Date: 2 October 2008
Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Venue: E-Library, 2/F AIM Conference Center Manila, Makati City
Good Governance and Ethical Leadership: A Continuing Challenge and Shared Responsibility
Four local government officials who have set the example and revived the country’s hope for good governance and ethical leadership were at the Asian Institute of Management last October 2, 2008 to share their advocacy and underscore that this goal is a continuing challenge and shared responsibility for all, especially in a democracy.
The four were the featured guest lecturers at the 80th edition of the AIM Policy Center’s Globalization Lecture Series.
Mayor Sonia Lorenzo of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, Mayor Jesse Robredo of Naga City, Governor Grace Padaca of Isabela, and Governor Eddie Panlilio of Pampanga (who was present by phone patch) are members of the Kaya Natin! Movement, a group that espouses genuine change, ethical leadership and empowerment of local government units and the youth.
The chief executives spoke about their best practices, starting with Mayor Lorenzo who presented her government’s efforts towards for enhanced education, health benefits, shelter and livelihood. A concrete example is the St. Ignatius Public Library of the town that was built with the help of the Ateneo de Manila University, with hopes of shaping the minds of future leaders.
Mayor Robredo, meanwhile, posed the question, “Are good governance and ethical leadership possible in the Philippines?” The mayor would like to think so, and that is why in his local government, he has engaged the people through the People Empowerment Law in Naga, accountability or ownership of their government, and most importantly, transparency. As a result, he proudly announced, Naga has already achieved its Millennium Development Goals.
The priest-turned-politician Governor Panlilio encouraged the audience to support the campaigns of the Kaya Natin! Movement. In his jurisdiction of Pampanga, he enforces a government that is God-centered and calls his governance a “sense of mission,” giving priority to the poor and the environment.
The last of the diamond of the Kaya Natin! leaders was Governor Grace Padaca. “I ran even when I can hardly walk,” she quipped. Despite her physical limitations due to polio, she has achieved many victories. She toppled a political dynasty because she did not want to be one of those who complain yet refuse to participate in the process. Sharing her thoughts on nation-building, she declared that no one is exempted from doing their share, that is why their movement is called “Kaya Natin!” In closing, she posed challenges—one to her fellow politicians to remain grounded so as to veer away from worldly temptations that she calls “the burden of the brave,” and another to the youth to exercise their right to suffrage.
In response to the four leaders’ statements, Ms. Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, former secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and presently a trustee of the International Center for Innovation, Transformation and Excellence in Governance (INCITEGov) commended them for swimming against the tide by doing “the ethical right than the convenient wrong.” She added, what a sorry state it is that the expectation of the public is greater when one upholds the right, while those who do wrong are accepted for it. It is a great undertaking for leaders like them to use their spheres of influence for the good.
From the legal perspective, Atty. Oliver San Antonio, presidential assistant for public relations of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, added the much need for electoral and judicial reforms.
In conclusion, Dr. Federico Macaranas, executive director of the AIM Policy Center, presented a Bridging Leadership Framework where individual reform is at the root of institutional reforms. He asked what was the source of the four leaders’ integrity. “We have a supply of ethical leaders, but actually lack the demand for them. Our archipelagic mindset made us work in groups. We have competitive towns and cities, but fail collectively. The challenge is how to motivate the country as a whole and convey the best practices of towns and cities to the national level.”
Other speakers included Mr. Theo Arnold, executive director of the Asia Soceity Philippine Foundation and Mr. Klaus Preschle, country representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, who delivered welcome messages in behalf of their organizations, and Professor Patricia Lontoc of the AIM, who acted as master of ceremonies.
This lecture was organized in partnership with the Asia Society Philippine Foundation and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Building the Nation: BOTTOM–UP GOVERNANCE (.pdf)
Mayor Sonia R. Lorenzo
San Isidro, Nueva Ecija