Dick Gordon: Always moving forward

Whenever the Philippine Red Cross is mentioned, it is difficult not to think about its long-time chairman and chief executive officer, Richard “Dick” Gordon.

Gordon has built what is now the country’s top humanitarian organization, one that responds first when calamity strikes.

Anytime tragedies strike any area of the country, the Philippine Red Cross, led by Gordon, responds with various forms of support.

Gordon is now 80 years old and shows no signs of slowing down. When asked what life principle he lives by, his response is straightforward and firm: “I always move forward.”

A life of passionate service

Gordon started his career in public service at a young age. While still a law student at the University of the Philippines, he was elected as the youngest delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention, where he pushed for the inclusion of an article on the Duties and Obligations of Citizens. He nevertheless held the view that a citizen’s relationship with the state ought to be characterized by both rights and obligations.

That mindset would go on to shape his decades-long journey in public service.

“I have dreams for my country. And I always aim high for it. When I give up, I stand up for what I believe is right. I’m not afraid to show it, even if it costs me,” he said with resolve to DAILY TRIBUNE.

And cost him, it did. “It has cost me several times in my life with several presidents. But that’s all right,” he added, unfazed.

After all, for him, purpose trumps popularity: “I mean, what is life unless you take a position and stay grounded in your principles?”

Gordon’s leadership shone brightly when he became Mayor of Olongapo City after the assassination of his father. He took a city branded as “Sin City” and turned it into a model of cleanliness and discipline.

When the US Naval Base in Subic closed down, bringing with it widespread unemployment, he spearheaded the creation of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), turning it into a thriving economic zone that drew in over $3 billion in investments and generated over 200,000 jobs.

As Secretary of Tourism, Gordon made waves internationally with the iconic WOW Philippines campaign. Even amid regional and global crises — from 9/11 and the SARS epidemic, to the Bali bombing — he helped spark a tourism boom without the help of massive budgets or borrowed ideas.

Gordon carried his executive experience to the legislative branch when he was elected senator, authoring laws that helped shape the future of the country, such as the Tourism Act, the Automated Election Law and the creation of economic zones like the Poro Point Freeport and the Freeport Area of Bataan.

Among other things, he supported legislation pertaining to National Disaster Risk Reduction, Free Patents and Veterans Benefits. He bravely looked into well-known scandals, including the ZTE Broadband Deal and the Fertilizer Fund Scam while serving as the chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. In 2016 national elections, he was overwhelmingly re-elected and placed 5th at the senatorial elections.

On perseverance and purpose

Gordon gave a glimpse of his basic beliefs in response to the question of what motivates him after decades of serving the public.

“I don’t look at it as public and private. I look at it as just a continuous heuristic notion to be able to make a difference in the life of people who are vulnerable, people who can better, whose standing we can better, because God has given us so much generosity and a modicum of a brain,” he shared.

“And a lot of heart to work and do it. And that’s my driving force. I mean, I have dreams that some people think are impossible.”

For Gordon, limitations are never self-imposed. “If you look at my life, I never say I cannot do anything or let people say I cannot do anything.”

His passion for development and creativity is evident even in his pastimes.

“I try to read a lot. I try to see what’s the latest in the world. Like the innovations going on in America in terms of their military,” he said.

“Instead of bigger hardware, they’re developing small software like drones and AI (artificial intelligence) to make it cheaper and more effective. I try to keep up. I always read historical books and documentaries that make life more relevant.”

Learning from failure

His early existence was marked by an important turning point that influenced his attitude about failure and perseverance.

He told DAILY TRIBUNE, “Well, I failed in high school. I was fooling around and I had to face my parents and that changed me a lot. From then on, I started moving forward, learning from my mistakes. I still stumbled and fell. When my father was assassinated, I became a lawyer. I left my job.”

Gordon’s lifetime of public service has earned him many accolades. These include the Most Distinguished Alumnus award from the University of the Philippines (UP) Law Alumni Association, the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) award, the Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) award and UP’s Most Outstanding Alumnus in Public Service.

In 2015, he was also honored with the Lifetime National Volunteer Achievement Award from the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency. He received the three highest honors from the Philippine Red Cross: the Aurora Aragon Quezon Medal, the Silver Humanitarian Service Cross Award and the Gold Humanitarian Service Cross Award. He also received the Gold Humanitarian Award from the Japanese Red Cross.

International media such as Asiaweek and Asahi Shimbun named him one of Asia’s 20 Great Asians of the Future and 50 Young Leaders of Asia, respectively.

Gordon has worked as a lawyer, broadcaster, businessman, professor and inspiring speaker, in addition to his political and humanitarian activity. He has a Bachelor’s degree in History and Government from Ateneo de Manila University, as well as a law degree from UP.

Inspiration and perspiration

When asked what lesson he would give his younger self, Gordon paused to reflect — but not to change his history.

“To be a little bit more patient? To be a little bit — well, I don’t really want to advise myself. I mean, I can’t change myself. I really think that I have no regrets. Everything I did was a message,” he said.

And how would he like to be remembered? Not with magnificent titles, but with effort and determination.

He said, “Good thing to be remembered. I mean, I just look at the effort that has to be put in every single piece of work and every single piece of dream. Unceasing effort, that’s important. Never be discouraged, never give up. And I think that’s common to people.”

“I’m just a common person,” he noted. “I mean, I’m not anybody spectacular. I just have a plethora of spirit and try to do as much as I can with the limited time I have in whatever I do.”

Above all, he wants to be a spark that inspires others to take risks, have great dreams and contribute more.

“I would like to inspire. I’d like to be able to inspire people all the time. And sometimes inspiration can be both a positive and a negative because you try so hard. And to my mind, our country needs inspiration and a lot of perspiration. And to me, we have to learn that our country comes first before ourselves,” he emphasized to DAILY TRIBUNE.

At 80, Gordon’s legacy is still a work in progress, driven by huge goals, unwavering service and the attitude that there is always more to do, so “move forward.”