PENNED BY PENRE OFFICER ASMARIE M. LABAO | The long wait is finally over. For more than a year, thousands of applicants dreamed and prayed. They clogged computer portals with their applications, jammed office hallways for oral and written interviews, and exerted all sorts of initiatives just to be among the selected. But there is no way to accommodate all; only a definite number of them were destined to serve officially as stewards of our Bangsamoro environment.

In the morning of Tuesday, September 28, 2021, at the Samsara Function Hall, Marawi City, bright, excited faces stood proudly erect, raised their right hands, and followed the BARMM Minister on Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy, Hon. Abdulraof A. Macacua, as he administered the Oath of Office and the Oath of Moral Governance for all BARMM employees. The Minister graced the occasion via Zoom and gave awe-inspiring words of wisdom to the inductees afterward.

Other Regional MENRE officials also zoomed in to express congratulatory messages and words of advice to the recruits. Representing MP Commander Abdullah “Bravo” Macapaar, the Chief of the Welfare, Arbitration and Reconciliation Committee, Aleem Khalid B. Sultan, rendered a relevant lecture about Islamic precepts on Moral Governance.

He said: “Islam is the prescribed way of life for Muslims. Allah completed it to be a guide for humankind. In it are the solutions for all ills of society for the discerning. The people’s leadership model has been shown through the exemplary life and Sunnah and Hadith of our beloved prophet of Islam, Nabi Mohammad SAW. All of man’s affairs and endeavors, in the past and for all times, prosper when done in compliance and harmony with the revelations of Allah in the Qur’an as well as the practices of the noble prophet. Any violations thereof, any act of corruption ultimately leads to chaos and destruction and the damnation of man.”

He advised that “accepting responsibility in public service leads to two roads. One is the road to Mercy and heaven; the other leads to damnation and hell. New employees had best fulfill the grave responsibility entrusted upon them.

CENRE Officers of Lanao del Sur, For. Benjamin D. Alangca and For. Asnawi A. Dataman, also welcomed the new members. Both discussed professionalism in public service and the ethics and values of public servants. The PENREO, For. Asmarie M. Labao, as the head of the PENREO-LDS organization, welcomed and appreciated everyone and lauded all the speakers who managed to heavily saturate the occasion with messages on the moral conduct of public servants.

PENREO Labao endeavored to put the grateful new members of PENREO-LDS with words of comfort that summarized and simplified all the grave challenges posed to them. He highlighted Islamic values, which he said is the framework that embraces all the values enunciated so far. He gently reminded everyone of the Islamic principles of moral conduct such as Ibadat, ikhlas, Ihsan, Amanah, Jihad, justice, benevolence, tolerance, Mercy, discipline, perseverance, honesty, humility, sincerity, and unity.

He added that to strive with the best of one’s ability to fulfill the purpose and objective of life and to earn the pleasure of Almighty Allah is all that everyone should keep in their hearts and minds. All good values follow from that to result in righteous deeds and excellent manners enough to make the MENRE-LDS a strong, united, competent, dedicated, and influential organization that can achieve the high expectations on them by the people of the province and the Leaders of the Bangsamoro struggle, the BARMM and the nation as a whole.