Funerals: More fun in the Philippines

No less than current cabinet members have confirmed that it is no longer enough to fulfill one’s job description as a public servant or elected official.

Thanks to DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo, the bar of excellence has been raised several times over to the point that even in death, one has to make sure that you match or exceed the posthumous recognition and outpouring of support given to “Sec. Jesse” in order to say that you too have been “A good and faithful servant”.

This revelation came in the form of a half serious “joke” shared by Budget Secretary Butch Abad who shared the musings of Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, who obviously recognized that even in death, the public gives people or cabinet members a “final grade” in the form of sympathy, prayers, messages and presence at the funeral. As far as “Sec. Jesse” is concerned, he obviously had an A+ or a “1”(perfect mark). But how will other cabinet members fare? What would people think if only a few and dear friends celebrated their life at their funeral? Would a small and somber crowd mean that you failed in the public’s eyes?

While the thought was shared in jest, the observation serves as a vital mirror or thermometer of how the public feels and thinks about public servants as well as appointed or elected government officials. Contrary to commonly held beliefs, Filipinos are not unappreciative of cabinet members, or politicians. In fact they are willing and able to demonstrate appreciation above and beyond the norm.

Their problem is that “We the people” have been given very little opportunity to witness first hand what leaders and officials are doing and how they do it. “We the people” rarely have the opportunity to meet and greet those we supported or those who call us their boss, and finally, those in power have generally stayed in their “glass houses”, Ivory towers, guarded palaces, speaking in a language and of concepts so far removed from our needs, our norms and our world. So much emphasis is given to sophistication, security and many other notions that go with power or position that in the end, those who lead are so far removed from the led.

In a break through moment, “We the people” were accidentally allowed into the world of cabinet members when, President Noynoy Aquino ordered a “State Funeral” for DILG Secretary Robredo. Then and only then did we see Cabinet members as “Real people” who shed tears for a fallen brother, who awkwardly sang as an out of tune chorale as tribute and send off for “Sec. Jesse”. Only then did we hear about escape artists running for the door to avoid being asked by PNoy to render a song.

That was the first unguarded time when “We the people” heard a cabinet member reveal, how they always consider the jokes of another cabinet member as “corny”. Who would have thought that Cabinet members also take off their shoes in flight, or that they also wear “Tsinelas” or Flip-flops? Imagine our surprise to learn that the President has a wicked sense of humor and refers to the snoring of Secretary Purisima as “The Concert”.

Aside from the intimate insights, it was also the first time when “We the people” heard our leaders talk in a language we knew, in a manner akin to how we speak at home, at work, at play. The formality was less, much of the pretentions were removed and there was far more truth in to what was shared and the emotions expressed. Many speakers stated in passing how they first got permission or clearance to speak candidly or joke around unabashedly, somehow hinting that in the normal day to day life of cabinet members, simply being “you” and being human was not the norm.

This somehow tells us that our leaders have paid too much importance for how other cultures conduct themselves instead of recognizing that we are Filipinos and we have a very different way of viewing life, relationships, even death. How else could we explain the “Fiesta” or class reunion atmosphere that “We the people” were privileged to have witnessed. How else does one explain that; Funerals: More Fun In The Philippines.

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Beyond the revelations that came with the memorial service for Secretary Robredo, I somehow feel vindicated for the numerous times I have suggested that each Cabinet Member should be allowed, even encouraged to engage the public and media separately instead of having a centralized system under the communications group. Listening to DOE Secretary Rene Almendras, Butch Abad and others, I found myself engaged, and willing to listen to a variety of sources and characters. Collectively they presented an image that was not partisan or particular to a single view. Because of their “Filipino” approach or style, it was easy to take ownership of the event and have no thoughts about political views or sides.

I have nothing against the Communications group of Secretary Coloma and I know that they will have more than enough work to do even when the “talking” for various departments is decentralized. I simply and strongly believe that like an old record, if you only have two or three people who do all the talking, sooner or later even the best and most sincere spokesperson will soon sound like a propagandist, a lawyer and defender of the faith. Ultimately when the record sounds broken, the owner or the “Boss” ends up being blamed.

If Cabinet members can make a State Funeral something to appreciate, interesting and respectfully amusing, I believe they can make the affairs of state relevant and positive, if left to their own devices. Congratulations for a job well done.

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