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First of
all the people
By Joy Magdayao
He is a political late bloomer but he knows the essentials of
public service, and so this governor centers all his efforts
on one thing.. |
A neophyte in the arena of politics,
Zamboanga del Norte’s Governor Rolando Yebes is displaying
creativity in his leadership. For one, he has had the wisdom
to pursue completion of all projects by his predecessor,
creating an impressive record of 120 infrastructure projects
in his first six months in office. In doing so, he is laying
the foundation of support and goodwill after a closely fought
leadership in the last elections. “The season for politics
is over. Now is the time for service,” he frequently
assures crowds who are a bit apprehensive about this new man
in the capitol.
Six months into his term, the political
scene is still a rosy landscape for Governor Yebes as he
enjoys the support of majority of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan,
the friendship of all three congressional representatives, and
the respect of mayors from 25 municipalities and two cities
that make up this province in the northwestern tip of
Zamboanga Peninsula.
Employees and admirers variedly describe
him as personable, charming, cool, generous, broad-minded,
approachable, and enticingly single. The man himself is
beyond the platitudes. Graduating from 27 years of civil
service, his final post as Bureau of Customs regional
director, Rolando Yebes is certain about Zamboanga del Norte’s
direction under his command: lift the province from its
impoverished state by harnessing its rich natural resources,
protecting it from exploitation, and bringing in investments.
On top of this, he aims to market
Zamboanga del Norte as a fine tourist destination in Mindanao,
anchoring on the historical value of Rizal’s beloved Dapitan,
the renown of Dakak resort, and the mystique of the still to
be discovered islands and white sand beaches that abound in
this rustic province.
Awarded Provincial Chief Executive of the
Year by Gen. Edgar Aglipay on the occasion of the Philippine
National Police Region IX’s 14th anniversary,
Rolando Yebes is intent on transforming this peaceful province
into an investments hub in the region. “We are a safe place
for doing business, and we have a hardworking and skilled
workforce,” he underscores. “We are also the nautical gateway
to Mindanao.”
Perhaps weighed by the urgency of the
need of his people, Gov. Yebes’ daily schedule is crammed with
meetings, three or four inaugurations in the barangays,
dinners and functions. He has so many things to do he holds
staff meetings in his vehicle while on the way to still
another appointment. (This interview was done in his SUV while
we were speeding to Roxas where three barangays awaited him.)
“He does not want to disappoint,”
his personal staff say. “As much as possible, he arranges
and re-arranges his schedule to accommodate as many people as
he could.” This is why his staff has learned to move
fast. When he rises from his desk, its action all the way,
all throughout the day.
Rolando Yebes was recently appointed by
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as chair of Region IX’s
development council, quite a feat for this newcomer. This has
increased curiosity about his person and, hopefully, about his
province.
Listen in on a fast-paced conversation
with the man of the hour as he allows us a glimpse into his
life and thoughts:
You were never a politician before.
This is your first elective post. How is life as a governor?
The work is
the same as before. I’ve been working with the government for
38 years. And then I started from the lowest rank, as a
police officer and then on to regional director of the
customs. It’s till the same: service to the people.
My focus in
life is to serve the people. When I was in college, I was
imprisoned in Cebu as a member of the Samahang Demokratiko ng
Kabataan, a group of Kabataang Makabayan. Even while I was
incarcerated, I held the same fervor. This time, it is quite
a different arena. This time I am directly serving the
people, not only on an appointive basis but on an elective
position.
What were your expectations before you
ran for governor? And how different is the experience now?
It is just
the same now. The problems I envisioned to be coming my way
are the same that I am encountering now. I have prepared for
this job
Your rallying call is “Una sa tanan
ang katawhan.” Why this?
First of all,
the people. That’s my motto in life. First of all, you have
to work for the betterment of the life and the condition of
the people in my province. In everything I do, the prime
consideration is always “Is it good for the people? Will it
benefit the people?”
What do you want to see happening in
Zamboanga del Norte in your first term?
First, I want Zamboanga
del Norte to be in the forefront of development in the whole
region and Western Mindanao. Second, I want to see my
province taken out from the list of the most impoverished
province in the whole Philippines. Third, I want to have some
investments coming in the province and to lead all others in
terms of economic development, cultural development, and
everything that is good for my province.
