President as Servant-Leader - 1/8/10

What kind of leader do we need as our next President? Do we need a person of extraordinary talent and intelligence? Do we need a street-smart, business-savvy, up-from-the-bootstraps person who carved for himself a rags-to-riches story? Do we need a charming and charismatic person with extraordinary empathy and affiliation with the poor?

I believe we need a Servant-Leader.

Robert K. Greenleaf was a senior executive working with the management team of the legendary Harold Geneen, the inscrutable and iconic CEO of International Telephone and Telegraph (IT & T), when he opted out of the corporate world and dedicated himself to the advocacy of a gentler and kinder philosophy of management and governance. Mr. Geneen, as described by author James O’Toole, “was the toughest command-and-control CEO imaginable (who) had a rare genius for detail, a seven-day-a-week, eighteen-hour-a-day workaholic.”

Direct reports of Mr. Geneen were known to literally “pee in their pants” as he faced them down in executive committee meetings with relentless rigor for logic and numbers. Strongman Geneen was fearsome yet ineffective, as Mr. O’Toole qualifies, in the long run: “Practically the day after Geneen retired, the IT & T empire started to unravel.”

Latter-day CEOs are molded into variants of the Geneen template. Some may have been more tactful and finessed, preferring to excel in astute deal making and casting antiseptic and toothsome-smile images for themselves through expensive reputational makeovers courtesy of professional image public relations and image consultants.

In contemporary Philippine politics many such street-smart businesspersons have transformed themselves into savvy politicians. In First Quarter Storm jargon, they are today’s bureaucrat-capitalists that personify the fusion of political and economic power.

One of them was quoted by a reporter as saying; “We entered politics so we don’t have to deal with middlemen.” Indeed, why squander away profits by bribing city hall and government regulatory agencies? Better to be governors than citizens, isn’t it? In an unguarded moment, a son of a much-advertised candidate for national leadership is said to have candidly confided: “It helped a lot that dad was one of the highest officials of the land during the Asian crisis.”

What about the Marcos-type leader with the enviable curriculum vitae (academic jock, bar topnotcher, eloquent orator, brilliant debater) and magnetic personality? The incumbent President mimicked this type, except for the personality part, but transmogrified into a transactional leader whose regime spawned many corruption scandals and created an indelible memory of unbridled greed for power and pelf.

Finally, there’s the politician who parlayed popularity as an icon in the cinema box-office to a decisive majority in the ballot box and who claims competence as a public administrator by dint of his successive stints as Mayor, Senator, Vice President and President --- but now conveniently glosses over his conviction as a felon, impeachment and overthrow from power on account of questionable morality in public office.

When we look for competencies of the next President of the Philippines, therefore, we need to place in context the stated qualifications of the aspirants. What road did they take in reaching the starting block of the presidential race? What are the values that underpin their public behavior? What are the defining moments that vivify their inner wisdom?

Leo, a character in Herman Hesse’s Journey to the East, inspired Mr. Greenleaf’s concept of the servant-leader. Leo accompanies a party that embarked on a mythical journey, performs menial chores and “sustains them with his spirit and song.” Then he mysteriously disappears, causing the group to abandon the journey. The narrator finds Leo anew after a few years and discovers that the erstwhile servant was, in fact, “the titular head of the Order, its guiding spirit, and a great and noble leader.” While interpreting Hesse’s opus as a reflection of the author’s quest for serenity on approaching old age, Mr. Greenleaf offers this vivid characterization of the servant-leader:

“The great leader is seen as servant first, and that simple fact is the key to his greatness. Leo was actually the leader all of the time, but he was servant first, because that was what he was, deep down inside. Leadership was bestowed upon a man who was by nature a servant. It was something given, or assumed, that could be taken away. His servant nature was the real man, not bestowed, not assumed, and not to be taken away. He was servant first.”

What is the process of discovering servant-leaders in our midst?

