(Inaugural Message of Vice-Governor V.D.M. Socrates,
30 June 2013, Capitol Park Square, Puerto Princesa
City)
My friends:
Today marks a special turning point in
the political history of our province.
For the first time, we have elected a Governor who, all his working
life, has been a private businessman—an extremely gifted and successful one at
that, which makes the event all the more unique—and whose very first foray into
public office was precisely to become Governor of the country’s Last Frontier.
I consider myself blessed to have been a
part, even if a very minor one, of that effort, of that campaign, to elect Jose
Chaves Alvarez to the highest political office of Palawan, and to be a co-worker
in his administration.
I join the overwhelming majority of
Palaweños who voted for Governor JCA in hoping that this election, this
administration, will be the beginning of a real and radical transformation of
our political culture, towards one that would allow Palawan to leapfrog, to
polevault, and, saving what is perhaps the best metaphor for last, to fly, from Third World to First World in
the next nine years.
In this connection, I wish to share a
few points for reflection on the business of government.
While the ultimate purpose, the end, of
government, is the common good, the primary object of government is the
promotion of justice. There is a
long-winded metaphysical explanation behind this proposition, which I shall
skip, the point I wish to share being: that the effort to pursue socio-economic
development on the part of government must be understood in the context of
social justice.
“Good governance” basically means a
government operating according to laws and procedures that are reasonable and
fair to all, giving everyone his due, not only according to the letter; but also,
according to the spirit animating these norms.
It is not necessarily the function of
government to create wealth. That task
pertains primarily to the private business sector, the sector best suited for
that purpose, driven by a rational profit-motive. And I would be echoing our beloved Governor JCA
in exhorting those who are in business to be more dynamic in making new
investments, establishing new and globally-competitive enterprises, and in
creating more jobs for our people.
But yes, government has the right and
duty to intervene in this field, in accordance with the principle of
“subsidiarity”, that is, of the state providing assistance to its smaller
components in those cases where the smaller unit cannot perform the action
needed. I believe that, while the
concept of a “welfare state” is farthest from our minds, the New Management
which we are inaugurating today will not be lacking in badly needed affirmative
action to bring about not just economic growth but “inclusive growth” to
benefit the marginalized.
I would also like to call on those who
form part of the sector called “civil society”—the term is now understood to
refer to that part of the private sector directly involved in promoting the
common good; that is, cause-oriented, non-profit associations in the private
sector—to exercise their emerging power with increasing breadth of vision. The time of single-issue advocacy is past. The common good of a society that is growing
in complexity demands greater and more responsible cooperation from among all
its citizens.
Finally, we are mindful that the “common
good”—the sum of social conditions that would allow people to fulfill
themselves—has a transcendental dimension:
that the common good transcends material reality; because the human
spirit is ordained to seek, to know and love God, and to share in His eternal
happiness.
The ultimate purpose of human existence
is union with God. That is why I would
like to end with these lines from Pope Benedict XVI:
Development needs Christians with their arms
raised towards God in prayer, Christians moved by the knowledge that truth-filled
love, caritas in veritate, from which
authentic development proceeds, is not produced by us, but given to us. For
this reason, even in the most difficult and complex times, besides recognizing
what is happening, we must above all else turn to God's love. Development
requires attention to the spiritual life, a serious consideration of the
experiences of trust in God, spiritual fellowship in Christ, reliance upon
God's providence and mercy, love and forgiveness, self-denial, acceptance of
others, justice and peace. (Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate, No.
79)
Thank you.
O.C.P.A.J.P.M.
