THERE IS no English word that conveys the meaning of the Filipino word “makulit”. It means repetitive, insistent and resolute persistence. The word describes Albert Que, the late Mayor of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi. He hounded me (and so many others) in countless occasions, seeking partnerships and following requests for his beloved town.
I met him in Zamboanga in 2006 where without any invitation, he sat himself among us around a breakfast table. I did not know him from Adam but he brought a bagful of testimonies and certificates of appreciation from government agencies to establish his credibility. He intrigued us with stories on how his business flourished from the time he started as a vendor in Zamboanga’s barter trade. He showed us pictures that chronicled his providential rise into power from a councilor to the town’s Mayor, with photos of his road accident, as the story’s climax. He refused to leave us in peace until we committed to visit Bongao.
And visit, we did. He looked mesmerized as Former Governor of Negros Occidental Rafael Coscolluela discussed how Local School Boards can be strengthened. He listened with great interest to the experiences of Former Mayor Diding Gamboa in reforming the delivery of basic education in E.B. Magalona. Raring to share his new found knowledge, he brought all the local leaders, barangay captains and principals, to help formulate a community-based program on how children can be given a better education.
He used his inability to finish a college education as the program’s rallying point, “We must all work to give our children a future that is brighter than ours.” In our 3-day stay in Bongao, Mayor Que never let us out of his sight. Dinner was spent with him on how he can improve municipal finance.
We found Mayor Que waiting for us at 6:00 A.M to discuss participatory governance. He took us all over the island to discuss the economic prospects of Bongao. It was during those moments that we were convinced of the transformative value of peer-mentoring and coaching. Local leaders can be transformed if they are inspired and guided by exemplars of outstanding governance.
Mayor Que served as the perfect mentor on how to develop partnerships and establish alliances to augment local resources and improve management systems. He doggedly pursued Prof. Ernie Garilao to earn a place in the “Bridging Leadership Program” of the Asian Institute of Management.
He asked help from friends to help him conduct researches and write papers that were required by the program. He considered completing the AIM program as one of his most significant accomplishments.
Mayor Que relentlessly pursued partnerships with local and foreign institutions. He worked with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in formulating a comprehensive Municipal Development Plan.
He lobbied for the support of central government agencies in enabling him to complete 100 infrastructure projects including farm-to-market roads, markets, and a municipal building.
He partnered with Synergeia in building the skills of children in reading and in mathematics, and in intensifying collection of the real property tax so that he can build more facilities for children, including sanitary toilets. He continuously pursued Prof. Garilao for Bongao to be part of the health program of Zuellig Family Foundation.
Were Mayor Que’s pursuits successful? We can only look at the results. He brought down maternal and infant mortality rates to zero, and significantly reduced the incidence of malaria. Almost all the children in Bongao are in school and the number of non-readers was cut into half.
Mayor Que’s development efforts were contributory to the significant decline in the poverty incidence in Tawi Tawi from 48.3 percent in 2009 to 20.8 percent in 2012. Bongao won the Galing Pook Award for excellence in local governance in 2011.
But this story should not end without mentioning the simplicity with which Mayor Albert lived his life. He lived in a small room in Bongao that served as a sala, dining room, bedroom and kitchen. He checked-in at cheap hotels in Quiapo and made sure that he checked-out early in the morning so he would only be charged half-a day. He had very few shirts and I remember him sporting the same orange shirt in almost all photographs.
Mayor Que asked and received not for himself but for the people of Bongao. (Author is CEO of Synergeia Foundation.)
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