Mr. Greenleaf says: “I now embrace the theory of prophecy which holds that prophetic voices of great clarity, and with a quality of insight equal to that of any age are now addressing the problems of the day and pointing to a better way and to a personhood that is able to live fully and serenely in these times. It is seekers who make the prophet, and the initiative of any one of us in searching for and responding to the voice of a contemporary prophet may mark the turning point in his growth and service. But since we are the product of our own history, we see current prophecy within the context of past wisdom. We listen to as wide a range of contemporary thought. Then we choose those we elect to heed as prophets ---both old and new --- and meld their advice with our own leadings.”

This is the process that brought forth the Cory Aquino presidency in the aftermath of the Edsa People Power revolt. Uncannily, the death of the saint of democracy rekindled the spirit of Pinoy People Power and thrust her own son Noynoy Aquino --- an erstwhile low-profile congressman and senator --- into the national limelight as the decisive front-runner for President in 2010.

Just like Leo, Noynoy preferred to do his work diligently in the background. Just like his humble and unassuming mother, he preferred the candle glow to the spotlight. Just like President Cory, he never aspired and did not seek to be President, but after deep prayer and introspection, he decided to heed the people’s call and stepped up to become candidate for President.

In a series of public opinion surveys following his mother’s death, the key to his unexpected dominance of the presidential derby has surfaced. Our people want to bring back to the presidency the endearing qualities that made Corazon Aquino the icon and the saint of Philippine democracy: not soaring intelligence but deep respect for the common tao, not dazzling brilliance but empathy and malasakit for Juan de la Cruz. Our people want to bring back decency to governance. Filipinos seek to reclaim their sense of honor, integrity and nobility.

Please visit sonnycoloma@blogspot.com

Youth weigh in on ethics

Today’s youth are very much concerned that there is widespread moral decay in our country today. They want to get involved and do their part in promoting higher levels of ethical consciousness in the academe, in business and in public service.

I found this out last week when I engaged the business students of the University of the East and other schools in the University Belt (San Beda, PSBA, FEU, CEU and TIP) in a dialogue on ethical dilemmas. This was the other half of a twin bill that also featured a talk on corporate governance by Mr. Gregorio Navarro, incoming President of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX). The UE College of Business Administration and the FINEX ethics committee jointly sponsored the forum.

I began by sharing with them a simple definition of ethics from the Oxford dictionary, as follows: first, it is the science of morals in human conduct, and secondly, it focuses on moral principles, as in rules of conduct (say, medical ethics). Just to ascertain that they understood this basic definition, I posed to them a current-events question:

“The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has revoked the license of Dr. Hayden Kho on grounds of alleged immoral conduct. What is your stand: is this justified?”

Two out of three students who volunteered to answer said they thought it was justified and that they thought Dr. Kho had, indeed, committed immoral conduct, in reference to the video clips from the Internet that allegedly portrayed him performing the sexual act with actress Katrina Halili and other partners.

One student disagreed, pointing out that it has not yet been legally established that Dr. Kho was, indeed, responsible for circulating the pornographic video clips. Moreover, he said, what he did was his personal act that was done in private, unlike the operation in a Cebu hospital where certain doctors willfully uploaded a video clip showing them making fun of a patient that was being operated on by their team.

The key issue is: what is moral? Again, I referred to the dictionary definitions, as follows: ‘moral’ is concerned with: a) goodness or badness of human character or behavior; and with b) accepted rules and standards of human behavior.

The concept of morality is best understood by looking at workaday ethical dilemmas. To cheat or not to cheat is the most common. While this is known to all, it is also easier denounced than avoided, especially when it involves cheating by one’s friends or group mates. The students acknowledged that they find it difficult to blow the whistle on their own friends. Among teachers, to coddle or not to coddle students is a common challenge. ‘Teacher’s pet’ is a phrase that has gained currency because there are students that are favored or given undue advantage other others. There may also be conflict of interest situations where a student is unfairly favored because he or she is a son or daughter of the professor’s friend or relative.

