LOVE FOR SONGWRITING
“Chat,” as she is fondly called by her friends, had been a songwriter even before she entered government service. She began writing songs in high school, but started writing songs professionally during her law school years after being influenced by a sorority sister. She recalls going to a recording studio to record their demo tapes and then submitting them to Viva Records. According to Zamora, it was Regine Velasquez who first sang their song, 'To Reach You.' “She already recorded the song ‘On the Wings of Love’ that time, and then we gave the song to her and she liked it,” she recalls. She wrote 'With You,' her favorite song, which was recorded by Jaya. It's also her first R&B (rhythm and blues) song. She is also the songwriter of the ever-popular ‘Tila’ by Lani Misalucha and 'Beginning Today' by Agot Isidro, and has written songs for Sharon Cuneta, Zsa Zsa Padilla, and Ella May Saison. She still dreams of writing a song for Lea Salonga.
Zamora regards songwriting as a passion that she indulges in whenever she feels like it. She notes that there will be times when she is prolific in the early hours, especially if she is unable to sleep. “I can’t sleep because this melody and lyrics are playing in my head. I have insomnia, so I really have to express what’s on my mind.” She emphasizes, however, that the love songs she creates are not based on her personal experiences; rather, they are based on the experiences or heartbreaks of her friends as described to her, and some are based on the plots of movies that inspire her so much. She says 'When I Love' was inspired by a scene in My Best Friend’s Wedding in which Julia Roberts refuses to be touched in public. “My friends would pour their hearts out to me. So, [the songs I write are] hardly about myself. They are mostly about the heartbreaks of friends.” Except for the song 'Kailan Pa Man' (Whenever It May Be), which she wrote after her father died. “My emotion was too strong that time because I lost him,” she reveals.
“IT’S VERY EASY TO CRITICIZE. BUT WHEN YOU’RE THERE, SOMEHOW, YOU KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON. SO YOU JUST DO YOUR PART. BECAUSE IF YOU TRULY LOVE YOUR COUNTRY, YOU LOVE YOUR COUNTRY NO MATTER WHAT. YOU SUPPORT WHAT THE OTHER OFFICIALS AND THE ADMINISTRATION ARE ACTUALLY DOING. BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT IN THEIR HEARTS, THEY WANT THE COUNTRTY TO MOVE FORWARD.”
With the exception of the three Christmas songs she wrote for the Department of Justice (DOJ) at former DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra’s request while she was still with the department, she has not yet written any songs regarding events in government. Up until 2022, the songs served as the department’s Christmas theme music. She reveals that Guevarra, who is currently the solicitor general, is requesting that she write a song for the Solicitor General’s Office.
LOVE OF COUNTRY
The PRC head clarifies that she never intended to work for the government. She just dreamt of becoming a lawyer because she was inspired by her lawyer-father. Zamora says she was enthralled by his father’s demeanor in the courtroom during legal proceedings. She, however, fell in love with working for the government when she was offered a position under Justice Jose Melo at the Supreme Court. From then on, her ambition to serve the country and her fellow citizens began to grow. She acknowledges that there have been moments when she had become impatient with the way things were going, but she has never joined the ranks of people who criticize the government. “It’s very easy to criticize. But when you’re there, somehow, you know what’s going on. So you just do your part. Because if you truly love your country, you love your country no matter what. You support what the other officials or the administration is actually doing. Because you know that in their hearts, they want the country to move forward.
She feels that she has fallen so deeply in love with her nation that she returned after a brief hiatus from government work. “I longed for it. It was giving me fulfillment that I'm able to do something; I'm able to do my part, no matter how small,” she reveals. While Zamora admits that there are times that she gets frustrated with how the government works, she finds comfort in believing that no institution is perfect. “It will still boil down to the fact that you love your country.” It is this love for country that keeps her going and passionate about serving the Philippines.
