WELCOME REMARKS

YEAR- END COMMAND CONFERENCE

Greetings…
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure and privilege to welcome all of you to our year- end
command conference. Likewise, it is an honor to be joining you in this gathering as we walk towards the
start of the year; a fresh start to create new beginnings and endeavors to take on.
Today we will be discussing some of the most pressing issues and concerns, administrative and
operational accomplishments and of course fire service matters that our distinct agency needs to address.
But, before we begin, I'd like to reiterate a message I shared with my fellow uniformed personnel
in our region. Under pressure from numerous demands within our organization, I personally challenged
myself and my colleagues in our region and provinces to transition from a traditional leadership model to
one of servant leaders. Robert K. Greenleaf, who coined the term servant leadership, answers the question
of how to be both a leader and a servant. Allow me to read the differences of these type of leadership I
mentioned.
The main difference between traditional leadership and servant leadership is that traditional
leaders focus on the organization and its growth. But servant leaders focus on employees’ work,
efficiency, and growth. Traditional leader, sees and takes leadership as a rank to obtain while Servant
leader, sees and takes leadership as an opportunity to serve others. Traditional leader, use leader’s power
and control to dive performance while servant leader shares his power and control to dive engagement.
Most importantly, a mere leader speaks, command more while servant leader listens and tries to
understand the problem. Servant leaders’ priority is his employees. And if employees will develop them
altogether organization or company will also develop.

After all, leadership is an influence. It is not about us, it’s about our people and our followers.
More importantly, it is not about growing ourselves or thinking about our position, it’s about our men and
women’s growth. And to do that, we have to serve, not just intake. Our brave men and women in the
service are the roots and our institution is the plant. Therefore, servant leadership focuses on roots to
improve the plant.
The BFP, guided by servant leadership, will be well-led. With the well-being of our subordinates
always in mind, leaders are expected to lead and serve simultaneously. Servant leadership will naturally
have the ripple effect down to the lowest echelons and radiate to the communities, our stakeholders.
This conference is a continuation of a seamless endeavor. We march forward for a better and
brighter horizon. The holding of this event aims for the dissemination of the knowledge and experiences
relative to the promotion of competence, transparency and integrity in public service. It will also be a
means whereby these said knowledge and experiences will serve to inspire all of us participants to be
improved and effective public servants for the benefit of our people. This is in concurrence with the
advocacy espoused by our FIRE DIRECTOR LOIUE S PURACAN, CEO VI on good governance.
With this, let us roll up our sleeves and prepare for a productive year-end conference. Once again,
welcome and good morning.