PGMA's Speech during the National Convention of Government Employees and the 59th Anniversary of the Philippine Government Employees Association (PGEA)

PGMA's Speech during the National Convention of Government Employees and the 59th Anniversary of the Philippine Government Employees Association (PGEA)

Heroes Hall, Malacañang (09 December 2004)

Secretary Duque -- where are you? -- of Philhealth, Winston Garcia, Mero Quimbo, Espie Ocampo, my colleagues in government service, friends of the PGEA, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon and happy anniversary to PGEA.

Before anything else, let me share a miracle with you, not as government employees but as caring Filipinos. Maybe you remember about ten days ago, there was a report of a building in a remote Barangay of real that collapsed.

Today, a team of soldiers, DENR employees, rescue operators, volunteers from the Chamber of Mines landed... No, they did not land. The helicopter did not land. They jumped off the helicopter onto the beach because there was no place to land. Walked two kilometers to that collapsed building and found twelve people alive after more than ten days.

We must believe in miracles. And to me PGEA is a miracle.

I've been attending your anniversary for a long time now, remember? Even before I became president. And because I know you, I know your work, I'd like to commend you on the work you've been doing making government employees aware not only of their rights but also of their responsibilities. And I'd like to congratulate you for your work in promoting a culture of integrity among government employees. That's the miracle that I was talking about.

For instance, thank you for your initiative in the "Dulugan ng Bayan" -- the workplace-based employee-initiated anti-corruption program. Thank you for recognizing that corruption is the bane of our political and economic security. We have to fight corruption as earnestly as we're fighting to put our fiscal house in order.

I was just with Speaker de Venecia before coming here, that's why I'm sorry to be a little late. He brought members of the Saudi Arabian parliament to meet with me. And I gave him the message that we acknowledge the determination of congress to pass the national budget, which will be the cutting edge of political and economic stability and social reform. Our solid partnership with the legislature in the passage of vital revenue measures, in forging the budget and in protecting the environment demonstrates the effectiveness of our political institutions including our bureaucracy to uphold the national interest, and should continue to spur our economic gains. Confidence is firm and will continue to drive the economy across difficult straits to a new horizon of growth and vibrance. We have struck upon the right formula of institutional teamwork -- the officialdom, the bureaucracy, the legislative, the judiciary. Teamwork and national solidarity to fight corruption, cut waste, save the environment and grow investments to create jobs.

The legislative-executive partnership for putting our house in fiscal order is just as strong in protecting the environment and safeguarding our economic security. We appreciate the immediate response of the house to the common goal of saving our forests, and we'll match this development with the relentless push to arrest illegal logging and to gather communities and families around a massive reforestation program. The continued outpouring of international assistance is also something for which the Filipino is grateful. We shall never forget the wanton loss of lives as a result of the recent calamity, and we will be constantly reminded to rekindle the solidarity of our people and not to allow this misfortune to happen again.

Indeed, much remains to be done. Of course, many are still driven by the dark forces of greed, and worse, many have become indifferent to it. But PGEA has been an important force in the effort to change this attitude. to do justice to the work of PGEA -- as what you're doing at employee level -- we must do the same at the level of agency heads.

Next week, we will have good government practitioners from several countries, including the founder of Hongkong's renowned independent commission against corruption, to hold a series of top level seminars with government executives in manila.

And I am instructing the agency heads to make sure that all contracts their agencies enter into are exposed to the scrutiny of the public by publishing them on their web pages or in the internet. Confidence in the Philippines must be founded on good governance. And I rely on PGEA to help me carry that out.

I'm glad to be meeting with you today even as we've spent much time praising the anonymous public servant for the good work they've been doing in the disaster operations. At times we tend to gloss over the role of public servants -- you are such unsung heroes of our country.

But we've seen during the calamity soldiers trudge by foot across dangerous mudflows to bring food and supplies to the victims. In fact, most civil servants who have formed the core of the relief and rehabilitation efforts are faceless and unnamed. And we thank you for that. And even as you serve the people we realize that the worthy public servant must also be served. And that is why you have your association.

I commend the "Angat Kabuhayan" program of PGEA in partnership with the PCSO and ITDI-DOST. I also commend you for your team up with DOST, DBM, TLRC, CDA and Smart Telecoms in conducting the "Negosyo Forum."

And I commend PGEA for the 21 housing task forces established nationwide through your partnership with HDMF. And lately, most recently, I congratulate you on your agreement with Philhealth, Pag-Ibig and the GSIS to help monitor and report timely remittances of premium contributions.

I ask you to continue to close ranks in purging the system of corruption, eliminating government waste, increasing tax collection, and investing in our nation through revenue increases dedicated to job creation, education and health care.

The sense of bayanihan and pakikiramay the nation experienced in the past weeks demonstrate what we can collectively achieve in the face of crisis.

It makes me optimistic that we can emerge victorious from our quest to rise above disunity and despair, break the cycle of corruption, and establish the prosperous and strong republic that we all deserve.

I shall continue to rely on PGEA to persevere in excellence and honesty. Let's leave the wayward few by the wayside and move on to our vital tasks. You know, just recently, I get a letter from Espie regarding the announced merger between NLSF and PCFC. It was an appeal that was very analytical, devoid of any emotion, and because I felt that it was coming from an association like yours that has only the best interest of the country at heart, I told the ones doing the reorganization to proceed only after consulting with PGEA.

I have the greatest respect for your association whom I've known for many years now. And I look forward that as we have the remaining five years, a little over five years of my administration, I look forward for us continuing to work together for the good of the Filipino public servant and the public that we all serve.

Happy anniversary! Congratulations! Maraming salamat.

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