THE VIEWS FROM RIZAL
We join our nation and the world today in thanking and saluting the men and women who comprise the labor force. As we celebrate Labor Day, we pay tribute to those who have to work in faraway lands to earn a living and provide for the needs of their families. We recognize their contribution to our country’s precious dollar reserves, to the advancement of our economy, and to the sterling reputation they have carved and earned for the Filipino.
The latest available statistics show that there are 2.33 million of them and that more than half of them are women. Most of them are between the ages of 30 and 34. It pains us that many of our women working overseas are mothers. They have had to leave their children behind in exchange for the promise of a better future for them.
We can only reciprocate by making sure that their families are safe within their respective local communities, and that they are well provided for with their basic needs, particularly health and education.
Today, we also pay tribute to an outstanding public servant, the honorable Secretary of Interior and Local Government, Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos, Jr. who recently topped a survey of the country’s best-performing cabinet members.
In the recent “Boses ng Bayan” survey by the RP-Mission and Development Foundation (RPMDF), Secretary Benhur emerged as number one in performance and trust among President Bongbong Marcos, Jr.’s cabinet members. He earned a performance rating of 91 in job performance and 93 in trust.
The survey was conducted via face-to-face interviews covering 10,000 respondents nationwide. It was done before the celebration of Holy Week this year. The survey results provided valuable insights into what concerns our countrymen most and how they define excellence in public service.
We did not need such a survey to know that Secretary Benhur has earned the admiration and respect of our countrymen nationwide. He has already previously established a record as an exceptional local government leader as he presided over the continuing and rapid transformation of Mandaluyong City. He was the incumbent mayor of Mandaluyong when it was named the “Tiger City of the Philippines” in 2002 in recognition of the dramatic progress it achieved after becoming a chartered city just eight years prior.
The award was based on the study conducted by the Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project, a joint initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Asian Institute of Management. The study involved members of the business sector who were asked about the economic competitiveness and effectiveness of the country’s cities in providing them with an environment conducive to business and industry.
Then Mayor Benhur was just in his first term when Mandaluyong earned the distinction, besting bigger cities in the same category.
Secretary Benhur’s most recent achievement shows us what issues concern Filipinos most.
By naming the DILG Secretary as the best performing in the President’s team, our countrymen, in a way, are telling us that peace and order, public safety, and the quality of local governance are among their most important concerns.
Secretary Benhur’s feat also indicates the quality of leadership that Filipinos want and admire. Those who know and have worked with him say he is “hands-on,” “visible,” and an exceptional “multi-tasker.”
In a way, they are describing the ideal local community leader. At the grassroots level, our countrymen prefer that their leaders are present and accessible to them. They want their leaders to know their daily concerns – which are many and varied. They also prefer leaders whose presence inspires them, and who give them the motivation and strength to face the challenges of survival and progress.
Based on the result of the RPMDF survey, Secretary Benhur personifies to many of our countrymen that ideal leader.
The same is true as far as we, his colleagues in the local government sector, are concerned.
In Secretary Benhur, we found a voice and champion for the aspirations of local communities and an inspiration for good governance. Being one of us, he understands the value of vibrant local communities to the larger goals of the entire nation. Local communities are the foundation of our country’s socio-economic and political structure. That is why their voices must be heard, their aspirations must be understood by the national leadership, and programs and policies must be implemented to bring those aspirations to reality.
In Secretary Benhur, our local communities found that bridge and voice.
Congratulations, Secretary Benhur.
We also congratulate the other members of the President’s team who fared well in the survey on job performance and trust conducted by the RPMDF.
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