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LAST Friday, Representatives Darlene Antonino
Custodio and Teddy Casino, former COMELEC Commissioner Mehol
Sadain, former Anti-Poverty Czarina Marietta Goco and I shared our
experiences on public service at a forum entitled “As Within, So
Without: Harmonizing Spirituality and Social Action for Sustainable
Public Governance.” The forum, organized by Zinnia Arcinue for the
Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy and the Asian Social
Institute (ASI), sought to “examine and assess the prevailing
political leadership paradigms as manifested in the lives and
leadership practices of some elected or appointed officials and its
implications on public governance as an expression of their
spirituality”.The invitation forced me to take a critical look at
my years in government through the lens of faith-based governance. I
had always taken pride in my accomplishments as a public servant. But,
using the injunctions of Islam, I realized how much grey areas I had
to traverse in order to attain the goals of the institution I led.
During his administration, former
President Fidel V. Ramos asked me to help him establish an agency
which would develop public policies on youth as well as coordinate
the implementation of government youth development programs. These
were to be the major objectives of the National Youth Commission.
I think I did what my boss asked
me to do as well as I could. In order to develop policies and
programs responsive to the needs of our youth, the NYC directly
consulted the youth themselves. We funded studies on the
situation of youth (students, out of school, youth with special
needs, youth in conflict with law, youth from minority communities). We
even contracted Social Weather Station (SWS) to conduct nationwide
surveys, so we would have a baseline for any future assessment of
the youth problems and issues.
We had major initiatives such as
a youth entrepreneurship program in cooperation with the Philippine
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and then Trade Secretary
Cesar Bautista. We had joint projects with the World Bank and the
private sector, led by Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, on youth
employment. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) recognized our Philippine Medium
Term Youth Development Program as one of the best practices in the
region. Vietnam, seeking to establish its own youth agency and
development program, invited me to help them. I was asked to
speak on behalf of the Group of 77 during the 10th anniversary of
the International Youth Year, pleading to the UN General Assembly to
pay attention to the plight of the youth from the Third World.
In April 1996, 55% of Filipino
youth said they were satisfied with democracy in the Philippines,
with a net satisfaction rating of +10. Young Pinoys were satisfied
with government (+8 net satisfaction) and thought government was
“sensitive to youth needs and problems” (+31 net satisfaction).
About 93% of our youth were proud to be Filipino. (SWS 1996 survey).
The SWS survey showed we were
doing our job well. I should be proud. However, analyzing the
compromises I had made in order to do the job, did I sacrifice the
values that my faith had instilled in me? Did I follow strictly
what Islam has determined as “halal” or permissible? There were
many grey areas where I relied on what was legal, even though not
strictly “halal.”
Looking back, “do the most
good, do the least harm” was the principle that guided me. I
saw what was moral and ethical in black and white. But I
had to compromise and accept pale shades of grey. Thus, we
at the NYC followed the letter of the law in all our transactions. But
what of the spirit of the law?
Today, the dillemma that
troubled me then seem so stupid. Like worrying about losing one peso
when accounting for a $329 million transaction. We have lost sight
of what is black and what is white. We now say that we should
stay within the least grey area. Moderating greed and permissible
zones of corruption in government? When did we become grey men and
women who would judge a “little corruption” as permissible? How
much is a little? Looking back, the transactions that brought down
former President Estrada could easily fall under today’s
permissible zones of corruption. What law was passed that we
can now accept less than 20% “commissions” as permissible, not
grounds for criminal action?
I am glad I am no longer with
government. I am not, will never be, a grey person. Are
you?
aminarasul@yahoo.com
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