I would like to express my gratitude to the PMAAAI President, for his kind and eloquent introduction.
I also thank him for laying the groundwork for this address when he articulated the criteria for my selection to be today's Speaker. I must admit that I was very surprised when I first received the invitation from Cav. Bang Adriano. My initial thought was that I am too junior to be the Alumni Homecoming Speaker, but then my senior citizen ID immediately jolted me back to reality.
Today I stand before my plebe detail and my mentors in my military career, who look as regal in their suits and barongs as they did in their Dress Grays. I am in fellowship with my classmates and peers who, like me, have now shifted from service chapters to join the Business, Industry and Retirees Chapter. I can see many of my former tactical officers present today as Silver Jubilarians, and my former cadets, I understand, are now mostly field grade officers. So I am not too young after all. As a former Commandant of Cadets, I am in familiar territory as I give this address in the hallowed grounds of Borromeo Field. This time, however, the distinguished audience is a collective of cadets of the past and the present bound together by shared experiences of plebehood.
To speak before the alumni of ''Integrity in the Public Service'' is a tall order, but one that every graduate must consider as a call of duty. The last time I addressed the Cadet Corp was in my final days as AFP Chief of Staff, when the integrity of PMA as an institution of moral leadership was being questioned in the wake of some alumni charged with corruption.
The high standard of integrity instilled in every PMA graduate has become both a blessing and a burden. A blessing, for it is the expected high standard that opens opportunities to positions of great authority and responsibility. But it is also a burden, because by this same high standard, we are subjected to closer scrutiny - if not ridicule, for any unethical conduct.
It is most unfair when the cases of misconduct of a few are magnified to be illustrative representations of the entire institution. But, whether we like it or not, for a PMA alumnus, an excellent job will always be considered the norm, and is expectedly taken as a matter of course; while failures will be trumpeted much more than called for. That is the price we pay for the distinction of being a PMAyer.
Indeed, the subject of integrity in the public service remains a challenge for every member of the Long Gray Line, many of whom have transitioned from the military and police services, to serve in the bureaucracy and in elective posts. Our revered alumnus, Cav. Jose Crisol of class 1942, defined Integrity to mean, ''honesty, uprightness and moral soundness... that is hard to keep untarnished in a world that seethes with profligate vices and degenerate crimes.''
On several occasions, I have been asked if the PMA's ideal environment should be blamed for deceptively conditioning the minds of the cadets that everything exists in purely black and white. With minds nurtured in a world detached from reality, I was asked if PMA, in a way, distorts the cadets' worldview of what lies ahead. To this I answer that a cadet's life is painstakingly built around an ideal environment, not because it aims to present a false picture of the real world, but because our cadets must first develop the proper values and work ethic. The training one receives here, despite being in isolation from real world challenges, is meant to build a strong, solid foundation of character. It is our hope that deeply instilled values and work ethic will carry them through, when the going gets tough, when the circumstances are not so perfect, and when others exhibit a character of a different mold.
The pages of Plebe Knowledge reinforce this with borrowed lines from Desiderata:
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
I must confess though that, as Commandant, I discouraged the cadets from memorizing Desiderata because some of them could not resist using its lines in writing love letters to their girlfriends which they favored over studying their lessons. But that is another story.
And this is why we trek back to Fort Del Pilar every time there is an alumni homecoming. Beyond the joy of seeing our classmates and their families once again, and the silliness of laughing at the same old jokes and stories year after year, a homecoming is a time to rejuvenate and recharge. To cavaliers who fought in perilous battlegrounds, struggled in concrete jungles, and who traversed the turbulent worlds of public and private enterprises, Borromeo Field is a place of refuge. It is a sanctuary from where he or she draws renewed strength to continue his or her battles outside PMA's idyllic setting.
To place it in a context that cavaliers can relate to, especially the younger generation of Korea-Novela fans, I would liken a homecoming to Princess Deok Man's withdrawal to the mountains to establish her bearings and prepare for her eventual battle to reclaim the throne as Queen Seon Duk.
I have always had a practical definition of integrity, and it is: ''Doing the right thing even though no one is watching.'' To those of us who have had the benefit of serving beyond the horizon of uniformed service, it is my view that the integrity required of the military or police professional remains consistently essential to those who serve society through the bureaucracy. The consequences of recklessness or waywardness in both spheres may be different, but they are similarly damaging to our country and people.
In the military service, graft and corruption take its toll on the lives of soldiers and on the accomplishment of the mission. A published study for the public sector says that corruption is very costly in terms of wasted resources, the opportunity cost of misused resources that should have improved living conditions or saved lives, and the long-term institutional damage of inefficiencies introduced in the system.
As Chief of Staff, proper use and management of limited resources was a major concern. I impressed upon our officers to work within the budget, giving priority to mission-essential programs and activities. I believed that for every additional peso we asked to augment the AFP budget, it would mean a peso less for government agencies mandated to deliver social services to our less fortunate countrymen. With the proper use of resources, we not only achieved our programmed objectives, but we also saved enough to build seven medium-rise condominium buildings for officers and enlisted personnel. These you now see while hitting golf balls at the LOGCOM Driving Range.
Time and again, we are reminded that public service is a public trust, a principle enshrined in our Constitution.
As such, public service imposes an obligation upon the public servant to execute his function, not for self-interest, not for profit or personal motives, but only in the service of society.
It is therefore by design that, from a plebe's Reception to the time the Cadet Gray is shed, the PMA experience is the proverbial kiln that molds the cadets' character to be imbued with the virtues of Courage, Integrity and Loyalty. I include here Courage and Loyalty as necessary virtues in public service, because they are indispensable to avoid the pitfalls that create conditions that may compromise integrity.
