2017 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee: Lilia B. de Lima - honest, competent and dedicated public servant

Atty. Lilia B. De Lima as she was presented to the audience.

'One-stop, non-stop shop, no red tape, and no corruption.' That's how Lilia B. De Lima described the brand of service she instituted at the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) under her leadership for twenty one years.

For that, she got a rousing round of applause during the 2017 Ramon Magsaysay Awards presentation ceremonies on 31 August 2017.

She was appointed the first Director-General of the organization in 1995. She told former president Fidel Ramos who was in the audience: 'If not for you, sir, I wouldn't be here [for this award].'

The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) noted that under her helm, PEZA became 'a showcase of successful regulatory reform, a model of honest and committed public service, and a key contributor to the nation's economic growth.'

'It wasn't a walk in the park,' she said. 'We inherited an extremely bloated bureaucracy. Trimming the fat by 60 percent was a long, torturous and emotionally draining process. It was the most bruising experience in my public career, Everything was thrown at me. But we did not waver, and we cleaned up.'

The awardee with Vice Pres. Leni Robredo
and RMAF Chair Ramon del Rosario, Jr.

'My twenty-one years at PEZA was a privilege as it was a commitment. It gave me the opportunity to serve my country and help generate employment for our people.'

PEZA generated some 6.3 million jobs for Filipinos in direct and indirect employment during her term.

She thanked the investors ;who trusted in our capability to ensure that their operations can be set up at the soonest time and at the least cost.'

'As we strengthened the organization, we also instituted sweeping structural and policy reforms to remain competitive and address the ever changing investment climate,' she said.

The country became one of the region's top investment destinations.

With De Lima at the helm, the number of PEZA ecozones increased by 2,000% (from the initial 16 to 343 by 2016); registered enterprises rose from 331 to 5,756; investments reached PhpP 3 trillion; and ecozone exports totaled USD629 billion. PEZA remitted to the national treasury PhP16.6 billion in corporate income taxes and dividends, and paid off the debt of PhP4.6 billon of its predecessor agency.

From day one, she emphasized, their mantra was 'absolute honesty and utmost service in all our dealings with our stakeholders.'

She added that she survived four presidents for only one simple reason: "do[ing] your job with integrity and professionalism [which] is the best credential you can have, and the only endorsement you will need.'

She expressed hope that PEZA will continue to be 'a clean and efficient organization with highly motivated, hardworking professionals.' 

The 2017 Ramon Magsaysay Awardees with Vice Pres. Leni Robredo
and RMAF Chair Ramon del Rosario, Jr.

In recognition of 'her unstinting, sustained leadership in building a credible and efficient PEZA, proving that the honest, competent and dedicated work of public servant can, indeed, redound to real economic benefits to millions of Filipinos,' the RMAF board of trustees elected Lilia B. Delima as a recipient of the 2017 Ramon Magsaysay Award.