Although Senator Grace Poe does not meet the requiremens for the highest office of the land on account of her failure to satisfy citizenship and residency requirements imposed by the Constitution, her admirers can find solace in one of her candidates for the Senate who deserves to be mentioned for his consistent dedication to the cause of public service and volunteerism. That candidate is Richard “Dick” Gordon, who served as senator from 2007 to 2013, and is a distinguished alumnus of the College of Law of the University of the Philippines.
Gordon began his career as a public servant in 1970 when he was elected a delegate, representing the lone district of his native Zambales, to the 1971 Constitutional Convention—the assembly which drafted the 1973 Constitution. He was the youngest delegate to the convention and, as the Benjamin of the assembly, he administered the oath to the convention president, Diosdado Macapagal.
As a young lawyer, Gordon obtained his litigation experience from a big law firm in Makati. Public service, however, beckoned.
In 1980, Gordon was elected mayor of Olongapo City. As oldtimers will attest, the city had a seedy reputation back then, on account of its proximity to the Subic Bay naval base, the headquarters of the Seventh Fleet of the United States Navy.
By 1982, Gordon succeeded in changing the image of his city to a clean, orderly, and safe metropolis. The streets became free of garbage, and fines were imposed on anybody who littered, including famous and powerful personalities who visited the mayor, and who were seen extinguishing their cigarettes on the floor. Gordon made an exception, though, for a popular lady economist who discarded her cigarette on the sidewalk.
“Next time, I’ll fine you …,” Gordon told his guest, but with a smile.
When I visited the city in 1982, the public market was so clean, anyone could actually lie down on the floor without getting dirty.
Under Gordon’s watch, city cops made sure that hooligans caught in the streets spent time in detention. To ensure the safety of commuters, jeepney drivers were required to wear uniforms, and to display their identification cards prominently inside the jeepney. Laws and ordinances were enforced with an even hand on everybody, including American military personnel who, in times of old, often got away with infractions because they intimidated the policemen.
As city mayor, Gordon mobilized many volunteers who joined him in disaster relief operations. They were quick to visit and assist areas devastated by fires, typhoons, and earthquakes. On one occasion in the late 1980s, I saw Gordon and his volunteers help out in Quiapo after a dilapidated building there collapsed on a several people.
Like the tireless Rosa Rosal, Gordon is a prime mover of the Philippine Red Cross, which has saved countless lives through blood transfusions and emergency medical assistance to disaster victims. Gordon’s zeal for the Red Cross, which goes back to 1967, is traced to his mother, Amelia Gordon, who always brought the young Dick to assist in relief operations of the Red Cross.
The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 was so violent, its ashfall virtually covered the whole of Central Luzon, Olongapo City in particular. Just when everybody thought that it was the end of the city, Gordon’s dedicated volunteers cleaned up the city and restored basic services, as well as law and order, in the area. When they were done, it was as if the city was never devastated by a volcanic eruption.
In 1992, the Subic Bay naval base, admittedly the lifeline of the city, was closed after the Philippine government refused to renew the lease on the naval facility. Again, just when many were ready to quit the region, Gordon got Congress to create an economic zone and a free port in the facility. Gordon also made his volunteers safeguard the base from looters and vandals. As a result, the naval base remained intact by the time the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority began its operations under Gordon’s leadership. In stark comparison, Clark Air Base in Pampanga, closed in 1991, was left by Angeles City authorities to the mercy of looters and other criminal elements.
Ultimately, Olongapo City and the Subic Bay economic zone under Gordon’s administration became textbook examples of well-managed government faciliites. The spirit of volunteerism Gordon stirred in the many young men and women who helped in the city, the naval base, and in countless disaster areas became easily identified with his name.
In 2007, Gordon left the local government scene and won a seat in the Senate. His tenure in the Senate was marked by legislation which brought much-needed foreign investments and investor confidence to the country. Even as a senator, Gordon, with his volunteers in tow and with help from the Red Cross, was always quick to the draw in providing help and relief to disaster areas anywhere in the country.
As the current head of the Philippine Red Cross, Gordon recently distributed almost a hundred ambulances and fire engines to different Red Cross chapters in the country. It was an effort aimed not only at improving the rescue capability of the Red Cross, but also to prepare communities to be self-reliant and ready in the face of calamities. Gordon also finds time to organize conferences on disaster management. Following his lead, many local government units and non-government organizations are now involved in volunteer work.
Last Thursday, and on the occasion of National Volunteer Month, Gordon’s exemplary role in promoting volunteerism in the country was recognized by the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency. In simple ceremonies befitting the spirit of volunteerism, the Agency bestowed upon Gordon its Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award, in the earnest hope that his example will serve as a continuing inspiration to the future leaders of the nation.
The friends and supporters of Dick Gordon believe that their candidate will get the voters’ nod in May 2016. That is an event many are looking forward to.