LOVE FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICE
Before taking over as PRC’s leader, Zamora first worked at the Supreme Court (SC) as a court attorney under Melo. After her SC stint, she worked as the chief of staff of former Quezon City 3rd District Representative Matias Defensor, Jr. She considers Melo and Justice Renato Corona as her mentors and sources of motivation when it came to public duty, describing them as “very good and kind-hearted men.” Next, she went to Malacañang, serving as assistant secretary at the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary during the time of the late President Benigno Aquino III. She went on to serve at the Office of the Senior Deputy Executive Secretary during the early years of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term.
From 2018 to 2022, Zamora was officer-in-charge at the Department of Justice’s Office of Cybercrime. She thinks that because cybercriminals and their crimes are always incorporating the newest technological advancements, working in this field is extremely difficult. She saw it as a race that she had to stay up with, particularly given how quickly technology is advancing. “Even with new technology installed, scammers continue to advance and even improve,” she says. One of her favorite parts of the work, she recalls, was prosecuting cybercrime offenders, particularly in a case in Cebu where parents had used their kids for online prostitution.
UPGRADING PRC
As a recent appointee to the PRC under Marcos, Jr., Zamora acknowledges that she is still trying to learn the ropes. For now, PRC has established Special Study Teams and a Rightsizing Technical Working Group with the aim of concentrating on decentralization, organizational assessment, regional classification, competency standards, and upgrading salary grades.
PRC is concentrating on digitalization as well, since they wish to increase public accessibility to their services online. This will minimize red tape and fixing while also streamlining regulations and procedures to make their services faster, more effective, and more efficient. The Client Relationship Management System (CRMS), which allows users to provide feedback, is one aspect of digitalization. This can be used to gauge client satisfaction and assist the commission in tracking responses to complaints from clients.
PRC will also introduce the eDocumentary Stamp Tax (eDST), the electronic Professional ID Card, or ePIC, and the decentralization of the Certificate of Registration or license. The commission has also started pilot-testing its Computer Based Licensure Examination (CBLE) in Metro Manila and is soon to do the same in the four pilot regions. The CBLE will open the door for the implementation of the full online licensure examination.
It will also expand their services by reaching out to their clients not just in the Middle East but in other countries through Special Professional Board Licensure Examinations. They are also tapping the support of embassies, Philippine overseas labor offices, and other professional groups to strengthen the program for protecting overseas professionals. The PRC is also focusing on continuous education and development for professionals, especially since there have been efforts for ASEAN integration among professionals from other countries in the region. The commission is doubling its efforts in educating and training Filipino professionals to develop their core competencies in order to level up, if not compete, with other foreign professionals.
One important reform that Zamora immediately implemented when she assumed office was to improve communication and relationships among staff and departments within the PRC. “They don’t talk the way I want them to communicate with each other. So actually, that’s what I’m emphasizing. We have to work together. We have to communicate better, so we’ll be able to achieve what we want for PRC.”
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Zamora puts a premium on harmony in the workplace. She is known as a “cool” and very young-hearted chairperson. She wants to be surrounded by young people, believing that they have more energy to work harder. But she’s also very thankful and appreciative of those who have been working at the PRC for a long time. She mentions Commissioners Jose Cueto, Jr. and Erwin Enad, whom she consider very supportive of her.
Zamora admires government leaders who have integrity and honesty because these are her top values. She believes in leadership by example, saying that being unkind and bossy to make colleagues follow does not work. She always wants to inspire the people around her, especially her subordinates, for them to easily follow what she wants to implement.
The above is the reason why Zamora values transparency and openness in her leadership. She is so accessible that anybody who wants to have an audience with her does not need to have an appointment. “My door is always open. Even when I’m busy, I don’t see any point in being snobbish and bossy,” she concludes.
WHILE ZAMORA ADMITS THAT THERE ARE TIMES THAT SHE GETS FRUSTRATED WITH HOW THE GOVERNMENT WORKS, SHE BELIEVES THAT NO INSTITUTION IS PERFECT. HER LOVE FOR HER COUNTRY KEEPS HER GOING, AND SHE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT SERVING THE PHILIPPINES.