By Rex Catubig

 

SHE is a creature of habit. And the habit that drives her to the point of obsession is what has defined her– Unliserbisyo—the expeditious delivery of basic services not to the public in general, but to those most in need—the indigents and marginalized sector– the children, the sick, and the elderly. Women in survival mode. Her target goals—health, education, livelihood, disaster preparedness, livable environment.

Sleep is an unwanted distraction to her. Which she indulges in only because those she works with would already be fast asleep while she is still counting sheep. And no sooner does she fall into a light slumber than her adrenaline kicks in and gets her wired up.

Grabbing her cellphone, which is her lifeline, she would start making calls or messaging at the crack of dawn, preempting the crowing of roosters, to make sure the overload of thoughts, plans, and ideas on her mind are downloaded and at once relayed for action.

Her morning regimen goes into high gear when she jumps out of bed and psyches herself for her daily battle. Her doting housekeepers keep her energized for the day by preparing her usual power breakfast of eggs, sinangag, corned beef.

But when she has to run and beat the sunrise to the dumpsite, which is her notion of an idyllic morning, they pack her food and advise the driver to hand it to her at the first chance–which is no assurance she’ll take a bite.

Most of the time, she subsists on overactive body hormones.

Her day assumes Olympic proportions as she races from one site, one sitio, one barangay, one school, to another, sometimes without a break, hobnobbing with the common folks her only breather. And before she realizes it, she has covered up to fourteen areas of concern, and regrets the sun is about to set.

For she is not done yet for the day. Going back to the Mayor’s Office or her private office in the Stadia, she would preside over endless rounds of meetings like an ancient seeress.

It would be almost midnight when the meetings wind up. But no, her day is not over. To decompress, she would take the group for coffee and shop talk. It is during these times that she is most relaxed, and maybe most vulnerable, revealing her soft side– the Belen Fernandez who lovingly adores her mother and hero-worships her father, from whom, in their daily breakfast, she imbibed business acumen.

The Belen, who would skimp on her “baon” by walking from their Rivera St house to go to school to Divine Word so she could buy street food which she shared with her siblings, and at times, to the indigent kids she would meet in the market.

The Belen, who early on took to working odd jobs at their store: slicing ham, stacking grocery on the shelves, driving a jeep over long distances to get stocks; getting grounded on work ethic while all the while observing how the business operates.

The Belen whose entrepreneurial spirit took off when she asked her mother to double her seed money for capital.

The Belen who is to business born but who never dreamed of being a leader, a public servant, but whose fate destined and pointed her towards the beacon of public service.

It has since become her calling, her birthright: serving the people in innumerable ways.

Though service occupies the lion’s share of her heart, she reserves a soft spot for her pet dogs Max and Maggie and their eight puppies. How she agonized at their delivery and constantly checked on the progress of birthing as if she herself were the mother of the expectant pet.

This fondness for furry friends extends to her concern for Askals, the neglected or abandoned street canines. This led to the Saving Max project designed to rescue sick and suffering stray animals.

The poster Askal is Verna—the skeletal, scabrous, stinky dog she picked up, cared for, and fed, and is now a healthy sentinel in her Stadia office.

That is Mayor Belen Fernandez. Her service encompasses all. It goes with boundless love and unlimited compassion rooted in sincere and genuine empathy for everyone.

“No one must be left behind”, she underscores.

It is her brand of loving. Unlimited service born of unlimited love.

Her detractors make a field day bashing her. She hurts, but does not buckle down. A clean heart, a clear conscience, a consummate passion for service keep her standing tall.

Once more with feeling.

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