Editorial Colums: Greenlight

Manila Standard Today

Published November 28, 2011 The month of November opened with All Saints Day and ends with Bonifacio Day.  In between, I was involved in leadership-related engagements with Intellicare 2^nd conference in Makati, Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) leadership for higher education in Angeles, Pampanga, and Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) validation panel in Makati.

In these three engagements, it occurred to me that new leadership is heavenly directed but humanly grounded. The saints became saints by becoming fully integrated persons of action-reflection. And our national hero Andres Bonifacio called for revolutionary action after much reflection.

The platform of Philippine revolution was in fact based on Bonifacio’s interpretation of holiness in action. He said, “Ang tunay na kabanalan ay ang pagkakawanggawa; ang pag-ibig sa kapwa ang isukat ang bawat kilos, gawa’t pangungusap sa talagang katwiran.”  For him, nation building was a matter of self-reliance and personal choice, “Panahon na ngayong dapat na lumitaw ang liwanag ng katotohanan.  Itinuturo ng katwiran ang tayo’y umasa sa ating sarili at huwag hintayin sa iba ang ating kabuhayan. Itinuturo ng katwiran ang tayo’y magkaisang-loob” (Mga Aral ng Katipunan).

Based on Bonifacio’s kawanggawa hermeneutics, to be a leader is to be Christian. As Christian behavior is operationalized by being fully human, the very humaneness of leadership in action points towards ‘the image and likeness’ of a hero-leader Jesus Christ.

Intellicare’s CSR
In the tradition of kawanggawa and in the spirit of Animo La Salle, Intellicare through its president Mario Silos donated one million pesos to De La Salle College of St. Benilde’s scholarship fund. Intellicare is an all-Filipino corporation established by Mario, an economist, together with his high school classmate medical doctor and investors friends.  After 17 years, the two million corporation has grown into a multi-million enterprise; it is recognized as an HMO industry leader that provides the nation with superior health services based on integrity and honesty.

In keeping with Intellicare’s CSR, Mario handed the check to Br. Victor Franco, FSC, president of DLS College of St. Benilde. Br. Vic. It was Br. Vic, his former high school teacher in La Salle Bacolod, who recruited him to join the De La Salle Brothers and became Scholasticate formation director.  Intellicare’s donation will help the College of St. Benilde achieve its 20 percent scholarship target, which all 17 Lasallian schools aim to achieve.  This centennial goal of the Brothers will likewise increase public access to the once exclusive Lasallian education.

The meeting of Br. Vic and Mario reminds me of a Sufi saying, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”  In addition, I say, when the Brothers [and the teachers] are ready, the essence of Lasallian education appears in the person of their now professional students.

Ethical Leadership at PACU
At the PACU seminar I underscored the new findings of Dr. Christine Page who claimed that our environment and our internal perception directly control the activity of our DNA.  Thus, MyPerception influences and controls my genes and quarks, and the production of hormones, proteins, and enzymes in  MyBody. MyBody and MyDNA are not victims of mechanical metabolic functions nor are they passive recipient of external events and circumstances.  In Einstein’s formulation, MyBody is a bundle of energy that creates opportunities for me to influence internal system [MyGenes] and my external environment [MyGalaxy]. From this perspective, an ethical leader is powered by the quarks’ local and universal influence.

Leadership at PESE
This is my third year as panelist of Napolcom’s validating exam for Police Executive Service Eligibility (PESE). In the process, I too learned the mission, vision, and values of PNP.  I learned that the local police force is serving the interest of the municipal, city, and provincial government; thus, they do not act independently from the local government; they serve the local government. I noticed that the graduating officers know by heart their professional code of conduct and ethical principles.  But, like the rest of us, they too are challenged in resolving ethical dilemmas that require choosing the ‘right’ path and making a ‘moral’ choice. The PESE has been instituted to respond to the civilian professional development of our police force. And the Napolcom, through the PNPA, continues its transformation program and remakes  the image of our police force as new leaders.

The bottom line of the institutionalized image of PNP is individual performance.  As Jeffrey Sachs puts it, macro accomplishments are based on the Power of One. I say, it takes a saint and a Bonifacio to do excellent public service today.  And as each of our police officer makes the right choice, so does the new ethical leadership becomes transparent.  And when the citizens are ready, our police force will appear truly.

Leadership in MyCup
In a month’s time I was in touch with the three influential sectors of our society: business, education and government.  I tell myself, there are women and men of goodwill whose focus is set on new ethical leadership in business, in education and in government. Call them saints or heroes; they are leaders because they ‘influence’ others to be a Power of One.

I do see their leadership metaphor in MyCup. Every time I pour hot water into my 3-in-1 coffee, I see bubbles rise to the surface.  In MyCup, the small bubbles congregate around the big bubble.  In this metaphor, leadership is about a leader who attracts others for a common purpose.  In a micro-metaphor, the clusters of small particles called quarks are embedded in MyDNA. For me, every leader is empowered to bring power to her/his ‘sphere of influence’.  The macro-metaphor, says that MyGalaxy is in my consciousness and my thoughts on new leadership create a butterfly effect on the world [universe] where I am immersed. The new leader must realize that no matter how small or insignificant the ‘right’ move is that move has a ripple effect eventually becomes a tsunami.

Everyday, as I drink from MyCup I am energized and the same energy I emit to MyGalaxy, internal and external.