REFORM AND SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH GENUINE PUBLIC SERVICE

By:
D. F. DELOS SANTOS

CHANGE THROUGH COMMITMENT AND ACTION

The renowned cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead once said that, “Never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”. Along this erudite truism, Vice Governor
Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado seemingly labored arduously to plant the seeds of change
so that the Province of Bulacan could finally reap the blessing of peace, prosperity and
sustainable growth.

Accordingly, as a public servant for nearly four decades, he has staunchly

endeavored to balance the varying degrees of Bulacan’s complex social necessities, as
against the imperative to maintain order, transparency, and accountability to
countenance sustainable economic growth, while furthering the ends of efficiency and
good governance. While this may seem to be a daunting challenge of gargantuan
proportions for many, Vice Governor Willy has undertaken to conscientiously perform
the foregoing goals with grace and ease, yet with steadfast commitment.

Upon culmination of his full term as the governor of the great Province of
Bulacan, he was able to successfully implement his Seven Point Development Agenda,
which encapsulated the priorities of the Provincial Government of Bulacan in the areas
of health, education, livelihood, peace and order, environment, history and culture and
good governance, and was formulated not only to proliferate economic growth and
progress, but more significantly to elevate the social status of its people and diminish, if
not totally eradicate poverty in the province.

While most of his peers, are now basking in the comfort of retirement, Vice
Governor Willy, as he is fondly called by his beloved constituents commences his
exhilarating day by perusing reports from various committees that he chairs in the
Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Bulacan in which he has presided the previous day. After
browsing through lengthy volumes of manuscripts, he takes his modest breakfast of
fruits and coffee, while listening patiently to the various grievances of hundreds of
Bulakenyos who flocked his home every day to ask for assistance. In a few more hours,
he then will proceed to his office at the Provincial Capitol to again attend committee
hearings either to review ordinances and resolutions passed by twenty four local
sanggunians or the province’s own local enactments. At present, Vice Governor Willy
chairs the Committee on Appropriations, Legislative Backstopping Committee and the
Committee on Health.

By early evening, he leaves the office and take a well deserve but brief respite
after dinner. He then has to go through volumes of documents, which he must review
and signed afterwards before retiring to bed. Additionally, Vice Governor Willy also has

D. F. DELOS SANTOS, OFFICE OF THE VICE GOVERNOR 1

to squeeze in his congested schedule, numerous speaking engagements around the
province and other official business, which requires his presence, attention and action.

Consequently, not even the forbidding threat of the Corona Virus (COVID-19)
was able to deter the good vice governor from lending his wisdom, experience and
compassion to his people, as during the height of the pandemic, he never ceased from
rendering public service through actively spearheading the passage of remedial local
legislation to address the same and actively participating in several relief operations
throughout the province.

To an inexperienced and ordinary public servant, this taxing schedule will not
only be daunting, challenging and unbearable, but to Vice Governor Willy even at his
advanced age, this is just all in a day’s work. He pulls strength and draws knowledge
from decades of experience as a public servant and incessantly draws guidance from
Lord’s wisdom through reading of the Holy Scriptures. Throughout the years of
steadfast commitment as a servant of Bulacan, he has staunchly championed the
welfare of its people and mastered the balancing act of weighing the cause of public
welfare over the onerous burden of political favors and private interest. Verily, he lives
by and epitomizes his own battle cry of “Lalawigan ko’y ikaw, lingkod mo ako.”

Through this rather unassuming, yet powerful ethos, Vice Governor Willy, was
able to channel his sincerity, commitment and perseverance and effect significant
political and social reforms, through outstanding leadership and significant local
government programs during his stint as the governor of the province and through
effective local legislation designed to sustain the strides and significant growth the
province has achieved in the last decade.

