The Makings of a Servant Leader: The Victor M. Buendia Story

“I did not expect any of this to happen in my life. I tried many times to cut short my political career but the call of the people and my love for the barangay pushes me.”, Hon. Victor M. Buendia told me with a calm voice as he read and signed through a small pile of documents in front of him, all while sitting in his humble chair in pure serenity.

“This is a tedious job. I do not like politics at all. Why can’t we all be just friends?” He said with a smirk on his face—which all the more gives me an idea that he did not want to be in that quiet office room at the center of one of the most bustling barangays in one of the key cities in the Philippines.

He then said “If I win, I win. If I lose, I lose. If they don’t like me, then they don’t”.

But he just keeps on winning.

As he told me how he came to be, I thought to myself that perhaps having a genuine passion for making things better and having a genuine connection with the people is all that it takes.

Early Life and Struggles

Victor M. Buendia came from humble beginnings. He was born on June 21, 1966 in Cebu City and was like any other child. He kept on talking about living a normal life just like any other family would experience. He went to Cebu Eastern College during his primary and secondary education years, then took up Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE) at University of San Jose – Recoletos.

The young Buendia was not immune to experiencing problems during his college and early adult years. In order to finish his studies, he had to involve himself in different ventures, entering endeavors such as the life insurance industry just to have enough money to get him through a day and survive payables while studying college. Eventually, he was able to pull through with his life struggles and by persevering hard enough, was able to have a taxi franchise business along with continuing his life insurance venture.

Introduction to Politics

While it was never his intention to enter politics, still, Hon. Buendia was invited to run as councilor in 2002 as an independent candidate to which he accepted since he “Just like to try politics and see what it’s all about”.

He remembers all the details in that 2002 election day. He didn’t even know about the “watchers” a candidate usually deploys at the voting precincts, if it were not for a supporter who told him to deploy some, to which he replied “Why should I need them? Why should I give money to the people just to win? If they don’t like me, then they don’t. If I win, I win. If I lose, then I lose.” and despite having no prior experience in politics,

He won anyway.

He won and had the last seat in among the councilors at Barangay Labangon.

And he was the youngest of all councilors at that time.

The young Buendia went to work almost immediately, following an “Idealistic” approach to his service to the people, to which he defines as “Not listening to people with other intentions. Just doing what is right for the people of Labangon.” And to do the right thing for the people of Labangon, he needed funds.

Despite being new to the political grounds, he got the funds anyway.

He was seated on October 2002, and by December of the same year, he was able to get funds from different sources such as NGOs and the City of Cebu itself, which would amount to P1M. He then passed a resolution — and was the only councilor to pass a resolution to the city about fixing the drainage problem during that time.

“Clean your own backyard before you clean the backyard of others.”. This was how Hon. Buendia approached his first term as a councilor. He made sure that everything in Labangon was clean during his first term as councilor. He was indeed very hands-on as a public official. Even though he knew he had it in him, he decided to call it quits after his first term. But someone he did not name pushed him to run for a second term. And he did. On his second term, then Councilor Buendia was not the last placer anymore, in fact, he was the top voted councilor of Labangon during that time—a testament to the trust given by the people to him.

Rise to Barangay Captain

During his second term, he was as hands-on as ever, keeping his “Idealistic” approach in dealing with barangay problems that he knows he can solve. After his second term, he once again decided to call it quits in the political scene, when people pushed him to run for barangay captain. He never even thought of it since Barangay Labangon was run for years by a prominent family in the barangay, but nonetheless tried to do so as the call of the people was too strong to ignore.

Unexpectedly, Buendia won the elections in 2012 with landslide votes in favor of him.

During his first tenure as barangay captain, he had one ambition: He wanted to prove to other officials that things can be done if everyone in the barangay hall is passionate, honest, and sincere.

His mission is simple. He wanted to change how politics is. He wanted to prove that everyone can work as one and be a cohesive unit, regardless of affiliations and political beliefs.

The transition period proved to be a challenge for Hon. Buendia. There were a lot of matters that needed immediate attention, and there were things that needed improvement. The barangay was lacking important vehicles such as garbage trucks. At first, he did not know what to do, that’s why he went home late every night just to learn the ropes on how to be a good barangay captain.

He wanted the barangay to stand up on her own, and he wanted the hall to look presentable so that it may truly represent what Labangon is all about. He said “How can I serve the hall is not presentable to the people?”

He immediately gathered funds and was able to get P6M from different sources such as the Office of the President.

On his first term, he was also able to get P30M funds for the drainage project for the barangay, and riprap for all creeks in Labangon.

On his second term, his mission was to finish everything he started. He also had a new mission: Security for the barangay. For a start, he was able to have a CCTV system installed in the barangay hall, the first in all of Cebu City. For that, Barangay Labangon was praised by the Philippine National Police Regional Office 7 and was set as an example for other barangays to follow.

During his stay as Barangay Captain of Labangon, he has helped in acquiring 28 multi-purpose vehicles and 9 garbage trucks; installed a solar powered system in barangay Labangon that greatly reduced the barangay hall’s monthly electric bill.

He is not planning to stop improving his barangay.

His future plans for Labangon include changing the public market into a little arcade to invite food chains to serve the people; build a basement parking so that the barangay hall looks clean, a part of his master plan to make Barangay Labangon the cleanest barangay in Cebu City. He wants the barangay to have disciplined people, be the safest barangay, and the best place to live in the city.

Through the efforts of Hon. Buendia and the officials of Barangay Labangon, the barangay has won awards such as “Most Outstanding Barangay Captain – Central Visayas 2014”, “Most child-friendly barangay”, “PNPCV most outstanding anti-drug abuse council” which was put in exhibit at Ayala Center Cebu by the USC Political Science student body.

Hon. Buendia did not do it on his own, despite not being affiliated deeply with any political parties, he was not alone in fighting for good governance. He has received heavy support from Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña, and Congressman Bebot Abellanosa.

He might not be able to achieve all of this had he not experienced his early life struggles that led him to developing perseverance. “The fruit you planted will grow if you work hard, work fast.” Hon. Buendia firmly said. He wants Barangay Labangon to grow, that’s why he does not let anyone stop him from his mission. He greatly acknowledges his background and roots as the reason for his passion. “It’s all about the upbringing of the family.” Hon. Buendia is the living testament that everything really starts from the basic unit in the society: The family.