CESAR Virata. Jovito Salonga. Blas Ople. These were some of the names my late father often mentioned during family conversations over dinner. However, as a young boy, I could not put a face to the names of these individuals.
What I vividly remember is that when my father spoke about these people, he held them in very high regard, akin to the reverence one accords to heroes. He described them as “statesmen,” a term which, at that time, I still could not wrap my head around.
I would later learn who these individuals were and their invaluable contribution in shaping the economic and political landscape of that era. As statesmen, they were highly-respected not only as civil servants, but as men of honor, dignity and moral courage.
Cesar Virata, who is now 96 years old, is recognized as the Philippines' premier technocrat, having served as the country’s fourth Prime Minister and its longest-tenured Minister of Finance during the term of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr.
Aside from the key fiscal policies he had put in place as chief of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), he also held high-ranking roles within the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
His term as Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Business Administration led to the institution being renamed as the Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business in recognition of his professional integrity, influence and vision.
The late Blas Ople, who was affectionately called "Ka Blas," is best remembered as the "Father of the Philippine Labor Code," a landmark piece of legislation that unified labor laws and protected worker rights.
He is also known as the architect of the Overseas Employment Program, which established the now reorganized Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
Ople likewise served as Senate President, helped draft the historic 1987 Constitution, and represented the country internationally as Secretary of Foreign Affairs and President of the International Labour Conference.
The late Jovito Salonga was a titan of Philippine jurisprudence and considered as the nation’s moral compass, especially during its most politically-charged moments. He was severely injured during the Plaza Miranda bombing in 1971.
As Senate President, he played a key role in asserting national sovereignty by leading the rejection of the R.P.-U.S. Bases Treaty in 1991, a development that redefined diplomatic relations between the two nations.
As the first chairman of the Philippine Commission on Good Government (PCGG), he doggedly pursued the recovery of ill-gotten wealth. He likewise authored landmark legislation such as the Anti-Plunder Law and the Code of Conduct for Public Officials.
In light of the allegations of corruption currently being faced by some of our country’s highest officials, the standards set by Virata, Ople and Salonga serve as a reminder to our nation of what genuine statesmanship means.
They carried out their mandate according to the highest standards required of civil servants. They treated their positions as a public trust that should not be violated nor broken and had to be protected at all costs.
Aside from their brilliant minds and outstanding work ethic, what really set them apart from the rest was the moral code they lived by. They were driven not by personal interests but by their desire to serve and uplift the lives of their fellow Filipinos.
What Virata, Ople, and Salonga clearly knew was that institutions are only as strong as the values of those who lead them. When public office loses its credibility, the systems meant to serve the people become vulnerable and easier to exploit.
Sadly, this was not the mindset of the officials who are now embroiled in the ongoing flood control controversy. That billions of pesos were allegedly siphoned to their personal bank accounts through kickbacks reflect their true intentions.
The flood control fiasco is just the tip of the iceberg. No less than Public Works and Highways Secretary Vice Dizon believes that more anomalous infrastructure projects will be unearthed, as there are still more than 100,000 projects that need to be validated by his department.
Sec. Dizon has a gargantuan task ahead of him. Having been named DPWH chief for less than a year, he and his team have uncovered anomalous transactions at almost every turn, which shows how deeply corruption has embedded itself in the bureaucracy.
At this critical juncture wherein the eyes of the international community are focused on the Philippines, the nation’s statesmen need to rise up and wage battle against those who are destroying the very fabric of our society.
This required a concerted effort among our local chief executives, congressmen and senators who must serve as the vanguards of accountable and transparent moral governance and address the roots of systemic corruption.
They can seek inspiration from Virata, Ople and Salonga who have demonstrated what a true statesman should be: one who thinks beyond the next election, acts with moral authority and restraint, and seeks national unity, even at a personal or political cost.
So, will the real statesmen please stand up?