For Vice Governor Willy, the painstaking labor of leading the province into the
new frontiers of tranquility and economic growth, will be put to naught, if the provincial
government and its people will not put their hearts and mind to sustain it. According to
him, “arriving at our desired destination, where we are now, at the apex of growth and
peace, should not be the measurement of our success, but instead, we should only
consider our efforts successful, if we are able to stay where we are now today or even
advance further, if possible, for our children and our children’s children. This is how
success should be quantified and how sustainability should be defined.”

In the same vein, he believes that as change is the core of sustainable

development, local government units should be dynamic and able to adopt to the rigors
of progress and modern-day challenges, without deviating from the mandate of the law.

THE VICE OF REASONS

Vice Governor Willy’s astute appearance may intimidate even the most seasoned
politicians, but to his constituent and peers, the rather stern visage is a complete irony,

D. F. DELOS SANTOS, OFFICE OF THE VICE GOVERNOR 2

because in reality he is the champion of the common folk and endearing to the masses
and beloved to both the affluent and marginalized, the powerful and the vulnerable.

Hailing from the once lethargic town of Hagonoy, Bulacan, which incidentally is
also the birthplace of the late senator, Gat. Blas F. Ople, perhaps, one of the greatest
statesman of the modern day era, he somehow inherited an heirloom to continue a
distinguished way of serving the public through wisdom, integrity and commitment.

As a seasoned legislator, refined by a full term stint in the honorable annals of

the Congress of the Philippines, he brought with him in the revered session hall of the
Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Bulacan, commitment, integrity and devotion to the
common good and burning fervor to enact local measures that shall promote social
justice, health, fiscal adequacy, good governance and sustainable growth.

He arduously pursued the continuation of legislative sessions, even at the height

of the pandemic scare, through amendment of their own internal rules and procedures,
utilizing the wonders of technology to facilitate communication and interaction amongst
the esteemed members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, without compromising the
sanctity of parliamentary traditions. Through the valiant and selfless efforts of the
Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Bulacan, under the able leadership of the vice governor,
they were able to enact 15 ordinances and 1140 resolutions, as well as 708 ordinances
and resolutions, submitted to the body for review by twenty four (24) sangguniang
bayans and sangguniang panlungsods at the height of the pandemic.

Also at the height of the pandemic, the good vice governor undertook to
formulate sound policies that shall address the current quandary and ensure
compliance of the community with the pertinent health protocols and guidelines
implemented by the national government. Accordingly, through his valiant and steadfast
efforts, the sangguniang panlalawigan was able to craft opportune measures to address
the current public health emergency at the onset of the pandemic. Cognizant of the
contagion’s pervasiveness and potency, Bulacan was one of the first local government
unit to impose mandatory wearing of face masks and face shield amongst its
constituents. Also, in a noble effort to suppress all forms of mass gatherings, which has
been proven to be the main catalyst of the outbreak, the sangguniang panlalawigan also
enacted an ordinance imposing a province wide curfew and sanctioned the holding of
funeral wakes of deceased who were confirmed, probable or suspected of being
positive of the dreaded virus.

The outbreak not only threatened the healthcare system of every local
government unit, but also spawned trepidation amongst it community, which at its
climax generated undue discrimination towards confirmed, probable and suspected
patients, as well as health care, medical workers and frontliners alike. But as beacon of
reasons and pillar of justice, the good vice governor made certain that despite the
confusion, scare and uncertainty conjured by the pandemic, discrimination will have no
place, in a locality, where the fundamental rights of the people was born and where
democracy was founded. To this end, the sangguniang panlalawigan, under the able

D. F. DELOS SANTOS, OFFICE OF THE VICE GOVERNOR 3

leadership of the good vice governor enacted an ordinance that shall prohibit and
penalize any acts of discrimination against confirmed, probable and suspected patients
of COVID-19, as well as those directed against medical workers and frontliners.