Do you see your role as Regional
Development Council chair as complementary to what you want to
accomplish here?
That is
another kind of work that is akin to my work as provincial
governor, but this time I will look after the welfare of the
region. Our region has been forgotten for so long a time. In
the medium term plan of the National Economic Development
Authority, Western Mindanao has not been mentioned nor
included in that plan. I wanted to voice out in the halls of
the national government that we are existing, and that our
region is one of those fastest growing region. We are nearer
to the commercial areas of BIMP-EAGA, and we have areas which
are very rich in natural resources and very rich in
agriculture. They must take a second look at our region.
Who are the major influences in your
life?
The
first influence in my life was my father. He was a public
servant. He was a mere provincial sheriff at his time.
Because of that, we studied on our own because he cannot
afford (to send us to school). The second is my mother. My
mother is one who works with a timetable. She has to finish
everything on time. She wanted to serve everyone, including
all of her friends. That is one of her traits that I have
followed.
What about your working
style? Are you a difficult boss?
No! No! No!
(laughter) I’m one person who is very easy to deal with. My
working style is…. I go directly to where the problem is
that’s why I spend more time outside (my office). I spend
more time in the barangays with the people, more time on
projects than in the office.
But then I
also wanted to get some benefits from Manila – the Senators,
the President and all who are housed in Manila. In a month’s
time, I go to Manila around three times. And I have results
in going there. I have some ambulances gihatag nila. I have
some projects coming in. For example, one of the textile
manufacturing companies is planning to come to our province.
Owners of factories – Chinese and Indians – are taking a look
at our province.
The #2 problem here in the Philippines
is graft and corruption. How do you deal with that here in
Zamboanga del Norte?
By following
all the rules and regulations of the Commision on Audit. I am
also very much keen on implementing the Anti-Graft and Corrupt
Practices Act. As of now, the problem is not so monstrous in
this area. Maybe there is (graft). I cannot deny that but we
can always have the law implemented to its fullest extent.
How is your relationship with civil
society and the Church here?
No problem.
My relationship with the Church is very good. We cooperate in
all angles of work. I see them once in a while and talk to
them.
How do you balance your role as family
man?
My life now
as a single…I was widowed three years ago… is quite fulfilling
for me. Now I can go anywhere I wanted to. I can serve the
people at anytime at a given hour of the day or night.
Your children?
Gov. Rolando Yebes was recognized as Provincial Executive
of the Year during the PNP IX's 14th Year Anniversary in
ceremonies led by Police Director General Edgar Aglipay.
Gov. Yebes provided the PNP with P5.5 million support fund
for police operation. |
I have one
daughter and three sons. My daughter is a psychology
graduate. She’s working with La Salle, Manila. My second is
a doctor. He’s a magna cum laude from University of Santo
Tomas. He’s now working in Capital Medical Center. My third
is with me here in Dipolog working as my private secretary.
My fourth is studying preparatory law in La Salle, and then
maybe later on UP.
What are your personal advocacies?
My personal
advocacy is to stop the depredation of our natural resources,
especially our mountains and our forests. At this moment in
time, we are fighting against one of the giants of logging
operations situated in our province. As you know, in the whole
Region IX, only the province of Zamboanga del Norte has still
an existing forest cover, consisting of about a hundred
thousand hectares. All others, wala na. We are advocating to
stop all depredation of our natural resources and to create a
moratorium.
The Inquirer has printed a report of
your expose against a DENR official…
That’s my
style. I don’t back out from a good fight
You’re not afraid that you’ll be
fighting some very big people?
I don’t care. As long as I am working for the best
interest of my people and my province, I don’t care. (Zamboanga
del Norte has declared several ranking DENR officials persona
non grata in reaction to ongoing logging operations within the
province. Ed)
How would you describe your first half
year in office?
It’s very
fulfilling, because I have attained my dream of serving my
people. All of these are geared to service, my peculiar way
of service to the people. I really want to deliver
everything. But within the short period of time I have – just
three years – I know I cannot do all those things. But even
then, I am compressing my days and weeks so that at the end of
my term, I have something to look back at…to know that I have
done something for the province.
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