EDITORIAL — Osmeña Day: Live the values, not just talk about them

That Cebu should celebrate and continue celebrating the birth anniversary of Don Sergio Osmeña (today is the 128th) is not open to question. After all, the Grand Old Man of Cebu is, without doubt, still our greatest contribution to the national leadership.

How to celebrate the yearly anniversary is, however, another matter. Is it still relevant to just focus on the birth date itself and hold special commemorative activities that are mostly forgotten the following day or do we move on to things of more lasting value?

Mayor Tomas Osmeña, a grandson of the former president, has an idea. He said that instead of focusing on Don Sergio being the Grand Old Man of Cebu, Cebuanos should focus on the fact that he achieved so much at as a young man that he should be an inspiration to the youth.

That could be a good line to follow. At the very least it hits two concerns of great importance - sustaining momentum and inspiring the young. Among the sad realities of our times is that we easily forget and abandon initiatives, and that the youth easily lose focus.

Mayor Osmeña should sit on this thought and maybe hit on a workable program that adopts many of the sterling qualities and values of his grandfather and sustain them on a practical basis, with City Hall as a pilot area for implementation.

This would be a whole lot better than commemorating the birthday year in and year out with activities that do not really inspire and change lives, the way Don Sergio would have wanted as shown by the ultimate example of how he led his life and conducted his career.

Often described as the ultimate statesman, maybe Mayor Osmeña can hire researchers to pore over the life of his grandfather and search for the simple courtesies he extended to others, even to his enemies, and adopt them as a way of life, at least in the office, at City Hall.

If it clicks, it can be replicated in schools and in other offices until Cebuanos can assimilate these values as their own and be statesmen in their own right. Being a good person will never lose relevance. And it is so easy to do, just like cleaning as you go.