THE 3S OF PUBLIC SERVICE
Originally calendared in May 2020 until two laws separately signed by then-president Rodrigo Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the long-delayed barangay elections are now scheduled on October 30. As such a total of 672,432 seats are up for grabs in October, including: 42,027 seats for barangay chairperson; 294,189 seats for Sangguniang Barangay members; 42,027 seats for Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson; and 294,189 seats for Sangguniang Kabataan members.
As such, being cognizant of this electoral process is likewise being aware of responsibly exercising this sacred right of suffrage by making sure we elect worthy men and women that embody the essence of public service most especially at the Barangay Level to which the most fundamental exercise of Public Administration and Governance is realized.
Government Service is Public Service. Saint Augustine as early as the fifth century wrote: “Those who command serve those whom they appear to command.” And President Wilson in his Labor Day Message in September, 1918, said of the Great War: “It is war of emancipation. Not until it is won can men live anywhere free from constant fear or breathe freely while they go about their daily tasks and know that Governments are their servants, not their masters.”
Public services tend to be those considered to be so essential to modern life that for moral reasons their universal provision should be guaranteed. Public service may sometimes have the characteristics of a public good (being non-rivalrous and non-excludable), but most are services which may (according to prevailing social norms) be under-provided by society as a whole. Moreover, a proficient public service is vital for creating a favorable investment climate and facilitating people’s participation in economic life.
So, what makes an Efficient Public Servant? Allow to share with you some essential traits (3S) inherent in public service:
SENSITIVITY is often aided by compassionately listening to those around us. By communicating gently with respect to others so that they can feel more safe and able to express their true feelings, concerns, and desires. As previously mentioned, not judging the person is very important, and offering criticism needs to be done with the utmost sensitivity so as not to alienate the person.
We can likewise be sensitive to other people’s needs, wishes, and choices by being adaptable and respectful. In expressing our own needs, feelings, and ideas we can be humble and considerate of others. Insisting that others agree or adopt one’s own views or proposals often makes minor conflicts worse. We can be sensitive by discerning whether we are standing up for our own rights or attempting to impose our beliefs and values on another. I believe we have a right to insist on our own rights as long as we are not harming others; but if we insist that others do what we want, they may resist in order to defend their own prerogatives.
SINCERITY means performing public service without any hidden agenda or ulterior motive. In a quid pro quo political arena, the phrase if you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours becomes the dominant practice whereby to do someone a good deed if they do one for you is often the norm. But in sincerity public service become authentic — free from this form of patronage politics.
Sincerity is the virtue of the righteous, the trait of the honest, and the most prized asset of the successful. Any act or deed, which is backed by earnest feelings of sincerity, is bound to be a success. A person, who is forthcoming about his / her thoughts, feeling and desires and barely likes to guise his intentions, can be said to be a sincere person, in real sense of the term. Sincerity has been deemed as the utmost moral virtue and is indeed one of the higher ideals in life.
SENSIBLE as an adjective it means practical, reasonable, and having (or showing) good sense or sound judgment. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to governance that can work for every local government unit (LGU). LGUs should establish the risk management roles and decision-making processes that work for them thus the need for sensible public servants.
Sensible means practical and reasonable. If you’re wearing sensible shoes, they’re sturdy, comfortable, good for walking, and your feet don’t hurt. If you’re a sensible person, you’re level-headed and calm, and you make wise decisions. Sensible may not sound exciting — who wants to be like a pair of galoshes, when you can be stilettos? But sensible is the voice of reason, and when you’re tooling along in your convertible, you’ll be grateful for the sensible 15-mile-per-hour speed limit posted at that sharp turn where the road drops off into the canyon. Sensible comes from the Latin sensibilis, meaning “perceptible by the senses,” a meaning that eventually evolved into “having good sense, reasonable.” (cf. vocabulary.com)
So, if we want genuine public service, we better make sure that those we choose to be at helm of pubic governance is SENSITIVE, SINCERE and SENSIBLE.
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