What happens when a lawyer from a mountain village in Ronda, who lived in Manila for the last 50 years, and resided in three foreign countries for 10 years, will finally return home and see his old town and kinfolks? One can just imagine the excitement.
It’s going to be another town fiesta in Ronda, our small fifth-class municipality, some 80 kilometers southwest of Cebu City. I am coming home to pay tribute to our patroness, the Lady of Sorrows. Our town was named in honor of a city in Spain, from which the song “Noche de Ronda” was taken. My family and I are touring Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy this October. I will make sure to visit our town before I leave for abroad. When we reach Spain, I will make sure visit Malaga for its most famous city, Ronda, best known for its fantastic setting atop a deep gorge spanned by a stone bridge, hundreds of years old.
When I visit Ronda, I shall see my cousin and compadre, Mayor Mariano Blanco, and the LGU. In fact, he asked me to give a lecture on value-based and principle-driven leadership for all elected and appointed officials, and community leaders. The mayor said that since I have been giving lectures all over the country and even in ASEAN countries, it’s high time I also serve our own people. This module is anchored on the principles of servant-leadership, designed to revive the traditional and cultural values of Filipinos that are positive and inspiring. Instead of teaching people how to use power to exploit others, I teach peace and good relations.
So, today I am flying all the way from Singapore, where I conducted a lecture for labor officials from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Tomorrow in the morning, I shall be in my hometown sharing the story of my life’s journey after leaving Ronda in the ‘70s and teaching the Filipino values of malasakit, palabra de honor, bayanihan, integridad or dungog in Bisaya, and dignidad, and how they should be infused in the behavior of local government leaders. I usually give these lectures to newly-elected and appointed officials of different provinces, cities, and municipalities. This kind of learning session is a positive reinforcement mechanism to make sure our officials and personnel are reminded of the values of honesty, respect, and hard work in the service of the people.
In the afternoon, I am giving a free lecture to all interested Rondahanons who want to know the BLAWSFIL or Basic Laws For Filipinos, which includes family law, laws concerning properties like land and how to divide them among heirs, laws on labor standards and termination of employment. There shall be a free legal consultation and I am inviting other lawyers from our town to help me answer questions, about husbands who abandon their families, girls who marry foreigners, legal separation, annulment, and adoption of children. There are many petty legal conflicts that divide families and cause irritations in the relationship of family members, and among neighbors and town mates. I come to help heal the pains and preach peace, harmony, and reconciliation.
I am going home to my old town, Ronda, and my gifts, pasalubongs, and sinugatan are not money or things, but lessons in the secret of success and happiness based on peace and friendship.