Ups and downs in public service

As I write this I will be bowing out of public service in a few days. It was such a servitude, with ups and downs; working in the government is not at all rosy, especially if one is not in the higher levels.

Fortunate are those who enjoy fat salaries, allowances, and all sorts of remunerations. For those in the rank and file, like me, it was a matter of adjusting to what one had. I clung to the saying “Kung ano ang kumot, doon babaluktot.” Simply, I just lived with what I received, augmenting it with legal sources like troubleshooting the gadgets or appliances of colleagues and neighbors.

During those years, I saw the good and the bad sides of being in public service. I was employed ahead of my formal education, such that I was introduced to systems which, when I had the chance to pursue higher learning, I found out were ideal in theories but in actual applications could be manipulated to suit one’s wishes. There were rules, regulations, laws, and policies that had been existing as guides. However, more often than not, it was the unwritten policies that prevailed. Worst, these were broken with impunity!

After completing my course and obtaining a degree with flying colors—despite being a family man and a working student—I transferred to another government agency in order to practice the profession I had chosen and contribute in my own small way to enhance public service. I was full of enthusiasm and excitement when I reported, only to be a bit dismayed. I learned that in this new bailiwick, the “goings on” were not that different from where I came from.

I would like to emphasize that I am just narrating my experiences, but not to the point that I am sourly biting the hands that fed me all those years. Of course, there is a lot to be thankful for in being in the government. There are regular benefits if you are a permanent employee. There are perks. There are opportunities, like local and foreign scholarships. There are conferences, training sessions, and similar human-resource interventions. There are travels, with corresponding daily allowances, including suitable welcome programs by the hosts.

I have seen the most part of the country because of being in public service. I have had the fortune to work with different colleagues and superiors in the central and field offices, which enhanced my stock knowledge. I was half-lucky to have ascended a few steps from my original post; this happened only when I went back to another national agency where promotion chances were that many. This was where I stayed longest. Certainly, this was where I  witnessed, and shared, a bucket of tears, a pail of perspiration, and trickles of blood, literally.

I vied several times for promotion but I got eased out each time. Ironically, I expected that the systems I learned from school would be fairly, justly, conscientiously, equally, and religiously implemented. But to my dismay, and as I said earlier, it was the unwritten policies that prevailed. I can only grin from ear to ear now.

When it was time for me to compete for a certain position where I was supposed to have the edge over the rest of the contenders, I was suddenly interpreted as an unworthy heir of the vacancy, and it was in the very place where I had nurtured my career. Instantly, I became the devil. I was perceived as a “womanizer” and therefore with no integrity. I did not know how to project a Mona Lisa smile, and therefore I was not a viable candidate. I was perceived as very strict and inflexible when the truth was that I only disciplined myself, having been reared by my mother as a good boy. My self-discipline was wrongly interpreted as trespassing into others’ kingdoms. All those years I made sure to be always punctual, to always wear the proper uniform with my identification card displayed conspicuously, always present, and before the end of the day certain that I had delivered the outputs expected of me.

Incidentally, while in other jurisdictions where policies were relaxed and preferences were observed, it was the opposite on my side. Examinations were conducted, interviews were done. Even a neuropsychiatric test was conducted. Allegations and rumors became parts of the selection criteria.  Perceived supporters turned their backs and even blatantly concocted lies just to keep me out of the race. Life was made very difficult for me. To think that whether I would be the one or the others, it was all fine by me.

But I just considered those events as temporary setbacks, and as windows to be enlightened. I prayed for those who trampled me to be more blessed. I may have seen so many closed doors, but I kept my faith that new and better doors would be opened to me. I went as far as embroiling myself in the usual requisites of processes without any hope of gaining results in my favor. Many have taken the same route as mine, and even worse, to the extent of lost friends, destroyed relationships cultivated through the years, and office animosities. My sole consolation is that I was not alone in the wagon.

Amid these intricacies of public service, I am still grateful. Without it, I would not have attained a tertiary education. I was likewise able to finish a master’s degree, and could have completed a doctorate were it not for uncontrollable barriers. I have had the opportunity to listen to a directive to plant trees and help save Mother Earth from further deterioration. This I have done with some willing subordinates and superiors. I rather consider this little gesture the worthiest endeavor and legacy to remember in my government sojourn. Hopefully, those trees that are now fast growing will be nurtured till kingdom come.

Godofredo S. Habon, 62, says he worked for almost 40 years in the government service.