Humble, simple lifestyles

There’s a proposal prohibiting members of the House of Representatives from using the number “8” protocol license plate.

Why single out congressmen?

Why not also include all government officials—from the President down to judges?

Before he took his oath as President, Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte said he would disallow his Cabinet members from using the number “6” protocol license plate.

“Pahambug lang nâ (That’s just showing off),” he told this columnist in a one-on-one meeting at his sparsely-furnished home in a middle class subdivision in Davao City.

Mano Digong said he could not impose the same ban on members of Congress and the judiciary as they belong to separate branches of government.

The President’s vehicle sports the number 1 plate; Vice President, 2; Senate President, 3; Speaker of the House, 4; Chief Justice, 5; Cabinet secretaries, 6; senators, 7; congressmen, 8; associate justices of the Supreme Court, 9.

Presiding Justice and other justices of the Court of Appeals/Solicitor General, 10; Commission on Elections chair, 11; Cabinet undersecretaries, 12; Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff/ Philippine National Police chief, 14; Regional Trial Court judges, 16; Metropolitan Trial Court judges/Municipal Trial Court judges/Sha’ria Court judges, 17.

If Digong were to have his way, he would not use the special license plate.

“But it’s protocol that the President’s car should have the number ‘1’ plate,” he said.

The then presumptive President said he wanted his Cabinet’s official government vehicles to be the Toyota Avanza, an affordable mini multipurpose vehicle.

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Digong does not have a wee bit sense of entitlement.

When he was Davao City mayor, he rode a pickup truck and drove a taxi going around the city, looking for criminals or policemen who had strayed from their posts.

Just recently, President Digong flew home to Davao City on a commercial plane and in economy class.

He also went through the pre-departure security check at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Vice President Leni Robredo has the same kind of humility.

Ma’am Leni, before she was sworn in as Vice President, would take a passenger bus to and from her hometown in Naga City.  (She still does — Ed).

Others in the government should emulate the humility and simple lifestyles of the country’s two highest officials.

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