Senate aspirant Teddy Baguilat urged students of Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) to bring the government to the people and encouraged future public servants to be responsive to the needs of the masses.
Speaking at the webinar marking the 21st anniversary of the SLSU Public Administration League of Students, Baguilat shared his experiences from when he was mayor of Kiangan, Ifugao up until he became governor of the province.
“Isa sa pinakamalaking problema ng ating pamahalaan, ng ating politika, is the culture of corruption (One of the biggest problems of our government, of our politics, is the culture of corruption),” Baguilat said as he discussed corruption in its different forms.
At the webinar entitled “How a Public Administrator Becomes a Public Administrator,” Baguilat narrated how he pushed back against corruption by declining all sorts of “SOPs” (standard operating procedures) and “regalos” (gifts) from people he encountered during his term as mayor.
“Every day, as a politician, you are exposed to this temptation (of corruption),” Baguilat lamented.
Baguilat advised that to be an effective public administrator, the individual must keep in mind that their service is always for the masses and not for greedy individuals who exploit the people.
“Kasi ako, bilang public servant, naniniwala ako na ang public office is a public trust. Pinaniniwalaan ka ng tao, kaya ka binoto, pakinggan mo sila (I as a public servant believe that a public office is a public trust. The people trust you, that’s why they voted for you, and so you must listen to them),” Baguilat concluded.
The webinar can be viewed by following this link:
https://www.facebook.com/PALS2000/videos/2031999286978300/
Baguilat is running for the Senate in the 2022 elections under the unified ticket of Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Kiko Pangilinan. He aims to bring to the Senate the platform of indigenous peoples and the indigenous mindset which nurtures and promotes rights, culture and the environment. #
