Some of today's breed of government workers - call them either bureaucrats or technocrats - are a rare kind. Their zest for service and seal of competence are embedded in a few who are known to many.
Their mission: service at its noblest; their vision: exemplary accomplishments creditable to whoever is at the helm of government.
This rarity is what every Chief Executive of any administration is forever in search of. For this brand of service and competence is a pride and honor to the Commander-in-Chief.
Here in our bureaucratic midst is that one class of a government functionary - lawyer Melvin Matibag, general manager of the Manila International Airport Authority.
His omni-presence, as a figure of speech, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is reaping all those good things that are happening at the premier airport.
In concise term, lawyer Matibag is credited for putting things in order, and in settling even the most debilitating problems in and around NAIA, and virtually 24/7.
His being new in the job is not a constraint to a man who has a sharp management orientation and an eagle eye for achieving objectives.
One of his big deeds so far as top honcho at NAIA can be summed up in a few words, thus: Matibag has provided security and safety, especially to passengers, giving them a peace of mind by feeling safe inside the airport.
Let us take a close look at his specific accomplishments in three months, since his appointment to the job only last March:
He was able to obtain an ISO 9001:2008 Certification of NAIA Terminals 1, 2, and 3; for these facilities' Management of Passenger Facilitation Process and Provision of Support Processes to Passenger Facilitation. Making passengers feel more comfortable inside the airport is what the ISO certification is all about.
He spearheaded the rehabilitation of the airport's physical facilities, including two Instrument Landing Systems. These ILSs are crucial to pilots as they guide them to a safe landing in the sometimes congested airport, especially during the summer months when many tourists, both local and foreign, are flying in and out of the country.
the early release of their Uniform, Mid-year allowances and Cost of Living Allowance. He also opened new business opportunities for the MIAA Cooperative, giving the employeesIn like manner that NAIA employees can now breath a sigh of relief as GM Matibag has put in mind the another venue to augment their salaries. Free legal advice and assistance was made available to those who needed it.
He is successful in his iron-fisted policy in dealing with all forms of smuggling.
A month into the job, Matibag and his team uncovered a human smuggling syndicate operating inside the airport They prevented some 69 OFWs from boarding a chartered flight bound for East Timor. He also suspended the aircraft handler who facilitated the OFWs' trip, and tried to board the OFWs directly into the aircraft without letting them pass through normal passenger procedures. Two "liaison officers" were also apprehended for trying to process the passengers' immigration papers without the OFWs appearing personally to the immigration officers.
Drug smuggling was also curbed when intensified operations netted two drug mules carrying 2.1 and 14 kilos of high grade shabu, with a street value of P6 million and P64 million, respectively.
Even the robbers preying inside airport premises were not spared. Suspected members of the bukas kotse and salisi gangs have been arrested.
I'm sure that the millions of Filipinos who are wishing only the best and the brightest men for the incoming Aquino administration, it will give a chance to those are now serving the country, demonstrating their exceptional ability to do their job and more notably, their having the political will to enforce the law.
