Secretary Of Agriculture William Dar Would Spread The Virus Of Excellence!

I say: Be careful what you say – you might be talking about yourself.

Almost 4 years ago, on 28 July 2015, William Dar wrote an open letter to founder & former Executive Director of Philippine Rice Research Institute, PhilRice, Santiago R Obien, SRO – and today, 17 July 2019, I see that, inadvertently, he was describing himself. 2 Ilocanos talking between themselves, now another Ilocano kibitzing in history.

I am reading (1) a copy of the 2015 love tribute of Alegria "Baby" Abellon-Javier Obien to her 2nd husband SRO titled SRO@80 subtitled A Celebration Of Life, which is full of open letters (Mr Dar's letter appears on pages 60-62); and (2) a copy of the autobiographical book SRO: Dare To Build written with Virginia A Duldulao (2004, 324 pages). Excellent reading!

It was 1998, the time of Erap. Mr Dar was Secretary of Agriculture that year – yes, he was – and he became ex-officio the Chair of the Board of PhilRice whose Executive Director was SRO, whom he described as "a thought leader, a Rice Guru." The Secretary of Agriculture was right about the Executive Director, who had transformed a 3rd-class Philippine Rice Research Institute in the presence of the world-class International Rice Research Institute, IRRI, into a world-class PhilRice. How could PhilRice out-IRRI IRRI right where IRRI was? It was impossible, but this Ilocano leader did it – competing only against itself. The Rice Guru showed the world what determination with dignity could do. 

The previous year, 1997, saw the growth of PH agriculture in the negative: -7%, that is, minus 7%. With Mr Dar as Secretary, PH agriculture grew the exact opposite: +7%, that is, plus 7%! My arithmetic now tells me that that means:

In PH agriculture, there was actually a growth of 14%! And it was Mr Dar who did that as Secretary of Agriculture.

Isn't that the Virus of Excellence?!

In that open letter to SRO, Mr Dar said:

We have lived by this tenet from the onset and throughout our respective careers – our shared Vision to promote the growth and development of Philippine agriculture using technological innovations that will reach and improve the lives of its stakeholders.

Mr Dar then told of himself being the Secretary of Agriculture assigning the Rice Guru as Acting Director of the Bureau of Plant Industry, BPI, which was in trouble, and in less than 2 months, SRO was "able to bring a higher level of performance and strengthen a critical unit of the agency."

2 gurus making 1 right.

Here now is SRO continuing the story where Mr Dar leaves off. In his autobiography, on page 125, SRO says:

When asked by incoming Agriculture Secretary Edgardo Angara why he appointed me to that position, Dr Dar's only reply was: "To spread the virus of excellence."

So! Here was SRO as OIC spreading the virus of excellence within the Bureau of Plant Industry, and here was William Dar as Secretary of Agriculture spreading the virus all over the country.

A viral spread couldn't get any better than that!@517