Public servants will always encounter people who have some vested interests. These people exert pressure in many forms-from lobbying with higher authorities, to spreading ugly rumors. I was only in my second year at BCDA when I was the subject of a very well-funded demolition job. For almost a year, my family woke up to full-page ads and numerous columns that maligned my person. My vindication for our principled stand came much later when the Regional Trial Court affirmed the BCDA's position on the Poro Point controversy. But of course, you did not read that anymore in the newspapers.
To be able to rise to and face this challenge, one has to have inner strength and fortitude. He must have courage, not just raw physical courage, but the moral courage to do what is right no matter the consequence. It takes moral courage to mark your card, sign your guard checklist and make official statements truthfully. It takes moral courage to give truthful information and forthright advice to our superiors even if these are unpopular. And it takes moral courage to stand up against powerful and influential persons to defend the public interest.
Integrity in the public service also requires the proper sense of loyalty; first and foremost to God, country and institutions before personal loyalties to friends, relatives, classmates, fraternities or whatever relationships one has established. Our distinguished Alumni Convention Speaker, Mr. Washington Sycip, raised interesting questions on whether the class system and alumni adoption practices promote cohesiveness or divisiveness, and its impact on meritocracy and professionalism.
In my opinion, the bonds that tie members within a class, and the alumni body itself, have immensely contributed to the accomplishment of the organizational objectives of the AFP and the PNP, and in other arenas where our alumni have pursued productive endeavors.
It is important, however, to be wary of the pitfalls of brotherhood, as this may cloud our objectivity and better judgment. Worse is when these bonds cause us to look the other way when impropriety or malfeasances occur. I do not think that this is the kind of loyalty that our Alma Mater seeks to instill in its graduates. Public service demands higher loyalty to the larger commuitny of stakeholders to whom we are officially accountable. Values, principles and our commitment to the standards of fairness and decency must not be compromised, even if others will call you an oddball.
Loyalty to institutions calls for a departure from ''tayo-tayo'' and ''old boys' club'' practices and for the institutionalization of mechanisms to promote transparency and to safeguard the integrity of processes and decision-making. This is particularly difficult in the uniformed services where confidentiality is the norm, and rank and status barriers are integral to instill obedience and discipline.
The AFP's management of its resources, for example, has always been clouded with suspicion.
Knowing this, among my first efforts as Chief of Staff was to seek the help of institutional partners in promoting transparency in the AFP. Whereas the military organization has always been jealous of civilian intervention in our procurement and investigative affairs, our established tie-ups with the Office of the Ombudsman, the Commission on Audit, and the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget Management manifested our willingness to be transparent, and to cooperate with civilian institutions.
It is on record in Congressional hearings that I expressed openness to having career Civil Service executives in plantilla positions in the AFP. I believed that this would establish a better system of check and balance, promote continuity, and preserve institutional memory, so that it is easier to pinpoint responsibilities and accountabilities. This would be difficult to do if military officers holding these positions were constantly rotated.
At the BCDA, good corporate governance practices are institutionalized and consciously reiterated. In 2008, BCDA was adjudged by the Institute of Corporate Directors headed by its Chairman, former Finance Secretary Jesus P. Estanislao, as one of the top ten government agencies in good corporate governance. We strive to keep our biddings, worth billions of pesos, above board not only through strict adherence to the requirements of the law, but also by enhancing the capability of the technical working groups. This is meant to ensure that the requisite due diligence is observed, precluding possible loopholes that dissatisfied parties can exploit to derail the process.
Good corporate governance made it possible for BCDA's flagship project, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) to be finished on schedule, within the NEDA-approved budget, even realizing substantial savings, and compliant with international design and engineering standards. And I am proud to say that the dedication, hard work, and most of all, integrity and moral courage of three retired generals - TP Salazar of class 1974, Ed Lena and Robert Gervacio - were crucial factors in the completion of the country's longest toll way. I am sure most of you Cavaliers passed through this highway on your way here for the alumni homecoming.
I am certain that there are many among our alumni who have their own exposures to other systems and who can share their own experiences in grappling with inefficiencies, administrative lags, and bureaucratic red tape - all of which can be found both in the military and the public service institutions, and which can become fertile grounds for corruption. In the struggle to promote the public interest, the Courage to do the right thing and the proper sense of Loyalty are beacons that guide our choices. But Integrity is the lynchpin that binds these traits to build the character of a man. Every system can have all sorts of internal controls, but the best safeguard will always be the integrity and well-meaning intentions of the commander, the project manager, or the CEO.
As we gather in these hallowed grounds after bouts with temptations and expediency, we ask ourselves: Have we become jaded with the ethical aberrations and inconsistencies that have come our way? Are the virtues of Courage, Integrity and Loyalty still relevant in this day and age? In our search for answers to these questions, let us remember to apply a principle we all learned in ground navigation-to make frequent azimuth checks on our ethical compass. When it comes to a point where the route becomes uncertain, take a back azimuth to our Alma Mater and to the ideals it represents. This will surely bring us back on the right path and keep us in good stead.
In closing, let me congratulate the Golden Jubilarians from the Class of 1960, a powerhouse class by any measure; the Silver Jubilarians from the Class of 1985, another powerhouse class in the making; and all the host classes. Susan and I would also like to thank the PMA community for welcoming us back to what we once considered our second home. Fort Del Pilar always brings back many fond memories for our family, and we cherish the friends who have made our stay here truly unforgettable. And finally, to the Alumni Association, please accept my sincere gratitude for this great honor-one that I shall always treasure.
Welcome home, Cavaliers. Reunite, Recharge and Renew your vows. For old, new and emerging battles await leaders with Courage, Integrity and Loyalty.
Maraming salamat at mabuhay tayong lahat.
