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In the News
Raised by Heroes
By Maricar Gay Savella-Villamil
hree decades of processing the impact
Tof heroes in my life does not entail much
effort. It is a daily fact of my life. In fact, this
very process is effortless and as uplifting as watching
the beautiful sun rise and set day after day.
I have lived 30 years, under one roof—with civil
servants. My father started out as a public school teacher
and has worked most of his 40 years in government service
at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. My mother was once a
staff nurse doing the evening shift at the Quezon City General
Hospital. Back then, she arrived home every morning with
a small brown paper bag of goodies for her firstborn, me.
She stayed on for 29 years, studied more and rose from the
ranks to becoming Hospital Training Supervisor.
It wasn’t difficult at all to notice how hardworking
they were; nor was it hard to feel that the family was always
on a budget. Yet, we achieved modest milestones, that
made us step back and appreciate more all the hardwork
and its rewards from The Great Provider. My parents only
had good friends; and no enemies. And they opened their
home and their hearts to a relative, or a neighbor in need.
Growing up, I was a witness to their capability
to live within their means, their struggle against stories
of corruption and incompetence, the desire to improve
one’s skills and surpass challenges, and the heart to listen.
I was indoctrinated by parents who not only recognized
government but were appreciative of government, thus, I
joined the same race my parents were running at the age of
24. And since, I have been with the Bases Conversion and
Development Authority for close to nine years.
Surviving 12 years of studies in the University of
the Philippines, “paying it forward” seemed to be most
appropriate for us students because we were indebted to
the citizenry who put us through school. But the journey
to a life of public service is not fueled by what is appropriate
but, rather, by what is recognized. For indeed, public service
is a calling anchored on the recognition of the opportunity
to serve the people and to be a servant hero.
Servant heroes have developed a meaningful sense
of ownership for the word “civil servant”. By “owning” it,
government employees, such as my family, embrace solid
values and employ the right social attitude that are essential
in carrying out tasks in dealing with their stakeholders
covered by their institution’s mandate.
Given this, servant heroes are at the frontline of
values-formation. They serve as lead promoters of the right
set of values anchored on respect—respect for authority;
respect for the country and its resources; respect for the
trust given and earned; and, respect for life. Respect is
the forerunner of the values of good governance, anticorruption
and transparency in government. In practicing
your profession, you should realize the proximity of your
position to the head of your agency and even to the
Chief Executive; thus, in your individual transactions you
represent government—a public trust.
To deliver excellent service, servant heroes are
recognized not only for their competence and their desire
to be brilliant in their field but also for the way they
developed themselves individually based on their years of
experience and pursuit of advanced learning.
On the other hand, one’s efficiency in delivering
efficient services is reliant on their ability to rise above their
situation and show resilience. Servant heroes recognize
the value of their stewardship of resources.
And finally, to be effective, one must have an
understanding of people. And that as part of government,
you are inevitably a part of the lives of everyone—whether
it be one’s marriage, childbirth, oil regulation, traffic
enforcement, justice, asset disposition or public private
partnership. Servant heroes engage the public and engage
them further to converse about life.
To sum it all up, a servant hero is a civil servant who
understands the face of humanity and the humaneness of
living.
We all live in the midst of civil servants. And
belonging to a league of government employees, one must
exercise pride in the kind of values which come with one’s
profession.
Again, I was raised by heroes. And I have a lifetime
of reasons to be proud of it.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The author has works published by Star Records,
Communication Foundation for Asia, the UP-University Center for
Women’s Studies and the Ford Foundation. She graduated with
a Master in Public Administration Degree in Organization Studies
and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from the UP.
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