With fiery passion and unwavering zeal for the welfare of the province and its
people, the good vice governor had on more than one occasion utilized the sacred
podium of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to resonate several privileged speeches for
purposes of protecting the rights of the people and exposing grave injustices
perpetrated by unscrupulous individuals. Foremost of which was the controversial North
Food Exchange (NFEX) Project which had an inspired and noble aim to establish a
central agricultural terminal at the heart of Bulacan, for its strategic geographical
location as the gateway to the north and the frontage of Metro Manila. The
establishment of the North Food Exchange at Balagats, Bulacan was a multi-faceted
project designed to ensure food security, generate thousands of jobs and livelihood,
provide a ready market for agricultural products from the whole of Luzon, and in general
fuel socio-economic growth amongst the people.

The people of Bulacan also dreamed of the realization of this project, hailing it as
another momentous landmark in the province that shall stir agricultural revolution and
carry the province to new frontiers of sustainable growth and development. Soon after,
upon the inquisitive peering of the good vice governor, it was found out that the
envisaged project was more of lurid nightmare, rather than a lucid dream, as most of the
funds and properties devoted to it, were either missing, cannot be accounted or at the
hands of private individuals, who had full intent to appropriate the same for their own
interests and enrichment. In a privileged speech delivered before the sangguniang
panlalawigan on March 19, 20210, Vice Governor Sy-Alvarado eloquently spoke of their
devious machinations and demanded accountability and restitution of the Provincial
Government of Bulacan’s control over the questioned property, he aptly declared, -

“Hayaan po ninyong akin ring muling ipagdiinan na lubhang makabuluhan at

kapakipakinabang ang layunin ng North Food Exchange; kung ito lamang ay
masugid na isinulong at isinakatuparan ng matuwid at naayon sa mga adhikaing
itinataguyod nito. Subalit sa mahabang panahon mula ng ito ay balangkasin,
iguhit, pagplanuhan at hanggang sa kasalukuyan ay wala pa tayong
nababanaag na kahit anumang istraktura, at sa hindi maipaliwanag na
kadahilanan ay bigla na lamang itong ibebenta ng wala man lamang pagturing at
pasubali sa mandatong naging tuntungan ng pagkakalikha ng SACFEI at naging
kaluluwa rin ng kanyang pag-iral. Nangangahulugan po bang, sa simula pa
lamang ay ito na ang kanilang layunin? At naging balatkayo lamang ang North
Food Exchange? Muli tayo po ay nagtatanong, upang ang sambayanan po ay
maliwanagan.

Sapagkat, kung tutuusin po at ating masusing pagninilayan, ang ekta-ektaryang

lupang ipinagkaloob ng First Alliance Property Ventures, Inc. (FAPVI) at ng
Valley View Realty Development Corp. (VVRDC) sa San Juan, Balagtas ay
marapat sanang ipinangalan sa Pamahalaang Panlalawigan ng Bulacan at hindi

D. F. DELOS SANTOS, OFFICE OF THE VICE GOVERNOR 4

 tuwirang inilagay sa pangalan ng SACFEI, sapagkat makatuwiran lamang na ito
ay magsilbing malaking equity ng Pamahalaang Panlalawigan ng Bulacan na
tinumbasan sana ng angkop na bilang ng sapi o shares of stocks ng
korporasyon. Subalit, tila yata bihasang salamangkero talaga ang pamilyang ito,
sampu ng kanilang mga katalik, o dili kaya’y mga batikang manghuhula sila,
sapagkat nahinuha nila ang pagsapit ng panahong ito, kung saan lubhang
tumaas ang halaga ng lupang donasyon at malaking pakinabang ang kanilang
tatamasahin sa pagbebenta nito.

Marahil sa husay rin ng “unholy alliance” na ito ay nagawa nilang baluktutin ang
katotohanan at gumuhit ng mga maling kalagayan upang ganap na maakit ang
tanyag na mangangalakal na bilhin ang mga parsela ng lupang nakapangalan sa
SACFEI at para sana sa North Food Exchange (NFEX), na batid nilang, hindi
nila maisaakatuparan, kung batid at nauunawaan ng husto ng mangangalakal
ang mga katotohanang nakapalibot sa mga paksang lupa sa San Juan,
Balagtas, Bulacan.