I also pointed out the danger of committing sexual harassment. We have an anti-sexual harassment law authored by the late Senator Raul Roco that is now more actively enforced in workplaces. When I served as President of University of Makati in the late nineties, I did what I could to promote a higher consciousness of the need to prevent sexual harassment in the classroom and campus. I urged our faculty members (especially the male professors) to avoid dishing out “green jokes” as these were also subtle forms of harassment against female students. Thanks to my lawyer-friends, I have memorized the conditions for sexual harassment to be committed by a teacher, and these are that a person with authority, influence and moral ascendancy does it.

What are the common ethical dilemmas in business?

Still fresh in the minds of the students and professors were the corporate debacles that preceded the collapse of Wall Street late last year --- an event that triggered a global financial crisis.

To bribe or not to bribe, to be ethical and to lose competitiveness were the ethical dilemmas that are commonly known and experienced. I reminded my audience that it takes two to tango: there is a bribe giver and a bribe taker. But then, of course, this happens within a context of moral decadence where corruption has become a way of life. It is regrettable that the Philippines ranks among the world’s most corrupt countries in periodic surveys conducted by reputable organizations.

Ethical issues in government are so well known, thanks to massive media coverage of high-profile corruption cases such as the ‘Hello Garci’ scandal involving President Arroyo and a former Comelec commissioner; the fertilizer distribution scam; the celebrated ZTE-NBN deal exposed by Messrs. Joey de Venecia and Rodolfo (Jun) Lozada; and the alleged distribution of paper bags containing hundreds of thousands of pesos to provincial governors called to Malacanang Palace.

In the face of such ethical challenges and dilemmas, what do we want to see happening?

I flashed two choices to the audience: a) Let’s have more of the same or business as usual; or b) Let’s set things straight and reject what is evil. The overwhelming choice was the latter alternative, especially since I framed it in the vernacular: ‘Itama ang mali, ituwid ang tiwali.’

While it’s easier said than done, ethical behavior is formed and developed as a result of constant practice. Indeed it is a discipline. The root word of discipline is disciple or follower? What and whom do we follow?

If we go by our faith, then we need to follow the Ten Commandments. I pointed out that all of the great religions of the world share a common belief in the Golden Rule that says: “Do unto others what you would have others do unto you.” According to the bible, this is also expressed in the second greatest commandment: “Love your neighbor as thyself.” But what is the first commandment? It is this: “Thou shall love God with all your mind, with all your heart, and with all your soul.”

This Christmas, wouldn’t it be good to commit to be good as our way of honoring Christ who is the reason for this season?

Readers are invited to visit sonnycoloma@blosgspot.com

Rage against the dying light - 12/11/09

First, there was the Maguindanao massacre that hogged the headlines before it escalated into a martial law declaration. Now comes the unseating by the Comelec of Isabela Governor Grace Padaca, a known crusader for good government who was a Ramon Magsaysay laureate in 2008. Already, militant groups are warning that martial law in Maguindanao may just be a prelude to a nationwide declaration that can impair the holding of free elections in 2010.

The roots of decay may be founded in the weakness of our institutions. Recall the celebrated ‘Hello Garci’ scandal that exposed the possibility that, indeed, his main adversary may have cheated Fernando Poe, Jr. out of the presidency because of the flagrant abuse of authority. Even after President Arroyo said “I am sorry” in an apparent admission that she had, indeed, instructed a Comelec commissioner to “enhance” her vote count and advantage, many citizens simply shrugged their shoulders and sneered at her detractors: ‘Sino ba ang ipapalit ninyo?’ (Whom do you wish to replace her with?)

It was a weak Comelec that meekly bowed to presidential pressure in 2004. Again in 2007, this same institution looked the other way when the ruling warlords in Maguindanao boldly produced a 12-0 result in favor of the administration’s senatorial slate that lost badly in the nationwide count. Recall that provincial Comelec supervisor Lintang Bedol went missing and could not produce the certificate of canvas for the province.

