Breaking Through: A rare bird in government service

A rare bird in government service 

It’s hard to find government officials especially the high ranking types who are not affected by their title or who don’t exude an air of arrogance the moment you meet them. 

I found one exception recently when fate brought me and two others (my lawyer-compadre Julius Magno and my wife) to Malacañang. 

 I take my hat off to Undersecretary Rogelio Peig II who works under the Office of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

   He holds the rank of a Cabinet Undersecretary and heads the Office for Strategic Action and Response (STAR). 

    I learned that STAR’s mandate, among others, includes making sure that the people’s concerns brought to the attention of the government are resolved promptly. As such, he’s on top of efforts to bring the government closer to the people. 

   Inspite of his significant position, Atty. Peig exuded humility as we entered his office with nary a sign of self-importance nor braggadocio. 

    He was warm, friendly, and accommodating.

     In fact, he’s a busy man and a workaholic as we found out while we were waiting to see him. 

    It was 6 PM, past official working hours, and he was still meeting with another group. 

    When our turn came, I thought we’d be asked to return another day. But Undersecretary Peig chose to accommodate us. 

     This despite the fact that we didn’t even have an appointment to meet with him!  

      Executive Secretary Bersamin is lucky to have Usec Peig under him. I’m pretty much tempted to say he is a rara avis in the world of government service. 

    Appointed just this year by President Bongbong Marcos, I say without fear of contradiction that Atty. Peig is a worthy addition to the Marcos Jr. administration. 

    He had earlier served as City Administrator of Valenzuela as well as Chief of the Political Affairs Office of the House of Representatives. 

     In the private sector, Usec Peig held a top position as Vice President of Hillmarc’s

Construction Corp. 

    He’s also a Founding Partner of the Peig, Peig, and Liberato Law Firm. 

    He had successfully defended former Bucay, Abra Mayor Bernadette Cardenas Baroña before the Philippine COMELEC in a petition for disqualification case filed against her by an opposing candidate. 

     This Malacañang official’s presence and importance in the PBBM administration has been felt by US officialdom.