THE kind of simplicity and humility that Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista or JJB and the latter’s handpicked general manager for the Manila International Airport (MIAA), Cesar Chiong have, are just admirable you’d just wish all government officials are like them.
A couple of days ago, they hosted a luncheon get-together for the Airport Press Club, whose members are in-house reporters covering the airport beat, where MIAA senior assistant general manager Bryan Co and Sec. Bautista’s right-hand, Jonathan Segismundo, were also present.
GM Chiong and SAGM Co arrived ahead of the good Secretary who was attending a highly-important function that had been previously scheduled.
APC President Ariel Fernandez and I were so surprised when GM Chiong served us both a bowl of soup and then food, from time to time, although we already told him to no longer bother doing that for us. We had GM Chiong sandwiched at the table.
When Secretary Bautista arrived, I gave up my seat so he could sit next to GM Chiong. The poor Secretary was apparently hungry. After all, it was nearly 2 p.m. and he obviously had not eaten lunch.
He took a bowl of soup that had been siting cold for over an hour and finished it quickly. Then, he scooped some rice -which was also already cold- from what was left over since we were already done eating when he came.
Sec. Bautista put the rice into the bowl of soup that he had just finished and then took a piece of fried chicken also from the leftover that we had. Asked if he wanted to order freshly-cooked food, his reply was: “OK na ‘to.”
When offered drinks, he pointed to the glass of service water in front of him, prompting my good friend, publisher Jimmy Cheng, to offer his newly-ordered juice to Sec. Bautista and will just get a new one for himself.
In the tete-a-tete that followed, Sec. Bautista and GM Chiong readily and patiently answered all our queries. SAGM Co and Segismundo were just as friendly and humble too.
Sec JJB shared that the biggest challenge that his administration faces, considering that he has under jurisdiction a total of 18 agencies, is the area of road problems which includes the horrendous traffic, as well as the plight of the Filipino seafarers numbering at least 700,000 in all.
Similarly, on the part of GM Chiong, the top problem his administration faces also concerns land transportation.
The good GM Chiong says they are weighing the supply and demand of cabs for passengers, vis-à-vis the complaints they receive regarding the insufficient number of taxis at the airport and the problem of colorum ones.
GM Chiong said he also plans to meet with Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco to talk about how the long queues at the immigration area can be avoided.
According to Sec. Bautista, he is proud of his appointees and knows for a fact that none of them will engage in any anomaly because they will serve with utmost dedication and honesty.
Well, I believe him. If you are an appointee of Sec. Bautista and you know him well, you will not even attempt at engaging in any form of irregularity that would put him in a bad light, or picture him as a person who is a poor judge of character.
At the very least, you will be inspired to follow his footsteps and become the best in your assigned field of endeavor, knowing that Sec. Bautista himself will do justice to his position.
Indeed, given that the soft-spoken and humble Sec. Bautista is not tainted with any ill repute all throughout his career spanning at least a quarter of a century, his integrity which is beyond question, is a welcome trait that in fact, all government officials must have.
Joke from Anthony Kalalo of Ermita, Manila:
Patient: Nurse, please bring me a hot water bag, my toes are cold
Nurse: Sir, you are asking the wrong nurse, I’m the head nurse
Patient: Ok. Tell it to the foot nurse. I need it now, thanks.
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