This confirmed earlier findings of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) that there was a failure of elections in Maguindanao. Recall news accounts of school children being asked to fill out ballots days before the elections took place.

Was the Comelec ever held accountable? When Mr. Bedol went missing, then Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos himself went to Maguindanao and came back to Manila with a certificate of canvas that eventually resulted in administration candidate Juan Miguel Zubiri edging out Aquilino (Koko) Pimentel III being eased out of the winning column.

Just over a year later, this controversial Comelec Chairman was at the center of another controversy that was totally unrelated to his duties as a head of a constitutional body. He was tagged by another presidential appointee (then CHED Chairman Romulo Neri) as being a broker for the ZTE-NBN deal. In the heat of the scandal, he was forced to resign.

The filing of a certificate of candidacy triggered the Maguindanao massacre. Was it because the ruling clan could not even tolerate the idea that the incumbent governor would have an opponent in the 2010 elections?

Incumbent Comelec Chairman Jose Melo, a retired Supreme Court justice, was appointed in place of Benjamin Abalos. He is, of course, responsible for seeing to it that the Comelec performs its constitutional duty without fear or favor.

When interviewed by ABS-CBN in the wake of the Comelec second division’s ruling against her, Governor Padaca intimated that her erstwhile lawyer (and now Commission on Human Rights Chair) Leila de Lima passed on to her a message purportedly coming from President Arroyo’s election lawyer, Atty. Romulo Macalintal. In the message, Atty. Macalintal is said to have expressed disappointment and concern that the integrity of the Melo Commission (in reference to the Comelec) may have been compromised.

If it is true that even the President’s lawyer is entertaining doubts about the integrity of the Comelec, then, perhaps the citizenry will really have to brace for the worst in the coming 2010 elections.

Let it not be lost on anyone that the Edsa Uno People Power Revolution was triggered by massive electoral fraud perpetrated by the Marcos regime. Recall, too, that a week prior to the onset of Edsa Uno, former Antique Governor Evelio Javier was killed while protecting the ballot box.

A chronically weak institution like the appointment of upright men and women of integrity could only strengthen the Comelec, like former Chairpersons Ramon Felipe, Christian Monsod and Haydee Yorac. It was weakened further by this administration when it appointed people of lesser mettle to this lofty public office.

Electoral fraud in Maguindanao and other parts of the country that was not checked --- but, in fact, at least tacitly tolerated by a subservient Comelec --- has transmogrified into a massive national dysfunction.

We as a people did not allow Ferdinand Marcos to impose his will in February 1986. We rallied behind Cory Aquino’s clarion call from the snap election: Tama na, sobra na, palitan na! (We’ve had enough, let’s change this system!)

But it’s still six long months before the May 10, 2010 elections. What are we going to do while the dysfunctions of our weak institutions --- abetted by a corrupt and decadent regime --- continue to wreak havoc on the fragility of our weak state?

This should be a massive wake-up call to all Filipinos. Now is the time to stand up and be counted on the side of those who will rage against the dying of the proverbial light. Even if we want to be optimistic and say that the darkest night is just before dawn, we must vigilantly defend ourselves from the rapacity of our tormentors.

Social contract: light, hope, change - 12/4/09

In the beginning was darkness: a national leader with questionable legitimacy, deeply-rooted and rampant corruption, loss of trust in democratic institutions, the erosion of a people’s spirit. Then, there was a “gift of light” from the first woman President who made us believe, “The Filipino is worth living for,” after her martyred husband demonstrated that, indeed, “The Filipino is worth dying for.” Light brings hope, and hope illuminates vision and mission: we can rebuild this country by doing the right things right.

Last week, on the same day that he filed his certificate of candidacy for President, Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III announced his platform entitled, “A Social Contract with the Filipino People.”

It was bannered and highlighted by the color yellow, the new color of courage that emerged from his father’s heroism and his mother’s legacy of “selfless love for country and people.” It did not bear the logo or name of the Liberal Party. It sounds a call for a collective fight for what’s right: Laban na tapat, laban ng lahat.

