware of this characteristic of our Secretary, we waited like we used to do to conduct him to the next venue.
Already stressed at 4 p.m., I was yet receiving frantic messages from the staff and superiors like clockwork. I forgot to inform them that the Secretary has retired to his room to freshen-up. Exposed to the heat and cold weather for days, he was feeling the strain in his stomach. The meeting at Venus Parkview Hotel was postponed to 6 p.m.
When he arrived for the meeting, I moved about along with my staff busy doing our documentation, as usual, tense from setting up tables, tarpaulins, among others, and now buckling down to the documentation of the proceedings of this event.
As was his practice, Secretary Piñol interspersed his talks with jokes. It delighted everyone of course. What I remember most during the meeting and for that matter, the whole day was what he said about his visits to the Cordillera, thus far.
The peace, warmth, comfort, and security he found and enjoyed here, he attributed more to his friends – the men and women whom he named in the crowd, and others not present. He allied himself with the lowly and ordinary folks like us. That is genius in governance if you ask me.
Mayor Mauricio Domogan was impressed by the Secretary’s remarks of enjoying a visit in Baguio City. He encouraged Secretary Piñol to visit the city as often as he wants.
I do not know about Mayor Domogan, but Secretary Piñol’s remarks were not only truly humbling as it was an act of humility by itself. It will be treasured as such by this Igorot government servant.
Last Saturday night, I got a call from a friend who informed me that Secretary Piñol is in Baguio City. I wonder if he is with Mayor Domogan or Mr. Raffy Panagan.
My friend added that I should participate in the administration of the oath of office for Dr. Cameron Odsey as regional technical director of the DA-CAR, by Secretary Piñol, later in the day.
“What,” I replied feigning surprise, and added, “I was not invited.”
“I was asked by Dr. Odsey to invite you. Besides, Secretary Piñol would like to be with those whom he feels comfortable with,” my friend insisted.
I told this friend of mine that if Mr. Raffy Panagan is there, including him (my friend) and some ordinary folks besides me, the event would proceed just fine. Furthermore, I advised him that “these days, I do not see why my presence in the agency’s events is important. Not a few in the ranks think I am a weird and cranky “terrorist” of the mind and emotions. The others consider me too soft as a sponge to be bothered with. We laughed and I know I should be there, the chili in the menu of the agency’s social palate.
Last night, after he had Dr. Odsey installed as a full-pledged regional technical director, I asked Secretary Piñol if he still remembers a place called Amlao.
Of course, he said, that is in Tabuk City, Kalinga. We visited the place some two years ago. I enjoyed the people and the place. “Ang mga Igorot, masisipag sila, (You folks of these mountains are hardworking)” he added for effect.
We visited the place as part of Secretary Piñol’s Byaheng Bukid itinerary. He wanted to inspect a multi-million 15-kilometer farm-to-market road (FMR) that was touted to be world class – the Bulanao-Amlao FMR. Back then, as now, he wanted all DA-FMRs to be so – world class when constructed and completed.
I informed him that the Bulanao-Amlao FMR is already completed and the ceremonial opening will be on July 18, 2018. It is world-class, I assured him.
“That is great. Tell the folks there I am happy for them,” he exclaimed. “I will,” I responded.
While we were talking, it hit me that during his visit in Amlao, Secretary Piñol informed his listeners that he enjoyed what he was doing and he was just grateful to have met and talked to them. I was not fully attentive then but I heard him encouraging the local farmers to return to the basics by growing small livestock like chicken and swine. It is far better for us to grow our own food than simply buy these in the grocery stores, he told them.
Before coming up to Baguio, Secretary Piñol made sure the DA’s machinery was rolling out the program he mentioned during his earlier visits in the Cordillera that would encourage the nation’s farmers to return to backyard livestock production.
Indeed, Secretary Piñol should be coming up here more often – with or without the tension a cabinet official generates within the ranks on such occasions.