Kaya nga po minarapat ng inyong lingkod na tumindig muli, sa gitna ng

pinagpipitaganang bulwagan ito, at sa harap ninyong, mga iginagalang na
Kagawad ng Sangguniang Panlalawigan, upang mariing tutulan ang nangyaring
bentahan ng mga lupa sa San Juan, Balagtas, Bulacan, hindi lamang upang
isiwalat sa ating mga mamamayan ang kahalagahan ng mga ito, kung hindi
upang hingin rin ang inyong pakikiisa at ating sama-samang isulong ang interes
ng Lalawigan ng Bulacan, at upang tuldukan na natin ang kabuktutuan ng
“unholy alliance” at ng kanilang mga katalik.

Hindi po natin maaring ipagwalang bahala ang kahalagahan at kabigatan ng

tungkuling ito na inatang ng batas sa inyong mga balikat, at sa pagsasaalang
ang mga pangyayaring ating natuklasan. Kaya nga po, marapat lamang na
kagyat tayong kumilos sapagkat an gating mga likuran ay ganap nang
nakasandig sa pader ng kagipitan. Sa pahayag nga po ng batikang estadista na
si John F. Kennedy,

“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range
risks of comfortable inaction.”

In another occasion, the beloved vice also stood at the podium to reverberate the
predicament of the people relative to the collapse of rubber gate number 5 of the Bustos
Dam (Angat Afterbay Regulator Dam), which ironically has just been recently
rehabilitated just 2 years before. In a fiery discourse, the Vice Governor revealed that,

“Nitong unang linggo lamang ng Mayo ng taong kasalukuyan ay isa na namang

kaganapan sa isa sa ating mga dam sa Bulacan ang muntik nang humantong sa
isang malagim at nakapanghihilakbot na sakuna. Sa hindi malamang
kadahilanan, umimpis na lamang at sukat ang gate number 5 ng Bustos Dam sa
Barangay Tibagan, Bustos, Bulacan. Ang mga gate o panarang ito ay yari sa

D. F. DELOS SANTOS, OFFICE OF THE VICE GOVERNOR 5

 goma at may anim (6) na span o bukasan na may taas na dalawa’t kalahating
(2.5) metro, madaling paimpisin (deflatable) o palobohin (inflatable), hindi
kinakapitan ng banlik (sedimentation), mas mura’t matipid (economical) at
nagtataglay ng “auto-deflation system.” Ang mga rubber gates na nabanggit ay
may habang pitumpu’t siyam (79) na metro, pangalawa lamang sa Xiaobudong
Rubber Dam sa China sa buong kalupaan ng Asya, at nakatuntong sa ibabaw ng
isang konkretong ogee dam. May nakakabit ditong sprinkler o pang-wisik ng
tubig upang maiwasan ang paggatok ng goma sa sobrang pagkabilad sa init ng
araw. Mabuti na lamang at nasa 14.8 metro lang noon ang taas o lebel ng
pinipigilan nitong tubig at wala sa spilling level na labinlima o higit pang metro
kung kaya’t naiwasan ang pag-apaw at sa ibang sluice gate pinalabas ang may
14 na metro kubikong tubig kada segundo (cms) na sang-ayon sa ulat ng Bustos
rescue ay hindi naman naka-apekto sa ilog.

Subalit paano kung gaya taon-taon pagtagulan ay higit sa labimpitong (17) metro
ang pinipigil na taas ng tubig ng rubber gate? Paano kung hindi Gate No. 5
lamang ang biglang umimpis, kundi pati ang katabing mga panara? Kapag
nagpaimpis ng isang rubber checkgate ang NIA ang lumalabas na
rumaragasang tubig ay 500 CMS; kapag 2 checkgates ay 1,000 CMS pero sa
700 CMS ay lubog na ang kalakhang bahagi ng Calumpit at Hagonoy. Ilang
metro kubikong tubig ang raragasa bawat segundo upang bunlagin, palisin, at
tangayin ang lahat ng madaraanan—pananim, hayop, isda, tao, bahay, pilapil,
tulay—patungong Calumpit at Hagonoy ng hindi bababa sa pitong metrong lalim
na bahang pauho sa Manila Bay.

