IN Biblical times, alabaster was both common and precious. It is a stone commonly found in Israel but was one of the precious stones used in King Solomon’s temple. Back then, an alabaster flask or jar would be filled with expensive perfume to keep them pure and unspoiled, then sealed with wax to preserve the scent. For the fragrance to be of use, the seal or neck must be broken. Once broken, the scent is “lost,” never to return. In the Bible, Matthew 27: 6-7 narrates the story of a woman who brought Jesus her expensive perfume: “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.” That perfume known as Spikenard symbolized the very best in ancient cultures the way that “Tiffany Diamond” does in modern times.
These alabaster elements of being common and precious at the same time represent the important role of a public servant. Many can be called to join public service. Yet, only a few are chosen and very few can come close to truly serve the country and the people. PNoy’s ascension to the highest position in the land, which was marked with sacrifice, service and love, reminds me about the nameless woman who poured an expensive perfume from an alabaster jar over the head of Jesus Christ. As the Scriptural verses proceed to tell us, some were indignant about the woman’s act as they considered such gesture as wasteful. They scolded her inasmuch as the expensive perfume, equivalent to a year’s wages of a laborer, could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor, instead of “wasting” it on Jesus!
Similar to this “alabaster” woman, PNoy offered something valuable from himself to the Filipino people —his heart! After his mother’s death, PNoy could have opted to “enjoy life,” like listening to music through his precious collection of vinyl records or drive like the wind in the streets of Metro Manila as a private citizen knowing his love for cars. As a bachelor, he could have simply chosen an easier life, away from the public limelight to boot. Still, he chose to break the seal of his own alabaster jar and offered his compassionate heart to the Filipino people—so much like his parents, former Sen. Benigno Aquino and former President Corazon Aquino. So, when circumstances pushed him to dedicate his time to the country, he did it selflessly with much love and devotion to the Filipino. Severely criticized owing to his supposed lack of credentials and poor work ethic, PNoy, similar to this alabaster woman, cared less about what his bashers said and did. He was never apologetic for the things he did, during and after his administration, knowing that all of his actions were driven by his heart to serve the Filipino.
PNoy gave the Filipinos his all to the point of being heartbroken until death, as per his last few text exchanges with former Ateneo University President, Father Jose Ramon Tizon Villarin. His heart was broken seeing how divided our country has become. But what I truly liked the most was how PNoy imbibed and practiced the mindset of true public servants—“Kayo ang boss ko!” PNoy served and did not wait to be served. As eulogies have been poured out and memories recollected, I summon up my own thoughts about the kind of person this former President evoked. One decisive occasion spoke (and still speaks) volumes about this man in the words of my then immediate superior, former Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima (LDL).
In June 2011, after rejecting the offer once from LDL, I accepted the offer to serve at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) but only for a year. Coming back from the US as a corporate counsel, I was hesitant to join government as I heard quite a few negative stories, particularly from that agency. A year and a half thereafter, I gave LDL my handwritten resignation letter. She briefly read it, kept it in her desk, and responded to my letter with a story about PNoy. As we were mulling over the seeming desperation in our collective efforts to reform our respective offices, LDL remarked that she, too, contemplated on resigning from her post. In one thought-provoking moment, LDL was about to hand over her own resignation letter to PNoy in Malacañang. However, seeing PNoy in deep thought and reflection, LDL felt such a sense of compassion for the man who was trying his very best to run the country. LDL narrated to me that PNoy, out of his genuine desire to help the Filipino, can be edgy at every moment of letdown. LDL realized that PNoy needed every help he could get from those whose mindset is the same as his—“Kayo ang boss ko!” LDL never acted on my resignation letter in the same way she did not act on her own. On that fateful December afternoon, I entered her room, frustrated and exasperated but left the room, inspired and motivated to help PNoy all the more. My personal mantra when I rejoined government service, which was to leave everything a little better than you found it, was reinforced by such encouraging story from LDL about PNoy whose weakness and shortcomings were in fact the source of his strength.
Paradoxically, for public servants to be strong, they must be weak in keeping to what Jesus tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” PNoy never retaliated against his harshest critics, especially from media, till the very end. In one of his last public speeches, PNoy’s voice cracked with much emotion, to which his critics interpreted as sheer cowardice. To me, it was his deepest expression of gratitude to the Filipino people, the recipient of the contents of his alabaster jar—his heart!
Remembered with obscurity, the efforts of the alabaster woman will be the same as with any true public servant—generally lambasted, shamed, if not ridiculed, and “wasted” in the eyes of many, but were selflessly given with much honor to the recipient.
A former infantry and intelligence officer in the Army, Siegfred Mison showcased his servant leadership philosophy in organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, and Philippine Airlines. He is a graduate of West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California. A corporate lawyer by profession, he is an inspirational teacher and a Spirit-filled writer with a mission.
For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.