MUCH has been said about some people in the government who have amassed hidden wealth, but few focus on the accumulation of a deeper kind of wealth—the wealth of a good name. My father, who once served as the vice chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the commissioner of the Bureau of Customs, has been one of the people to have acquired the wealth of a good name.
I have encountered a few families with a long line of professionals. When I was in the Bureau of Immigration (BI), I noticed that there were quite a number of employees whose parents or siblings were also in the government. The Mison family is a family of both professionals and pubic servants. One of my father’s older brothers, Rafael, served as a Quezon City prosecutor, councilor and vice mayor. Another older brother, Mariano, served as a policeman and an NBI agent who rose from the ranks to become the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director. One sister, Yolanda, was a doctor; another sister, Annie, was a Certified Public Accountant (CPA); and the youngest, Alcie, served in the dental industry.
My father, Salvador Massey Mison, told his six children that no matter what you do now, what you have done in the past will affect how your colleagues and peers will see you. When I entered the BI, I can only imagine how people researched my family background. I hope they found that my father and his brothers who all served in the government have built a reputation of integrity. Perhaps, they encountered the stories of my father’s “hidden wealth” in the form of the achievements of his family—his siblings and his children. His eldest child, Irene, is a practicing rehab doctor at the University of Florida; Salvador Jr. is a three-star general in the AFP and the vice chief of staff as of this writing; Melinda is an investment banker with work experiences in Swiss Bank and Merrill Lynch; Siegfred is a lawyer and a former public servant in the BI; Ione Marie is a CPA and a tax consultant based in Texas; and the youngest, Michael, is a well-known veterinarian in the US and currently the Ryan Hospital Director and chief medical officer at the University of Pennsylvania. As my father turns 85 today (Monday), he will always brag about his hidden wealth, amassed through the years of consistent team effort with my mother, Ione Bueno. With decent salaries coming from the military and from the teaching profession, my parents still managed to accumulate a different kind of wealth, hidden in their children, as they became productive members of society.
My father’s good name has helped me in many ways. In the Army, in the legal profession, in the government, and even in the corporate world, most people will fortunately see me as a person of integrity and discipline, among others, principally because of my father’s reputation. And that kind of built-in advantage is something money can’t buy.
Another case of hidden wealth was shared by one of my former colleagues in the bureau. After six years in the bureau, Popo Borbon’s close friends teased that she should share whatever wealth she accumulated in the government. After all, she was assigned to supposedly lucrative positions, including the Office of the Commissioner. A piece of paper given preferential attention by virtue of monetary consideration can really increase one’s paycheck. Recommending for approval something not meritorious is another way of earning extra income in the bureau. As she has left the bureau, she imagined how much wealth she could have gained if she ventured into the nefarious activities the bureau was unfortunately known for. She never did. Popo recently told me that she left the bureau and applied for work in a major government department. During her job interview, she immediately earned the trust of her future boss even if he did not know Popo personally, because of one character reference in her resume. According to Popo, when the interviewer learned that she served under a Mison for four years, she got the job. Popo was “wealthy” enough to have worked with a commissioner whose name was associated with good values. Some leave the government service with a “healthy” bank account. Others leave with little money but a reputation for integrity. To Popo, her reputation of a positive work ethic and integrity in the bureau were her own version of hidden wealth.
Wealth does not have to be quantified to money, although it almost always is. Wealth can come in the form of many friends, in the form of good health or, just as in the case of my father and of Popo Borbon, in the form of reputation. In Proverbs 22:1, the Bible tells us, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” In Ecclesiastes 7:1, it says, “A good name is better than fine perfume.” Just as my father’s father, as well as my own father, was happy to see their respective children attain this kind of wealth, I long to see my own children do the same. Any father or parent would always wish that for his children—wealth in the form of a good name. Thank you Papa for your gift, which is more precious than silver or gold.
For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.