Paano kung sa di-malamang kadahilanan ay sabay-sabay na umimpis ang anim

na rubber gates ng Bustos Dam sapagkat may depektot pala ang inilagay na
rubber gates na gawa sa China? Brigstone ang tatak ng lumang rubber gate na
pinalitan kamakailan lamang matapos ang maraming taon ng pagseserbisyo.

Huwag nawang itulot! Subalit delubyo! Isang nag-aalimpuyong delubyo ang

kakila-kilabot na pangitaing maaaring mangyari na walang iniwan sa panahon ng
nunong Noe. At ang south zone service area ng National Irrigation
Administration na binubuo ng mga bayan ng Bustos, Plaridel, Pandi, Bocaue,
Guiguinto, Balagtas, Bulakan, Malolos, Calumpit at Hagunoy ay magiging isang
malagim na alaala na lamang hanggang sa bandang huli ay tuluyan nang
mabura sa kolektibong memorya ng ating sambayanan.”

Once again, on the issue of NFEX, the vice governor reiterated the imperative to
safeguard the properties of the province in privileged speech delivery before the same
august body, after learning of the Court of Appeals decision, dismissing the claim of the
Provincial Government of Bulacan with regard the diminution of its stake at the
questioned project. He manifested that,

“Even under pain of being branded redundant and superfluous, this humble
representation shall not go gently into the silence of the night nor cease to

D. F. DELOS SANTOS, OFFICE OF THE VICE GOVERNOR 6

 resonate and expose to our beloved people and to the whole world, the deceit
and lies orchestrated by a pack of wolves, disguised as righteous lambs, who
preyed, devoured and plundered the future of our province, through
manipulation, devious machination and travesty of our sacred laws, to the
detriment of our people’s greater good. As aptly stated by the great civil rights
activist, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to

perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really
cooperating with it.”

Hanggang sa mga oras na ito, ay hindi ko po matanggap at hindi ko rin po lubos

na maunuwaan kung papaanong nasikmura ng mga ginoo at binibining ito na
pinagkatiwalaan ng taong bayan ng ibayong kapangyarihan ay hindi na
nakutyang gamitin ang kawagasan ng ating mga batas at kalantayan ng ating
mga hukuman upang ipagkait at ilugso ang katarungan at dungisan ang ating
sistemang legal sa kanilang imbing paghahangad ng magkamal ng limpak-
limpak na salapi sa katalunan at kapinsalaan ng ating pamahalaang
panlalawigan at ng mga taumbayang kaniyang kinakatawan. Kaya nga po, hindi
mabubusalan ang aking mga bibig, sa paniniwalang ang pananahimik habang
lantarang umiiral ang inhustisya ay ang pinakamataas na uri ng pagtataksil laban
sa taong bayang pinanumpaan nating tatangkilikin at ipaglalaban!”

The fervent zeal of the vice governor to ensure the posterity of his province and
the greater good, while passionate and sweltering at times, is truly remarkable and
moving. Moving, in a sense that he will utilize all that is within his powers, and within the
aegis of the law to ensure that justice and righteousness prevails over the personal
interests of some unscrupulous group of individuals.

Verily, his rigid attitude and adamant standpoint will never be compromised; not
even by his advance age; not even by political pressure nor affiliations; and not even by
the challenging quandary of the pandemic.

To the good vice governor, justice prevails all the time, and the welfare of the
people shall be the only parameter that can rationalize all local governmental actions.

ORDINARY MAN WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY PASSION TO SERVE

Without any semblance of doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the
whole world in an untold peril of gargantuan proportions, exposing humanity to a risk
that threatened the very foundation of our system.

