A Kindred Spirit
Brgy. Capt. Felicito “Chito” Valmocina of Brgy. Holy Spirit proves that small barangays are capable of
doing big things—for its own people and for the society at large
BY HELEN HERNANE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RENJIE TOLENTINO
Even the smallest villages can empower people and change lives. Over his many years of service, Brgy. Capt. Felicito “Chito” Valmocina has proven that Barangay Holy Spirit is capable of doing things that can have a great impact to our society.
GLOOMY PAST
It’s no secret that during the 1990s, Barangay Holy Spirit was rife with crime. Coupled with the population boom, local government leaders had to deal with all sorts of crimes— robberies, gang wars, and even killings.
“In the past, this place was a dumpsite for bodies. There wasn’t even any electricity; it was like living in the mountains. That’s when I started Oplan Bayanihan because there was no budget. I said to [then] Mayor Ismael “Mel” Mathay, ‘Give us the materials. I can convince the people to work, we’ll dig [the
electric pole posts] ourselves,’” he recalls.
They managed to transform Barangay Holy Spirit through this bayanihan system. By removing the 30% of the cost placed for labor and asking the people to help, they managed to produce more results than what the budget initially expected to yield. “If we want to achieve more with the budget we’re given, we need to do what we can. For example, instead of only finishing four walkways, we built ten because people
helped out,” says Valmocina.
LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE
As a leader, Valmocina’s philosophy can be summarized in a few slogans and acronyms that he regularly repeats to his people. First is a slogan that he got from someone he looks up to, Senator Richard “Dick,” Gordon: “Bawal ang tamad.”
“I raised the daily standard so that the policies are implemented according to plan. All of my policies are useless if people will not follow. I lead by example,” Valmocina stresses, adding that he is a man of his word. For instance, when his waste segregation program first started out and nobody followed the policies despite the wide dissemination, tickets were issued to those who committed the offense. “If you have the will, you can do it,” he says.
