It was well into a Monday afternoon — often the busiest and most crucial day of the week — but Batangas Governor Hermilando ‘Dodo’ Mandanas was still very spritely answering questions from The Sunday Times Magazine via virtual interview. He let us in on the day he’s had so far but neither his face nor his voice showed a trace of his busy workload.
Governing one of the most prosperous provinces in Luzon, it goes without saying that Mandanas has his plate full day in and day out, even as he now holds office from home.
“Because I am way past the age of 65 which the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) deemed unsafe to go out, I am now working from home,” the septuagenarian quipped with a chuckle.
Like most of the workforce who have been forced to work remotely to lessen the risk of contracting coronavirus-19 (Covid-19), Mandanas finds the setup to have its share of advantages and disadvantages.
“There’s more work now compared to pre-Covid times but I have to admit I can get more things done, now that I don’t have to go out and attend social obligations.”
“KBL,” as politicians have come to call their de rigueur attendance at “kasal, binyag, libing,” besides official government functions can easily eat up one’s valuable time.
Moreover, Mandanas also realized that he doesn’t need to be “under the sun” to effectively work as a governor.
“I have very good department heads be it in engineering, health, budget, accounting, treasury, cooperative, livelihood, tourism or culture,” he enumerated with a hint of pride, explaining that having efficient leaders under him saves him from having to micro-manage in order to handle bigger tasks at hand.
Indeed, a true mark of a great leader is knowing how to delegate tasks and who best to give them too in order to train the next line of leaders for ascending responsibilities.
From banking to gov’t
Mandanas’ storied career as an investment banker for more than 30 years and his equally admirable calling in public service in the last 21 years is overwhelming proof why leadership is second nature to the man.
Armed with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from De La Salle University, Mandanas shot up the ranks in the realm of finance to become President of Fereit Realty Development Corporation in 1972; Philippine Commercial Delegate of the Banque Francaise Du Commerce Exterior in 1975; and Managing Director of Manila & Hong Kong Capital Corporation in 1980, among many other key appointments.
His impressive performance across varying seats in the private sector naturally preceded Mandanas that following the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 1396, he was appointed as the very first General Manager of the Human Settlements Development Corporation under former President Ferdinand Marcos.
Both humbled and inspired by the immeasurable good a public office can effect in people’s lives, he decided to run for governor in his beloved province of Batangas and succeeded as a neophyte candidate. Serving three consecutive terms beginning 1995, he was concurrently President of the Federation of Regional Development Council of the Philippines.
Milestone firsts and battles
Very early on in his administration, Mandanas was noted for being the first governor to provide honorarium and benefits to barangay health workers, nutrition’s scholars, service point officers, tanod and more, aware of the fact that these frontliners as we call them today deserve the country’s gratitude for their seemingly mundane but very significant roles in community.
He is also on record as one of the first governors to build a Department of Cooperatives in his province.
These, along with other well planned and implemented policies, allowed Mandanas to elevate his hometown’s economic status. Today, the governor is proud to say that Batangas has grown into the second wealthiest province across the nation, next to Cebu. After all, he knows his math and more importantly equating the numbers with the true needs of the people, thereby achieving the Mandanas Ruling released by the Supreme Court (SC) in 2018.
In a nutshell, this landmark decision, will afford local government units (LGU) bigger budgets commensurate to bigger Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the national government. More officially, it takes root from Article 10, Section 6 of the 1987 Constitution which states, “Local Government Units (LGU) shall have a just share, as determined by law, in the national taxes which shall be automatically released to them.”
Mandanas knew from the moment he took office as governor that the IRA’s original computation for LGU budgets were made “erroneously [and] under stated,” leaving LGUs short of funds due them.
Choosing a very important battle, he took his cudgels all the way to Congress when he was elected Second District Representative of Batangas when he received the final and executory SC decision in 2018.
“Then and now, what we are fighting for is for the [Mandanas ruling] to be implemented. The national government deems it appropriate and legal, and they accept it, but implementation is only set for 2022 so there remains a controversy.”
The hurdles he has come across in this advocacy over the last two decades have not stopped Mandanas to push for the right of LGUs as ardently as ever.
“We are not giving up. This is not only the right of the people Batangas, this is the right of all the Filipinos because with the increase, then we will be able to deliver basic services expediently, and needs as fast and effectively, and efficiently and even economically.”
Stronger and brighter at 77, what indeed keeps Batangas Governor Hermilando “Dodo” Mandanas unyielding in the often tiresome and frustrating ways of government? Let him give you an idea in his own words from the rest of this inspiring interview.
STM: You’ve led a very successful career in the private sector. What compelled you to leave such a lucrative career and an overall easier and more comfortable life for that of a public servant?
Governor Mandanas: So I could give back after all my fortunate experiences; whatever I have, to really help people. This is my way of serving God.
You know, I was born to a sari-sari store owner for a father and a public school teacher for a mother. I grew up in literally a nipa hut, with bamboo flooring and nipa shingles as roof and walls. I studied in public school and during our time, we went to school barefooted. I even remember graduating in school with our stage just made of planks of wood and top of gasoline drums.
But really, our Lord is so kind and gave us very good parents. So, it’s payback time. Now I don’t receive my salary [from his public post]; I donate my entire salary for education and scholarship. Even from my personal investments, I donate a good portion of it to help my fellow Batangueños.
Batangas was badly beaten in 2020, not only by Covid but by the Taal Volcano eruption in the beginning of the year, and later, by the super typhoons too. How is the province faring today?
In Batangas, we don’t only survive. I think we are not only overcoming the situation but even improving it from all angles.
And of course, this is all because of No.1 the help of God and No. 2, help that poured in for Batangas. Fortunately, too, Batangas has resources to [weather these problems] because we planned enough [for unforeseeable disasters].
I returned as Governor in 2016 [from Congress] and since then, we already negotiated and programmed what we’re going to do for the province. So even before the volcano eruption, we already had approved loans and programs set [for such eventualities].
What are some of the projects these loans are allocated to?
This year, we are going to give Batangas one multipurpose rescue vehicle for the 1,000 land-bound barangays out of 1,078 barangays. Our budget for the project is P4 billion.
We are also expanding our health facilities and we now have more than 500 beds in our provincial hospitals and we are going to increase it by 50 percent.
Even before the arrival of IRA payback (expected to be some P6 billion for Batangas) we had already arranged for these loans because the needs of our people happen every day. They are needs now, they were needs yesterday and the year before.
Fortunately, I am an investment banker so I know how to plan [the allotment of] resources.
You’ve given particular emphasis to providing for your constituents’ basic needs—health, education, livelihood and protection of the environment, life and property—or HELP as you call it. Why is HELP your utmost priority?
Because if you are shackled in poverty, you lose your freedom. You cannot choose, but you have real needs. We should give people their basic needs so they can exercise their freedom to do what they need to do in order to live decently. Otherwise, they are slaves of poverty or sickness they cannot afford.
What do you consider your biggest achievement in your 21 years of public service?
Perhaps it’s setting the example. I could be successful if I could inspire others, motivate them to follow the course.
I would like to show them that if you follow the just laws and the good practices, if you respect our good customs and traditions, it will work. This is the legacy that I would like to leave behind. The winning of cases, these I only consider examples.
To round up, what do you identify as the virtues ideal leader should possess?
Good leaders should be clean, honest and have integrity. They should also be capable. Somebody might be honest and nice but if they don’t have competence, it wouldn’t work.
It’s not only good intention that matters as well; they have to exert effort and they really have to persevere. These are all very important as well as following the other virtues — [to be] hardworking and prudent, daring and courageous.
And of course, they should have the heart — they should be compassionate.