Ang Magiting - The Official Web Site of Rotary Club Makati North

Double Show: RCMN’s 38th Charter Anniversary and a right honoring PP aka Comm. Gus Lagman

By: Treas. Robert Syjuco
May 4, 2011

“I walked into the Comelec building, there were many people hanging around the hallways. They were employees just making chit chat. They stood up to greet me, then went back to their idle chit chat.” That’s was PP Gus’ culture shock a first few minutes as Commissioner at the Comelec. But I’m getting ahead of the story…

It was a scorchingly hot summer day, and it’s a good thing RCMN’s 38th Anniversary was going to be held in the evening. I’ve always looked forward to attending meetings at the Brasserie, RCMN’s new home. Not only does it look better than our previous venue, the food is actually way better, not to mention way cheaper. This time we reserved the whole venue, and a superb buffet was waiting. But it will have to wait…

There were a lot of faces we had not seen in a while…They do come out of the woodwork for occasions like this, and that, is a good thing. PP Joe Facundo, PP Boy Sevilla, Ed Sison, Nato Sumalde, PP Boy Ampil and of course PP Gus Lagman among others. There must have been like 55+ people, Anns included. It’s been a while since we had numbers like that. The crowd overflowed to the function rooms!

A buffet of salad, chicken asparagus soup, Paella, beef salpicao, pink salmon, roast chicken, mango crepes, fresh fruits and red and white wine occupied the first few hours of the evening. All for P600. Well worth it…

It was a double event actually, 38th RCMN anniversary and a night to honor PP Gus Lagman’s assumption to the post of Comelec Commissioner. Such poetic justice if you ask me, Gus must be giving nightmares to the guys in Comelec! Smartmatic too!

PP Roger said a moving prayer. He was introduced as the younger Roger. Who’s the older? No committee announcements. No one is working! except Betty& the rest of the staff?

So we went straight to the main event, honoring PP Gus’s assumption to the post of Comelec commissioner. Every guy (and a few Anns ) gave testimonials to Gus, and someone correctly noted “We are saying all these good things about Gus while he is still alive? “ which elicited much laughter. Much was said about his unquestionable integrity, courage to ‘go against City Hall’ and win I must add, strength of character.

Gus then took the floor and shared a few insights:

He accepted the position on the grounds that he felt he would have lost the moral right to complain if he refused the post. He had fought hard for changes to Comelec from the outside, and now he actually had the chance to change it from the inside.

Comelec had two functions, running elections and adjudicating contested results. The latter he thinks the courts can decide on , the former needs I.T. more than ever, and that is where he comes in.

Comelec has more than 1,000 employees, many with no real roles, just doing idle chit chat, and placed in position as political favors and watchdogs. More like watchdogs to guard the watchdogs of the former powers that be….and the ones before that…

There is very little computerization in the Comelec, and he felt the old guard wanted it that way, from day 1 when he visited. He will move for more transparency in the system to avoid dark corners and loopholes for corruption. More transparency = more credibility.

He found it strange that for a country full of I.T. experts, we had to outsource to a foreigner the running of national elections. he vowed to increase in-house I.T expertise to decrease dependence on vendors, who are after all, just businessmen trying to make money. And making money out of corrupt officials….

More than anything , what is unique to Gus serving in Comelec is Gus’ expertise plus his unquestionable integrity ( which is an item short supply in government service ). The two items make a great combination, and like what was mentioned in testimonials, there is hope in this country’s elections after all.’ He had fought long and hard for reform when he had no stake in it (aside from as a private citizen) and now, he can actually change it from within.

PDG Ato then handed PP Gus an RCMN plaque to honor him, which PDG Ato called a “nice award”. He actually just couldn’t read the writing, he forgot his glasses!

Congratulations Gus! Now you have a legitimate excuse to stay up late, I hope you do it for all the right reasons!