A leader for today

Today, we need a leader who can inspire us to address and overcome the difficult challenges we face. Unfortunately, one such leader to follow and be a model for others to emulate passed away on Oct. 31. He was Philip “Popoy” Juico, former agrarian reform secretary and a champion for sports who headed the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the national athletic federation. Popoy was social, successful and spiritual. Here are glimpses into his life that showed how he was seen, admired and loved.

Social

Popoy liked being with people. He treated each person with caring and concern—rich or poor, educated or unschooled. His unique human touch was felt  strongly by his De La Salle classmates. Here are texts from some of them sent during the last three days.

Francisco del Rosario: “You gave me my first dog and, since then, I have been a dog lover.  You were an ideal friend—always around when I needed you, and loyal to the end.”

Michael Streegan: “I will never forget the years he would call me on my birthday.”

Ed Santos: “Even in obvious pain and distress, Popoy made it a point to  attend our DLS 6570 reunions, often on a wheelchair. Yet he always had a smile for each of us and time for a quiet, familiar conversation.”

Several other texts came from the many people Popoy touched with his genuine caring. He will be remembered long and well for the deep humanity he showed that helped so many better their lives.

 Successful

Popoy was successful in a broad variety of areas. In government, he was secretary of agrarian reform under President Corazon Aquino and chair of the PSC under President Fidel Ramos. Earlier, he received the prestigious Ten Outstanding Young Men award for government excellence.

In sports, he was president of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association and  vice president of the Asian Athletics Association. He was inducted into the De La Salle Hall of Fame for his outstanding contribution to athletics.

In education, Popoy taught management and business for 35 years in six educational institutions. He was the dean of the De La Salle Graduate School of Business.

Internationally, he was chair of the Asean Graduate Business and Economics Program under the Asean University Network.

 Spiritual

Throughout Popoy’s social and successful professional life, Popoy remained deeply spiritual.  He was an active leader in groups like Ligaya ng Panginoon.  Spirituality motivated him to continue contributing significantly in both government and private sector endeavors. This was in spite of pain and suffering from health challenges in his later years.

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Some friends who visited him during one of his most pain-ridden times asked why  Popoy kept on helping, and hardly rested. Popoy answered that it was God’s will he wished to follow. He added: “When I see Jesus Christ crucified on the cross, what I am suffering is nothing compared to what He did for us.”

Though Popoy was enormously successful, he  had his share of failures. He was especially disappointed when he wanted to contribute to government reform, and little was done. That  never stopped him.  He quoted Mother Teresa’s saying: “God does not call us to be successful. He calls us to be faithful.”

Our responsibility is not necessarily to achieve worldly success or recognition. It is  to remain faithful to our principles, our mission and our service to others. True to his nature, Popoy was faithful to the very end.

Key orientation

To many of those who had the privilege of knowing Popoy, it was his spiritual orientation that most impressed them. Towards the end of his life, despite pain and difficulties, Popoy never ceased to give his all so that he could contribute to others and the nation, which he loved and served so well. It is his faithfulness and integrity that our leaders of today must internalize and live by. Only then can our people have the better, happier and more fulfilling life that we all hope for. INQ

The author is Agriwatch chair, former secretary of presidential flagship programs and projects and former undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry. Contact through [email protected].