Lawmaker and his love for Servant Leadership: How Bordado tries everything in his power to serve his constituents despite the hurdles of Covid-19 Pandemic

A leader’s legacy is not measured on how they perform in good times, but it’s on how they perform during a crisis. This is a story of a lawmaker and how he lives out his love for servant leadership in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

For many political leaders, both local and international, “the time” has now come again, with the Covid-19 outbreak that has been threatening millions of lives across the globe- among the obvious victims are the poor people and other marginalized sectors in the society. 

To understand how Honorable Gabriel “Gabby” Hidalgo Bordado Jr., the sitting congressman of the third district of Camarines Sur, develops his passion for serving his constituents regardless of their social status and political affiliations, I need to discuss his background- everything that contributes to who he is now. 

Gabby grew up in the humble town of Calabanga, Camarines Sur. As the eldest of seven children and as someone who was raised by parents who were both teachers, his principles and his love for truth, honesty, integrity, and excellence were solidly honed. More than having an outstanding career in public service, Gabby is a great writer, which is primarily because of his immense love for reading. 

Furthermore, Gabby studied at the Calabanga Central Division Pilot School where he learned to dream about something that is bigger than himself. He  continued to pursue his dreams at Ateneo De Naga University and at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and Diliman. 

With his passion for learning, he equipped himself with knowledge and qualifications that allowed him to be  awarded with several scholarship programs to take non-degree courses in institutions outside the Philippines, namely the Lee Kwan Yew School of Policy of the National University of Singapore (NUS) with full funding from the World Bank Institute and the Singapore government, and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada through a special program of the Ford Foundation. In 2013, he finished his master’s degree in Development Management at the University of the Philippines Los Baños under the UPLB-DILG-Local Government Academy Scholarship Program. No wonder why he is such a critical and effective lawmaker. 

His humble beginnings and love for integrity and excellence allow Gabby to continuously challenge himself to become a servant leader and not just a mere politician, especially in this crisis. Hence, let us now take a look at the most significant and recent contributions of Hon. Gabby during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gabby teams up with VP Robredo to help COVID positive residents in Pili; launches Bayanihan e-Ataman

Gabby personally went to Pili to orient its residents about the Bayanihan e-Ataman last June 14, 2021.

He collaborated with Honorable Vice President Leni Robredo to realize the said project to provide Covid Care Kits and facilitate Daily Patient Monitoring of Covid19 positive patients under home quarantine in the 3rd district of Camarines Sur. 

Since hospitals in Camarines Sur, such as Bicol Medical Center, have already declared that they are at full capacity, some COVID positive patients with mild symptoms to asymptomatic are no longer being admitted. 

Hence, the Bayanihan e-Ataman would be the response of Congressman Bordado’s Office to ensure that those mentioned patients would still be helped with their health needs. 

Gabby partners with Mayor Go, BFAR RV to give financial aids to Vendors in Ocampo

Together with Honorable Mayor Allan Go, Gabby spearheaded the distribution of financial assistance to various market vendors in Ocampo, one of the municipalities in the third district of Camarines Sur. 

The said program became possible with the Bayanihan 2 and the efforts of the personnel of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region V, headed by  Nilo B. Consuelo. 

This year, the people of Ocampo may also expect the construction of a new market building which is one of the projects of Cong. Gabby. 

Gabby opens livelihood opportunities for disadvantaged and displaced workers in Calabanga thru Tulong Pangkabuhayan Program

Gabby surely does not forget the struggles of disadvantaged and displaced workers in Calabanga, one of the municipalities in the third district of Camarines Sur, as he launched the Tulong Pangkabuhayan Program.

The said livelihood program was made possible through the efforts of the Provincial Office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Office of Cong. Gabby.

In fact, last June 9, an orientation was already held among the various beneficiaries of the abovementioned program which really aims to help the workers that were gravely affected by the pandemic. 

From Calabanga, Ocampo, Pili, and the rest of the municipalities in the third district of Camarines Sur, Gabby manifests hope that, indeed, together we can manage the crisis. Gabby was able to arrange the clutter of conflicting data and opinions from other people and identify the areas that need immediate attention- no wonder he was able to successfully allocate effort and resources accordingly. 

The photos used in this article are taken from Facebook account of Glenda Villaflores Dasco.