Lucas Bersamin: A leader and follower

An astute observation by British author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek describes retired Chief Justice Lucas Purugganan Bersamin's tenure.

Under his watch, the Supreme Court healed deep wounds caused by politics, and forged a renewed and stronger unity among its Associate Justices. This inspired justices, lawyers, officers and staff to appreciate the Court's role in the country's justice as the judicial body of government.

Challenging though his task was — that of restoring pride and honor in the institution that he loved — Bersamin was undaunted. He buckled down to work, quickly setting a four-point agenda as his target, and immediately mobilizing his team.

To take charge of revising the Rules of Court, he handpicked long-time friend and colleague Associate Justice Diosdado M. Peralta, who later succeeded him as Chief Justice. He called on all the Associate Justices for their cooperation in unifying the Court, paving the way for a swifter healing process. He placed his full trust on Court Administrator Midas P. Marquez to help him discharge the Court's supervisory and administrative duties, as well as coordinate the lower courts and other organizations of the Judiciary.

In all these, Bersamin entrusted tasks to the right people to be the managers, galvanizing them to work earnestly for the enhancement of functions and the betterment of the institution.

Anywhere he went during his tenure, Bersamin drew crowds who met and greeted him enthusiastically. He visited far-flung judicial stations primarily to show the Court's concern for their needs and wants. The outpouring of love and admiration by many people — formerly accorded to movie actors, basketball stars, concert musicians, religious leaders, and the occasional politicians — became commonplace. His hands, which had penned many wise decisions, served another but in no way inferior purpose on those occasions — to shake other people's hands, to pat someone else's back, to pull someone closer to him and whisper inspiring words.

Serving the people with humility had always been his trait. He idolized his parents. His father, a disciplinarian, instilled in his children the values of hard work and integrity. His mother, whom he happily described as probably kunsintidora, softened the rigor of his father's strictness with motherly love.

Born into a political family in Bangued, in the northern Luzon province of Abra, the young Bersamin was exposed to the glory and the ignominy of local politics. One of the family patriarchs was a grandfather who loved to mingle with the people.

But Bersamin was also witness to the horrors of politics. As a child, his terrifying memory was that of watching the provincial home strafed by political enemies of his father. This galvanized the determination in the young boy to get even with his family's tormentors by someday becoming a politician himself.

But Bersamin found another path — the seminary. The values of love and fear of God, humility, and hard work were etched in his psyche. His years as a young seminarian heightened his awareness of the values learned from his parents, especially that of hard work, which up to this day serves as a firm pillar of his resolve to excel and as a basic foundation for his persona.

Yet, he fully credits his mother for guiding him towards another direction, away from politics. She convinced him to study law, predicting that he, as the fourth child, would become the "balancer" for his six siblings.

Understanding the wisdom of his mother's advice, he enrolled in a pre-law course at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. Afterwards, he landed a job in an insurance firm in Intramuros, Manila. Not wanting to abandon his job, he enrolled at the University of the East in Manila for his law course. There he joined two of his older siblings to avail himself of a discount offered by the university.

Bersamin recalled one of the proudest moments in his young life was when his older brother, Eustaquio, roused him from sleep one early Sunday morning with the news that he had placed ninth in the bar Examinations.

Adhering to his life's mantra that "humility gets you farther than other virtues," Lucas had no ambition to attain the highest post in the judiciary. He was content to work as an Associate Justice until his mandatory retirement in mid-October of 2019.

Yet, on 28 November 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte chose him as the 25th Chief Justice of the Philippines. Not one to be intimidated by responsibilities of that highest office in the Judiciary, he immediately buckled down to work, knowing that he had only 324 days to succeed.

In spite of a heavy schedule attending to official and civic duties and responsibilities, Bersamin managed to steer a clear-cut course for the Court by relying on the competent support and assistance of his equals and subordinates. In the words of his mentor, former CJ Reynato Puno, "His (Chief Justice Bersamin's) leadership as an administrator served the court well. It is not easy to lead the judiciary. It is not always that you lead them, sometimes you have to march with them side by side, and sometimes you are the follower and let them lead. Leadership is not always being ahead of the pack. CJ Bersamin was able to do that and he was able to push his own program of government. That is a major accomplishment."

Never a dull moment for this hero among heroes. Nor was there ever any doubt about the stoutness of his resolve and the depth of his capacity to succeed in the highest position in the Judiciary. His life's path seemed destined, guided by his love of God, love of country, love of justice, and love of family.

Five days ago, 27 September, he was sworn in as Executive Secretary by President Bongbong Marcos.