Karangalan sa Serbisyo ng Bayan--Bakit nawala?

Most of my ancestors were government employees. My grandfather (Father side) was once a chief of Police of San Miguel town of Bulacan. His wife, a former teacher.

My grandfather (Mother side) once served as employee of the DPWH. My tita was once a principal of a public school before going to London to work there.

My other tita once taught at a public university in Nueva Ecija.

I was once a public servant myself, having taught at the University of the Philippines and once worked at the Department of Foreign Affairs as an analyst of economic diplomacy at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI).

Before, it used to be an honor working for the government. Now, when you tell someone that you're working for the government, you"ll get a different reaction.

Why?

Where is the honor of serving the People? Why is it that it does not feel gratifying serving or working for the people? One answer---bad rep being experienced by the government bureaucracy in the minds of the people.

They think that all government employees are corrupt.

And the bad rep proceeds from the perception that government service is a profession. Yes, it's supposed to be an honorable profession, except perhaps to politicians who view government posts as professions.

When you're a politician, you are supposed to serve the People, not transform your post as a profession. Think.

Think--those members of political families, they already considered politics as work or a job or a profession that they don't know when not to indulge on it.

It's a sad reality that most of our politicians are professional politicos already. They enjoyed the perks and privileges of power, and they enjoyed being greeted like royalty by the people, that's why they transformed politics as "service" to a "profession." As a "profession", they would do anything just to keep it.

The question is--where is the honor?

Karangalan dapat ang serbisyo sa Bayan.

Ang ibig sabihin lang nito ay handa kang isangkalan ang iyong sariling karangalan para lamang sa serbisyo ng bayan. hindi ka magiging corrupt dahil gusto mong protektahan ang iyong karangalan bilang isang indibidwal.