My life in public service

(Conclusion)

While attending an LNP (Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon) coordinators retreat sometime in May 2010—I clearly remember the first day of our retreat—I got a call from a member of the selection committee of incoming President Benigno Aquino III (P-Noy), asking if I would be open to being considered as secretary of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). I told the caller, I believe it was Cesar Buenaventura, that I was in a retreat and I said I would pray about it. His immediate answer was, “I know our prayers will be answered.”

For some coincidence, the theme of our retreat, led by Fr. Herb Sneider of the Loyola School of Theology, was on heroic leadership and becoming radical disciples for our Lord. With proper discernment and prayers, the community leadership with senior head coordinator Mr. Tony Panajon and Spanky Meer, they gave their full support that I should be open to taking on the job of DPWH secretary as a mission field to being a radical disciple for love of God and service to fellowmen. And again for some reason, the Bible reflection on the day P-Noy interviewed me for the first time was the reading from Matthew: “Enter the narrow gate for the road to life is narrow and difficult.” At that point, what was very clearer than the message of “entering the narrow gate and following the narrow road” was the clear message for me to accept the government position. Of course, I had to consult and inform my wife, Binggay, and my family of this major decision. My daughter Nikka’s response was, “Are you crazy?”

Value of love for God and service to fellowmen

So my acceptance of the most challenging job in public service was based on the value of love for God and service to fellowmen. I knew my life in DPWH would be challenging, long working days, a very huge pay cut coming from Maynilad as president. I even had to sell my Alabang Golf membership to augment my government salary. Knowing that DPWH was always in the top 3 most corrupt government agencies prior to 2010 was my biggest challenge. Allow me to thank my brothers and sisters and the leadership of LNP for their guidance and specially their prayers during my full six challenging years with DPWH.

After Malacañáng announced that I was the incoming DPWH secretary, I asked a good friend, Ms. Yolly Villanueva Ong, to do a survey for me to know what the general public expected from DPWH. The survey results showed that people simply expected from DPWH that government funds and resources should be used for the right projects, at the right cost and right quality. So I made it very clear in our first DPWH management committee (mancom) meeting that we had to change the culture of DPWH and, with the help of some members of the DPWH mancom, draw up our good governance and anticorruption measures. We developed our management mantra and strategic objectives of the 3Rs—right projects, right cost and right quality. Eventually, P-Noy added the 2 Rs—right on time and by the right people. Part of changing the culture of DPWH was offering early retirement to about 25 percent of the employees and replacing them with young qualified registered civil engineers below 30 years old. We hired about 1,500 nationwide, and offered them a career at DPWH with regular plantilla positions and the salary equivalent of $600 per month, instead of them going abroad as contractual personnel.

‘Daang Matuwid’

This award is not just a recognition of my efforts but a testament to the commitment of the late P-Noy to his “Daang Matuwid” (righteous) way of governance in serving the country. Let me quote, P-Noy said, “no wangwang, no entitlements, kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap, kayo ang boss ko (without corruption, there will be no poverty; you are my boss).” I had P-Noy’s full support in the transformation of DPWH to become the lead infrastructure arm of the government. The Philippines got its highest rating ever in the 2014 transparency internationals rating for corruption perception index. With the help of Department of Budget and Management Secretary Butch Abad and the full support of other department secretaries, we were able to implement our infrastructure convergence program developing infrastructure roads and bridges using national road standards to major tourism destinations of our country as prioritized by the late Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez. For tourism convergence, we were able to complete 2,500 kilometers of tourism roads worth P84 billion.

Thanks to Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Armin Luistro, who entrusted to DPWH the construction of the school buildings where we instituted for the first time public-private partnership (PPP) for school buildings to be able to wipe out the DepEd classrooms backlog; to (Transportation and Communications) Secretary Mar Roxas and Secretary Jun Abaya for national road standards leading to airports and seaports; and to Secretary Cesar Purisima and National Economic and Development Authority Secrecarty Arsi Balisacan for supporting our PPP projects, like CALAx, NLEx Connector, Naia Expressway, Cebu Cordova Bridge, Skyway, among others. We also started other convergence program on flood control projects, too many to mention, based on river basin master plans and integrated water resources management principles and introducing the use of bio-engineering solutions. In the process, because of competitive public bidding, we were able to save the government several billion pesos. Thank you to Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras who was very much in the thick of the transformation.

With the guidance of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia, we adopted in DPWH their performance governance system scorecard to ensure that we were moving in the right direction and that our achievements were measurable. And with the full support of the whole DPWH family, we were able to measure up to Institute of Corporate Directors standards and awarded the highest gold trailblazer award. Thank you to Dr. Jess Estanislao and Rex Drilon for helping us and believing that we could change the culture of DPWH. And of course, thank you to the professionals and career personnel, specially the cadet engineers of DPWH, who believed that we could indeed change the culture and public perception of DPWH by supporting our good governance and anticorruption program.

Public service operating under a private entity

In most of my assignments in the private sector, I have to thank Metro Pacific Investments Corp. chair Manuel V. Pangilinan, for my appointments as presidents of Maynilad Water Services, Light Rail Manila Corp., Meralco (Manila Electric Co.) MGen Power, Metro Pacific Water Investments and until recently Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. In all these assignments, I made sure that we focused on the public service aspect of our plans and programs and our contribution to nation building. I emphasized that we are in public service operating under a private entity. We made sure that we addressed the needs and pain points of our customers and communities that we served. I was lucky to have very professional business unit heads and key officers, like NLEx president Luigi Bautista, who is also the national president of Familia, a family-based church organization, who took care of the spiritual needs of North Luzon Expressway employees.

At my age of 76, I have been blessed with good health and able to live a balanced life—spiritually, mentally, physically and in my social life. I still have my daily exercises, play golf on weekends whenever possible, go serious ballroom dancing and I will continue my advocacy for good governance and anticorruption measures, particularly in addressing the country’s water crisis.

I wish and hope that some of my experiences and principles in good governance and anticorruption measures based on hard work, political will, transparency, accountability and citizens/stakeholders participation will inspire our next-gen and Gen Z future leaders for a better future for all Filipinos.

In closing, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) board of governors and the MAP members for this prestigious award, which I also share with my sweetheart of over 54 years, Binggay Nepomuceno Singson, our daughter Nikka and husband lawyer Jorge Abes with our apo Rafa, our sons Patrick, Gilbert and Edu, their spouses and our apos, and my close friends some of whom are present here today, for helping me in my journey dedicated to life of public service, for love of God and service to fellowmen, “to God be the glory.” INQ

This article was lifted from the acceptance speech of the author when he received the “MAP Management Person of the Year 2024” award. He is president and CEO of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. Feedback at [email protected] and [email protected].