A person must have heart and passion for public service before deciding to work in government, President Duterte recently advised potential public servants.
Speaking at the 69th anniversary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Quezon City, the President shared the advice given by his father, the late Davao Gov. Vicente Duterte, about having the genuine desire to serve the people.
“Sabi ng tatay ko, ‘pag pumasok ka sa public service, you must have a heart for it. At kailangan mong mahalin mo ‘yung kapwa mo tao bago ka magsilbi,” Duterte said. “Ganun ‘yan siya. Kaya binara kami. Take it easy, guys. Take it easy. Bago ‘yan, isipin mo muna kung meron ka ba niyan,” he said.
Duterte, a former mayor of Davao City, also admitted that public service knows no holidays especially in times of calamities and other emergencies. “In the middle of the night, you have to work – to wake up and trabaho ka. Iyan ang public service talaga and without the rancor that goes with it,” he said.
The President issued the remarks after commending the hardworking DSWD personnel for their noble service to the nation. He said the country owes a lot to the social workers who help feed people and save lives.
He said the DSWD remained the lead government agency in ensuring that Filipinos have equal access to opportunities and are enabled to improve the quality of their lives.
“Such an enormous task cannot be done without a sincere heart and mind for public service. I thus commend the thousands of DSWD employees for their unwavering dedication to serve the public,” he said.
He lauded the exemplary DSWD workers and centers for their outstanding work, saying he hopes other Filipinos will be inspired by their service.
“Your passion, tama ‘yan, you must have the passion for public service, along with your strong adherence to integrity, transparency, and accountability, inspire many Filipinos to follow in your example and serve the nation with the same fervor,” he said. (Genalyn Kabiling)
