Leaders as healers

When I decided to enter government service some 21 years ago, many of my friends and relatives asked me this question: “Didn’t you waste your years in medical school by opting to become a public servant?”

- DR. JUN YNARES

Reflecting on that question, I realized how relevant it felt as I received the invitation to speak at the commencement of the Southeast Asia Interdisciplinary Institute (SAIDI) Graduate School of Organizational Development and Planning. It prompted me to revisit the deeper reasons behind my career journey—and the threads that connect medicine, public service, and organizational leadership.

Unknown, perhaps, to many, there is a prestigious international institution of higher learning tucked away in a quiet corner of Antipolo City, near the famous Hinulugang Taktak. I understand that SAIDI is a 70-year-old institution and established its presence in Manila in 1965. It moved to Antipolo in 1983, becoming what I loved to refer to as an “Antipoleño-by-choice” — a reference to the more than 75 percent of the residents of this city who came from other places and chose to make it their home.

SAIDI has a prestigious roster of graduates from the Philippines and other countries. Its presence in Antipolo provides another reason why the city has become the preferred home for families looking for an ideal place to raise their children while staying close to their places of work in the National Capital Region.