Verily, our society is in the midst of extraordinary times, clouded by the

immeasurable threats of the pandemic and shrouded by its adverse effects on the
economy. When asked about the situation, Vice Governor Willy serenely replied, “We
are indeed living in extraordinary times. But extraordinary times, do not require

D. F. DELOS SANTOS, OFFICE OF THE VICE GOVERNOR 7

extraordinary men, nor extraordinary acts, it only needs ordinary men and women, with
extraordinary determination, discipline, sense of direction and heart to act selflessly,
and do what needs to be done, in order for the greater good to prevail. Yes, the
pandemic has really held us captive and helpless in a pitch- black darkness, but we
must not forget, that because of darkness, the light will shine brighter.”

And so armed with an extraordinary heart and determination, he has embarked

on an advocacy of recovery, centered on the safety and health of Bulakenyos.

But balancing the province’s resiliency with its advancement is a very tall order.
Beset by the imperative to formulate measures and allocate sufficient funding for
rehabilitation and recovery over the necessity of prioritizing the safety of the people,
through provisions of vaccine, Vice Governor Willy nonchalantly affirms that the
blessings of life is a priority that should be at the apex of everything and therefore
should enjoy precedence over and above everything else. In a privileged speech
delivered before the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the good vice governor aptly spoke, -

“that we must, with steadfast conviction, utilize all our available resources and
fight a war of attrition against this lingering pandemic of COVID-19. As we
continue our offensive against this formidable and seemingly invincible
adversary, the celebrated words of the late President Harry Truman, that there is
no substitute for victory reverberates in my thoughts, and while we are driven by
this burning ethos, your humble servant firmly believes that the road to victory
can only be crossed, if the Provincial Government of Bulacan spearheads the
march, by providing sufficient vaccines to all barangays, throughout the 24 cities
and municipalities in the Province and through implementation of stringent
health protocols, not only in our borders, but more importantly inside the cores of
our jurisdiction.

Verily, as it is the health and safety, if not the future of our province which
is at stake here, there is really no substitute for victory, nor there is also room or
excuse for failure.

Accordingly, our disposition in the next coming weeks will not only be
crucial, but must also be decisive, if we are to surmount our irrepressible and
veiled antagonist in the guise of COVID-19. And so, if we are to emerge
triumphant, it is incumbent upon us, the Provincial Government of Bulacan to
strategically mount our offensive against the pandemic through adequate
logistics and more significantly, through impeccable political will, which at
present, has been half baked at best or absent most of the time. Hence, from
now on, our action against the pandemic should not be re-active, but should be
pro-active.”

For Vice Governor Willy, the grievances and needs of his beloved constituents
must be given a vigor initiative. Poverty is a crucial facet of the society. Throughout
decades of his profuse experience in the field of public service, he is certain that instead

D. F. DELOS SANTOS, OFFICE OF THE VICE GOVERNOR 8

pittance or financial assistance, it is also imperative to offer them prodigious
opportunities to cultivate their skills through myriad of programs and projects that
promote income generation that will help them uplift their social status and secure
livelihoods, which is also one of the priorities in the Seven Point Development Agenda
during his illustrious term as governor of the Province.

The vice governor, imbued with the great desire of leading the province through
solid pillars of accountability, transparency and efficiency, has built an enduring
foundation of socio-economic growth and sustainable development that the province is
now relishing. Under his able leadership as vice governor, and as the presiding officer
and honorary chair of all standing committees, and as chairman of three committees,
the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Health and the Legislative
Backstopping Committee, his mastery and unfaltering commitment in the enactment of
local legislations is prevalently helping the province’s growth and development, and is
incessantly reaping the fruits of a dynamic economic progress while steadily upholding
the goals of social justice in the whole province.

While the path traversed by steadfast and faithful public servant like Vice
Governor Sy-Alvarado is long, winding and filled with spikes, the fulfillment it yields, is
more precious than a pavements made of golds and diamonds, especially when the
advocacies that are realized transforms the lives of many and paves the way for
sustainable socio-economic growth.

D. F. DELOS SANTOS, OFFICE OF THE VICE GOVERNOR 9