THE PATRIOT

During the alumni homecoming festivities of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) last Saturday, the presence of President BBM lit a bulb of recollection from my end. Virtually a duplicate rendition of his father and namesake, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos in physical appearance and voice, it cannot be gainsaid that images of the late dictator suddenly swarmed and revivified every spectator’s memory bank, mine included.

A portion of PBBM’s speech ushered me into an evocative wave of nostalgia when he urged the alumni to continue living a life of “service beyond self,” an “ethos,” says Marcos Jr., for which my alma mater is definitively known for. This instantly brought me back to certain points in the world’s history where sons (and daughters) exemplified a life of service further than one’s self. For instance, Peter I, emperor of Russia, was the son of Tsar Alexis with his second wife. A recipient of what otherwise would have been termed as bullying during his young life (being once excluded from public affairs), Peter I still enjoyed the enviable lifestyle of those with “royal” blood. But instead of building an exclusive fortress to whet his passions, he placed his feet on the waters of public service. Peter I triumphed in the fields of negotiations, alliances and wars, and became one of his country’s greatest statesmen, organizers and reformers.

In philanthropy, being the nextof-kin of selfless service, many have appeared from generation to generation. For instance, Edsel Ford, the son of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford, established The Ford Foundation with a legacy of giving. John D. Rockefeller Jr., only son of John Sr. and heir to the Rockefeller fortune, was drawn to philanthropy rather than joining his father in business. As records would have it, John Jr. donated land for the United Nations headquarters, a gift that featured significantly in locating the world organization in the United States. In the local scene, Regina Lopez, daughter of wealthy businessman Eugenio Lopez Jr., is a well-known philanthropist, aside from being an environmentalist. She initiated Bantay Bata 163, which bested 187 countries all over the world to earn the United Nations Grand Awardee for Excellence in 1997.

Be it a daughter or a son of a renowned or unfamiliar parent, the choice to lead a life of altruistic service is always viable. This fact just echoed loudly in my senses as I listened to the vibrant fabric of PBBM’s discourse in his entreaty for the PMA alumni to “stay true to the ideals and values—such as integrity, service before self, and professionalism—that you have gained from the Academy that everyone should innately possess as public servants.” And what better way to illustrate his statement of “service before self,” spoken by a son of a famous father, than reliving the sacrifice made by the Son of the Almighty God. Jesus Christ, heir to the heavenly throne and of royal priesthood, lived among men and rendered a selfless service to heal, to teach, to free, to feed, to comfort and most importantly, offered his life just so we can receive the gift of salvation. Here is the Son who is the ultimate exemplar of service beyond self! PMA cadets should not look further for the Son of God is one great model for such PMAenshrined values.

Interestingly, I chanced upon a book that detailed a story of a wealthy man and his only son whose joint passion was to build the rarest and most precious art collections in the world. However, the son whom this father deeply loved had been killed in a war while attempting to save a fellow soldier. Several months later, the young soldier who survived gifted the grieving father with what he considered as a humble painting of his son as the surviving soldier last remember him. As the painting captured the quintessence of his beloved son’s smile, the father proudly displayed the portrait for all of his visitors to marvel at before allowing them to see the other masterpieces in his art collection. Upon the father’s death, his complete collection of masterworks was offered at a private auction. Art connoisseurs came but were baffled when the first work of art on the auction block was the rescued soldier’s “modest rendering of the wealthy man’s son.” The auctioneer persistently prodded for bidders as no one from the stylish crowd offered any bid. Some in the audience already scoffed and demanded to see the Van Goghs and Rembrandts. Not one to give up all too suddenly, the auctioneer asked, “The son! The son! Who will take the son?” With whatever money he had, someone finally bid of a measly 10 dollars! Despite the solicitation by the auctioneer for any other bid, there were no other bidders. As soon as the gavel was pounded closing the sale of the painting to the lone bidder, the auctioneer announced the closure of the auction. When asked for an explanation, the auctioneer simply responded that pursuant to the wishes of the deceased, only the painting of his son was to be sold at the private auction and whoever gets this painting gets all the rest of the valuable art collection.

This story reminds us of how God, like the father in the chronicle, blesses the people who value and appreciate His Son whose sacrifice was not for himself but for all of humanity. What is required from us is to accept him, like the lone bidder who gave all what he had to get the painting of the son. Accepting Jesus means becoming God’s beloved children by receiving His Son in our lives and placing importance on His sacrifice at the cross—the zenith of what service-before-self means for us. And whoever receives the Son receives ALL of God’s blessings, for it is said in the Bible, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” ( Romans 8:17 )

Imagine therefore if we hear the heavenly “auctioneer” asking, “The Son! The Son! Who will take the Son?” Applying the principles of sonship and heir-ship, our answer should be a resounding, “I will!”

A former infantry and intelligence officer in the Army, Siegfred Mison showcased his servant leadership philosophy in organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, and Philippine Airlines. He is a graduate of West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California. A corporate lawyer by profession, he is an inspirational teacher and a Spirit-filled writer with a mission. For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.