IT IS only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
That very line of Antoine de Saint-Exupery moved significantly the new director of DepEd Davao Region who then had successfully directed his career trajectory. Now, this destined leader is on for the great game called leadership in Department of Education-Davao Region (DepEd Davao) -- Dr. Allan G. Farnazo, CESO IV.
Yes, all leaders who have wound their journeys in this office had scores of things they could do. But this particular disciplined leader who took the seat now has identified and focused only on the vital few. Just like what John F. Manning, President of a certain General Management Consulting Firm is advancing, the 20 percent of activities that will drive 80 percent of the results, and those most important results are those tied to the organization’s most precious asset: its people.
Farnazo is not new to Davao Region as he was formerly the President of the Regional School Paper Advisers Association when General Santos City was still part of Davao Region and it is also in the region where he won Outstanding School Paper Adviser of the Philippines in 1996.
He was a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at Notre Dame of Marbel University, Koronadal, South Cotabato. He completed his Masters Degree in Education majoring Guidance and Counseling at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, General Santos City. He also finished his Bachelor of Laws at Mindanao State University – General Santos City Campus and his Doctor of Philosophy at Sultan Kudarat State University.
He passed the Career Service Professional Exam and passed his Professional Board Examination for Teachers (PBET) in 1992, Career Executive Service Exam in 2003, ranked 9th in the National Educational Management Test (Superintendents Test) in 2005, became CES eligible in 2007, and CESO V in 2009.
He had served as a classroom teacher, guidance coordinator, provincial board member, administrative officer, schools division superintendent, officer in-charge as assistant regional director, and regional director of the department of education.
His recent feat is being chosen as one of the nominees of the 2020 Gawad Career Executive Service Award – an annual presidential recognition for the members of the Career Executive Service whose remarkable accomplishments, excellent performance, and integrity inspire others to transform communities across the country.
Farnazo is a loving husband to Rina Farnazo and a caring father to their three children.
Leadership Style
Practicing the art of leadership with a heart is but apparent to his message as he uttered this line to the stakeholders of 11 schools divisions he visited, “We will not be taking new steps, new directions; we will just perhaps be infusing new dynamism, new spirit, new fervor, and new ways of doing things.”
He added, “Hindi ako pumunta dito upang kumanta ng panibagong kanta at pipilitin ko kayong kumanta kasama ko. Pumunta ako rito upang kumanta ng kantang paborito ninyong kantahin. Gusto ko, ang boses ninyo at boses ko ay maging isang bahagi ng isang symphony or orchestra where you love singing the song, and I would like to sing with you.”
What he meant is what he wants to see is what is it that his people want to do and he will help them accomplish it. This is so because he has learned difficult and important lessons in life that he cannot just transport best practice into other locations because people there have another story: they have different struggles, they have different priorities, and they have a different context. This is the very reason why over the years of his leadership functions, he never brings any traditions from his previous areas of responsibilities to his new stations as he ought to begin anew.
“I believe in the principle that says, begin where the learners are,” he said.
This means that he will begin where everyone is. That together, they all will create and shape the future and direction that are desirable and will fit them. How the children of Davao Region be taught and what they want these learners will be through leadership that will hone their character and their being.
“Bigyan natin ng kongkretong pag-uunawa ang katagang ‘No child is left behind,’” he said.
This call for urgency has reference to the discriminating kind of system we have in education. Those standards set apart the children who are physically, mentally, and emotionally challenged from the normal children in our society.
“One child, definitely, is not the same with the other,” he said.
He added, “What is important is what is the thing that binds between persons and not how the person looks against and towards others.” In relation to this, he quoted another line from Antoine de Saint-Exupery: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
Work ethics
“My passion is in my work! Because I take it by heart when I said no child is left behind,” he said.
Farnazo highlights the importance of all children having space in school to learn. This is the prime consideration that each one should be mindful of in the gradual preparation of every school for the normal face-to-face classes.
“I want to share with you a new way of looking into leadership. A leadership that sets your position and your person as a model but not a person that celebrates about his power and the authority that is in him,” he said.
He is saying that school leaders have to be true servant leaders -- that is putting the interest of others at the center and making sure that the people’s highest priority needs are being served.
The director also keyed in the importance of the establishment of the quality system in every school which is very possible and best implemented in the division through the establishment of the School-Based Management. He then espoused the establishment of an SBM Level III accreditation in the Schools Division Office for at least one big school and one small school in both elementary and secondary schools which will serve as laboratories for benchmarking for the nearby schools.
Leadership Examples
“Napakadaling maging leader pero napakahirap maging disiplinadong leader,” Farnazo said.
This is how he sees leadership transpiring in every office and every school now. He cited that discipline begins even the way we dress up; even in the way we beautify ourselves; even in the way we project competence such as talking in public, such as presiding over meetings, such as preparing for meetings so that teachers will have inputs of what to learn in that meeting.
“The Leader is the model and the leader draws his leadership credibility through his examples. Be, therefore, the examples you want for your teachers!” Farnazo said.
As an example, he said that if others can afford to be late in attending to their commitments, a leader cannot, in any way, because he is a leader. True enough, becoming a disciplined leader takes hard work. One has to go into self-chastisement and break himself of the bad habits he’d created.
His example of self-discipline went even as far as the responsibilities of every parent of the school children who are struggling to cope with the distance learning modality of the lesson delivery in the education in the trying times.
“During this time of pandemic those who have invested in education have the high rate of survival. The parents, then, were not serious in their education that’s why they are hard up being facilitators of learning at home with their children,” he said.
This is somehow an expression of exasperation. Nevertheless, the director sees the positive side.
“Pandemic exposed the strength and weaknesses of every family. Now we have the idea of how much we should work for each family,” he said.
Perhaps, the director is right when he regarded that the story of the pandemic is the strength of every family and that the strong family foundation helped people cope with life’s adversities.
“I, as the Regional Director can do so less, but I totally believe together we can!” he said.
Farnazo said the success of DepEd-Davao is not solely dependent on his shoulders as what everyone is trying to presume. He then stressed the point that DepED is an organization where all is important, where everyone has a part. Thus, cooperation and participation are hooked on and indispensable for every member.
It is an overwhelming feeling to hear from the director that he has the full trust and confidence in his people to perform the tasks.
“I achieved my goal, na lahat ng reklamo itapon na at lahat ng gawa ay simulan na!” he said.
He even stated some sort of satirical but sincere version of encouragement, “Perhaps the most that I can do to you is sing a song when you are tired, tell you stories when you want some inspirations, or perhaps push you a little harder because you can do better than what you are doing now. I am your number one cheerer! That’s the most I can do for an organization as active, as dynamic as the education sector of Region XI.”
Public service is about commitment to all the people; counting in the ones who are supposed as queer and the differently-abled. It must be of great degree than just doing a job proficiently and fairly -- It must be a wide-ranging keenness to and for the public and the country.