Enforced empathy

True public service rests on empathy and responsiveness.

- MARVIN TORT

Yet, when institutions fail to nurture that mindset, government ends up institutionalizing what should be innate. It is ironic that public officials still need to be told to be among the people. Obviously, something has gone wrong in our public service culture.

Secretary Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez orders his subordinates at the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to commute by public transportation at least once a week. The intent is for them to experience firsthand the delays, crowding, and other difficulties that ordinary commuters face daily.

“This... is to ensure the effective implementation of transportation projects and programs by allowing DoT officials to gain firsthand experience of various public transport systems and better understand the daily struggles of commuters,” read the memorandum released Sept. 15.

Mr. Lopez ordered his senior officials to ride jeepneys, buses, and trains. Covered by the directive were the heads at the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), and the Philippine National Railways (PNR).

By now, the directive is a month old. Mr. Lopez’s goal, I presume, is to make his officials better understand the hardships of the commuting public using all modes of public transport. Officials must also submit reports after each weekly commute, sharing observations, recommendations, and action plans.

While I laud the Lopez directive, I wonder why it needed a formal department order. The good secretary, in my opinion, seems to be intent on institutionalizing empathy in his office. As if a mere memorandum could make officials more empathetic and transform them into better public servants.