Going the last mile
NOT every sceptic can be turned into a firm believer; and not every critic can be converted into a supporter. But everyone has a good spark within, and the challenge is for that spark to turn into a flame, and then to rage into an all-consuming fire that spreads and contributes to the common good of the community.
At the end of the day, governance has to be brought down to the level of every individual. This is particularly true for every individual who works in City Hall: They are under the direct purview and control of the city mayor. His desire for institutionalizing governance in the City of Balanga is “to incorporate the scorecard to individual performance.”
But individual performance only in one’s official and public functions? Or does performance extend to other facets of a person’s life so that holistic personal development is promoted and facilitated?
Once a holistic personal lifestyle is emphasized, the challenge of bringing down the city’s core values – which are embedded in the city’s governance charter along with its mission and vision – into the work and life of everyone in City Hall comes into the forefront.
Love of God is the first of the city’s core values. The city now makes space and time for First Friday Mass that City Hall officers and employees can avail of and freely participate in. This sends the signal: That God has to be present in one’s life and work. This underscores the imperative of trying to adhere to the universal moral norms (e.g. observing the Ten Commandments). But for a City Hall public servant, these moral norms extend to such social values as the personal dignity of every individual; the promotion of the common good; solidarity; and individual responsibility to take positive initiatives for the good of others in society.
Integrity is the second of the city’s core values. This value is basic and fundamental to good public governance; without it, there can be no goodness in public governance. But integrity never stands alone: It has to be supported and propped up by fairness (towards all others); courage to face external difficulties; and discipline to put order and sort out the difficulties that come from within oneself.
Commitment is the third of the city’s core values. This is what an institution – such as City Hall – demands for its governance program. However, in showing commitment, every public servant also needs to be equipped with competence, professionalism (a deep spirit of service to the public), and patriotism (love of country, which is a perfect complement of the first core value, love of God).
Bringing the three core values of the city and embedding them into the life and work of everyone in City Hall would present the substance of “bringing governance down to the level of the individual” and of “incorporating the scorecard in individual performance.” This represents the very last mile that the governance program has to reach; and in traveling this last mile, City Hall may encourage and facilitate; it should be fully respectful of the freedom that every City Hall public official enjoys. Nonetheless, it should be clear to everyone that holistic personal development includes the following facets:
The moral and spiritual dimension: it is difficult to adhere to the value of Love of God unless this personal dimension is properly taken care of.
The physical fitness, cultural, and educational development as well as professional advancement dimensions: Integrity demands inner cohesion, and for full personal integrity, not only should the body be sound (physical fitness), but the heart and mind as well should be healthy (cultural, educational, and professional progress would be required).
The social, economic-financial, and environmental dimensions: These naturally arises due to the inter-personal character of every individual: Everyone belongs to a family which must be strong, united and happy (social); everyone must contribute to, and benefit from, economic and financial progress; and everyone is called upon to take good care of the environment, starting with the physical, natural environment.
It is how everyone who works in City Hall can integrate all these dimensions of their personal life and work that would determine how good a governance asset they become. Obviously, for the continuity and dynamic effectiveness of the city’s governance program, City Hall would need to work hard to help and facilitate everyone in harmoniously integrating these dimensions so that each one – through their life and work – can become very valuable governance assets for the city.