Quiet leadership

Seldom do we have people in public service now who know how to handle power and its tremendous significance and responsibilities. Our typical public official has the tendency to become arrogant once they acquire some kind of authority and influence either by election or appointment. Most common of this kind of arrogance are displayed in our busy, traffic clogged streets by the sights and sounds of motorcycle cops with wailing sirens paving the way for the passage of vehicles bearing low numbered plates ferrying public officials or even members of their families to their scheduled appointments. There are also motor vehicles plying our roads sporting car plates without numbers but with such words as "Councilor" or "City Mayor". Pretty soon we may see car plates inscribed with the words "Barangay Captain". Of course the arrogance of power in this administration is exemplified by a cabinet member who invariably picks up a fight or stirs a lot of controversy as he grants interviews behind piles and piles of records clogging his desk conveying the impression of being busy with so much work, or being inefficient.

Fortunately there are still some "rare" exceptions. Rarer still because he can be considered one of the most powerful officials in the country today. In fact he heads a department which has control and supervision over the sector in our society that literally holds the "barrel of the gun". He is in effect the chief enforcer of the principle of "civilian supremacy over the military" as embodied in our Constitution. Under him are the men in uniform and all their generals. They respect him because he does not flaunt his power like many others in this administration do. Maybe that coup plot last February, 2006 did not succeed because of how he wields his power and runs his department.  He is so low key and shuns the limelight although his achievements in his sort stint at the Department of National Defense are quite remarkable. Indeed I would say that Secretary Avelino J. Cruz, Jr. is one of few wise choices of the President in her Cabinet. From Presidential Counsel in Malacañang to Secretary of the Department of National Defense is a big leap of faith for Secretary Cruz, Jr. Yet he was able to show his capability and competence as the alter ego of the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Excelling in a field that is entirely alien to his profession is a testament to the versatility of lawyers to tackle any kind of job. He definitely brings honor to our legal profession.

So far I have not seen a cabinet member with a fixed road map like Secretary Cruz. Right after assuming power he drew up a "Philippine Defense Reform" program (PDR) with a ten point agenda and a very appealing slogan of "transforming while performing". Modest gains in the transformation of the DND institutions have already been made under the PDR although without so much fanfare, that is very typical of how its head goes about performing his job.

But one very important asset of Secretary Cruz, Jr. is his sensitivity to the needs and grievances of the men in uniform. When I brought to his attention the beef of soldiers assigned as peacekeepers in other countries regarding the $1,028.00 individual "Troop Cost Allowance", he immediately looked into it. As it turns out, the complaint arose only out of the misunderstanding by the soldiers of the nature of "troop cost allowance". The peacekeepers thought that the entire amount belongs to them as their "allowance" little realizing that it is supposed to also defray the equipments, uniforms and other basic accessories needed for the peacekeeping assignments. The misunderstanding was further heightened by the fact that there was a time when the overseas troopers were paid almost the full amount of the allowance in the sum of $1,000.00 also based on the erroneous belief that the entire amount pertains to them. Thus the complaint arose when their allowances were reduced thereafter for the payment of the cost of the equipments etc. Also explained quite satisfactorily is that none of the amount deducted from the allowance is used other than for the peacekeeping assignments. The DND staff also pointed out that the very designation of the amount as "troop cost allowance" rather than "troop allowance" clearly shows that it does not pertain merely to the troopers.

As it is, with the allowances they receive, the 370 officers and men with peacekeeping assignments in Liberia, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Sudan, East Timor and Aceh are already earning three and half to four times more than their salaries while assigned here. Secretary Cruz, Jr. and the DND staff have only good words for our Filipino peacekeepers. They are the favorites in places of their assignments because of their proficiency in English and their skills. With his kind of leadership, competence and integrity, I am sure Secretary Cruz, Jr. can satisfactorily convince our peacekeepers that they are not being short changed.

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