What makes it a social contract? It is a “civic engagement” between the people and their leaders. It follows the movement in Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan, the defining tract of modern social contract theory. From a “nasty, brutish and short” existence in the state of nature, men --- by virtue of the faculty of reason --- escape that despicable state and establish a civil society.

“Being reasonable, and recognizing the rationality of this basic precept of reason, men can be expected to construct a Social Contract that will afford them a life other than that available to them in the State of Nature. This contract is constituted by two distinguishable contracts. First, they must agree to establish society by collectively and reciprocally renouncing the rights they had against one another in the State of Nature. Second, they must imbue some one person or assembly of persons with the authority and power to enforce the initial contract. In other words, to ensure their escape from the State of Nature, they must both agree to live together under common laws, and create an enforcement mechanism for the social contract and the laws that constitute it.”

The vision states: “The Philippines: a country with a re-awakened sense of right and wrong, through the living examples of our highest leaders; an organized and widely-shared rapid expansion of our economy through a government dedicated to honing and mobilizing our people’s skills and energies, as well as the responsible harnessing of our natural resources; a collective belief that doing the right thing makes sense morally, but translates into economic value as well; public institutions rebuilt on the strong solidarity of our society and its communities.”

In essence, it is a vision of a new Philippines founded upon a bedrock of integrity, humility and trustworthiness in public leadership.” In sum, it is the direct opposite of the status quo that it seeks to uproot. It underlines the imperative of transformational change to supplant a corrupt, transactional regime that has spawned scandals that have assailed our collective sense of decency and morality with grievous impunity.

It is a statement of indictment that flows into a statement of commitment. It declares that there will be a change “from a President who tolerates corruption to a President who is the nation’s first and most determined fighter of corruption.”

This is what sets apart Sen. Aquino from his main rivals. One is the anointed successor of the incumbent who, when asked if her endorsement is a liability, replied: “I don’t believe it is a kiss of death; she has a good record of government.” Another was impeached and ousted from Malacanang Palace, then tried and convicted for plunder and abetting illegal gambling. A third opponent is still trying to clear his name from allegations of impropriety that may have favored his private business empire.

The importance of having a humble, honesty and trustworthy leader cannot be overemphasized. Public office is a public trust. The President sets the tone of morality and good governance. I experienced what this meant when I served under two Presidents: Aquino and Estrada. During President Cory’s stewardship, she herself was the exemplar of incorruptibility. During President Erap’s short-lived tenure, I found myself having to attend to people directly endorsed by the President’s office to become beneficiaries of government contracts.

Sen. Aquino’s platform has four focal points: job creation, education, public health, and justice.

Government will prioritize “jobs that empower the people” and “create jobs at home, so that working abroad will be a choice rather than a necessity.” Education is a “central strategy for investing in our people, reducing poverty & building national competitiveness.” Included in the public health thrust is the promotion of responsible parenthood. Finally, the platform underscores the need to build and strengthen “institutions that deliver equal justice.”

Despite repeated rhetorical discourses on building a “strong Republic”, this incumbent administration has, in effect, greatly weakened vital institutions such as the Ombudsman function, the armed forces and the police. It installed a procession of cronies, implemented a revolving-door tenure policy and rewarded them with ambassadorial posts and government appointments. Sen. Aquino vows in his social contract that presidential appointments will be based on integrity, competence & performance.

The last three points in the platform are the promotion and enhancement of gender equality, broadening support for the peace process in Mindanao and ensuring sustainable development and environmental protection.

Our friend Mano Alcuaz observes that this platform “is not cluttered with handcuffs for the future government that have been advocated by certain special interest groups.” It offers a reform-oriented policy architecture that can potentially persuade a broad-based coalition of Filipinos to rally behind a transformational leader. That is the essence of a social contract: a beacon of light, a carrier of hope, and an instrument of change.

Readers are invited to visit sonnycoloma.blogspot.com