TOFIL AWARD ACCEPTANCE SPEECH OF GOV JOEY SARTE SALCEDA Jan. 28, 2015 It would be immodest of me to say that I did not aspire for this award. Who would not? I think even the president of any nation would always dream of being recognized as “the outstanding” citizen of his country. What award could go higher than this? . I consider this the “mother of all awards” and I feel privileged, touched and very, very grateful to be chosen to receive it. But, in the here-and-now, I consider it more outstanding the moral courage of our 64 PNP SAF who gave up their lives to capture a Malaysian terrorist. . Do I deserve this? Let me put it this way: I have warts, diabetes and many other afflictions that I think I do not deserve. So I believe this evens things out. But of course I am only joking. The question on whether I deserve this or not was already answered, I guess, and I do not want to dispute their decision. . What I want to do now is what my late mother Cielo Adelina Florin Sarte-Salceda taught me when in a situation like this. She said: when you are in a state of euphoria, “think of what is the first MODEST thing to do.” One of her most basic teaching was this: “Say THANK YOU when you receive something good.” . So let me really begin by expressing my gratitude to those who worked to nominate me, specifically, I would like to mention here DPWH Secretary Babes Singson; Mr. Antonio Tan and Jerry Po of the Legazpi Chinese-Filipino Chamber of Commerce and Indusrty; Martin Reynoso, President of JCI Legazpi and Hon. Joseph Philip Lee, President of Albay Federation of Punong Barangays. I am similarly grateful to JCI Philippines and Insular Life Assurance Co., the organizer of TOFIL; to those who evaluated the nominations and finally to those who have chosen me over others whom I am sure are also deserving. . I am grateful to my parents, to my late mother whom I terribly miss this moment, and to my ailing father, Jesus Salceda Sr whom I wish is strong enough to be beside me here today. Without them I would not be flesh and bones. But more than that, they have prepared me very well for a life of public service that have led to this award. . As we say in Bikol: Dios mabalos po sa suporta asin tiwala nindo gabos. Sa Filipino: Salamat po sa suporta at tiwala ninyong lahat! *** As I stand here now, in a symbolically elevated position, I could not help but look back and look down to where I was when I embarked on my career that would truly define me as a person and shape my world to the last days of my life. . Born of a family of very modest means, I was fortunate to be able to mingle with ordinary people, nay, more with the unfortunates, the hungry and the unwashed, without seeming to be a hypocrite. If I chew cane sugar, it was not because I was merely empathizing with the poor. I actually did not have the money for branded candies. . Through my mother, I was also born in a legitimate linage of a clan of influential leaders whose illustrious past have imbued me with a mixed sense of pride and ambition. . Thus at a very young age I was able to move up and down the levels of power and to the crests and valleys of society as if I naturally belonged to any place I chose to be. I was able to see the differences between the rich, the struggling and the poor. And more importantly, I understood what might be needed to close the gaps between them. . Modesty aside, I was always on top of my classes during my basic education days. My parents, who were strict disciplinarians must have seen the path where I was leading my life. They must have realized that youth and ambition and poverty are dangerous breeding grounds for building a bright son’s career—unless these are tempered with good values and high morals. . Thus, at my young age, my parents’ primary concern was to see to it that I was morally upright. I was introduced to the very tenets that, as I mature, have guided me in all my endeavors. Here they are: 1. Constant Kindness: Man-for-Others 2. Categorical Imperative: Equality 3. Conscious Ordinariness, Honesty and Integrity 4. Concept of Will to “Dream and Create” 5. Love of country and Filial Piety 6. Prophetic and Pastoral Mission of Politics 7. Existentialism and Essentials. . When I embarked on my political career, following the footsteps of my father, who became mayor of our town of Polangui, I was already fully aware that when you have a sound moral foundation everything else fall into the right places. . For example, when you exercise constant kindness you become your brothers’ keeper. The barriers between you and other people, including your enemies and your fair weather friends, disappear—their interests become yours. You do not only seem to be mindful of other’s concern—you truly care. And then you begin to share. And people sense this. And trust is the ultimate fringe benefit. Trust is built between you and the people. The basic feeling is that if they feel that you really care, they will always be there for you—especially when elections come. . When there is mutual trust between you and your people, napakadali na po ang mamuno. Hindi mo na sila kailangang hikayatin pa, nagkukusa na po sila. All I had to do was prioritize the programs that would make Albay the best province in the country. Kaya nang una po akong nanungkulan, at tinamaan kami ng sunod-sunod na kalamidad, ang pinagtuunan ko ng pansin ay mga programang pangkalikasan at pangkaligtasan. . Let me guide you through our THEMATIC PROGRAMMING: Albay was ravaged by typhoons in 2006 to 2007, causing a lot of casualties. Thereafter all the programs of the provincial government were focused on recovering from disasters and effective disaster risk management, environmental protection, and climate change adaptation. We imagined ourselves in a boat and the first step was to ensure that everyone is alive and the boat was safe. Thus the theme was MABUHAY ALBAY. . But merely surviving was not enough. There was a need to rise from the adversities and prosper. Towards that goal, we focused on strengthening the people’s capability through better health and education programs, food self-sufficiency, and poverty alleviation. We made sure that everyone was able and in the boat. This was the second stage under the theme ALBAY RISING. . The third stage was aimed at pushing the boat to its destination: ALBAY BOOM, by expanding our economic base through areas where we are strong: culture based tourism & rich agriculture through small and medium scale economies. The figures bear us true to our goals. . Now we are on the open sea, strengthened with effective means of managing disasters, with able people, and with a strong economic base. We are focused on energy development and effective infrastructure. We are ready to flex our competitiveness. Thus our new theme for 2015 is ALBAY ROCKS! *** The secret of good leadership is not in leading your people as if they are a herd of sheep but in empowering them to become shepherds. Because in reality, there is no sheep. In reality, we are all shepherds tending our brothers or tending our own selves. . Thus I was true to my words when I earlier stated that “this award truly belongs to the people of Albay on account of their unprecedented social cohesion which dismantled structural risks and bypassed dysfunctional political traditions towards our achievements.” Sila po ang totoong naghirap para makamtan ko ang mga parangal na ito. Sa kanila po ito. Kaya po sa ngalan ng mga mamamayan ng Albay ay tinatanggap ko ang parangal na ito. . I also accept this award with a firm resolve that this is not the end of it all, because there are still much more to be done for my province, and for my country—when the chance presents itself. And I believe in continuously improving myself and the things around me. I would rather think of this night as a good milestone for proving that I truly deserve this award. . Muli, maraming salamat at mabuhay po tayong lahat!
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 22:25:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015