Atty. Dino Austria on importing best practices, becoming the bureau’s youngest ever district collector, and the future of government.

At a time when most graduate without knowing what they want to do, Atty Dino Austria, still in his teens, already knew what his heart most desired. “I wanted to make things happen for the country,” shares the San Beda Law graduate, “I wanted to be in the situation room, to be part of the process, part of the team that makes decisions that make things happen for the country.”

Exhibiting a keen interest in both history and current affairs early on, Atty. Austria invested much of his college days active in student government, despite his undergraduate course in Ateneo being business-focused. “So many people, even my father, felt like I was wasting my time,” recalls the bureau’s youngest ever district collector, “but in my mind, it was an incubator— preparing me for what to do in the real world setting.”

Calling himself as the “most ambitious person in the room, who never gave up on his dream,” Atty Dino would first apply being part of the presidential management staff, only to be redirected to the Bureau of Customs by executive command. It was a decision that raised tempers along with eyebrows.

Importing Traditions

Given a position which most acquire close to retirement, Atty. Dino’s arrival as district collector was met with a blockade from entrenched management— an impasse which he deftly negotiated. “All organizations have their culture, their hierarchy, my goal was to minimize stepping on toes.” A firm believer of success as an intersection between preparation, opportunity, and luck, he strove to prove that he had the competence to fill his role’s shoes.

Approaching the problem like a legal case, he spent his own money buying review materials, studying what customs brokers would for their exams. “I felt like I owed it to the team to know what they knew.” He even went as fas as meeting retired officials, picking their brains for anecdotes, learning the ins and outs of his branch of government. “I even had coffee with the author of the (exam reviewer), a former commissioner!” confides Atty. Dino, “It turned out to be a ten-hour conversation.”

With his book smarts in check, he then worked on his people skills— holding small meetings tactically arranged throughout the day, and micromanaging early on. “I always tell people, ‘if you want the best soldiers, go to the bureau of customs,’” he says proudly, “all one needs to do is articulate the vision and direction, and they will have the skills to follow it through.”

Of course, one can’t please everyone, and Atty Dino made it abundantly clear that people who dragged their feet complying would be either reprimanded, reassigned, or relieved from their position. “Here, we mean business,” his voice resonating a professional, corporate tone, “and we’ve made great strides, particularly in terms of how the public and our trade partners view us.”

First Impressions

As one of only 17 in charge of overseeing the turnover of billions of pesos every month to the national government, Atty. Dino’s first marching orders involved making sure the bureau looked as good as it ran. He ordered a refurbishment of the premises, signage, and his own office— the equidistantly-spaced items on his desk reflecting the order he sought to institutionalize. “After the (renovation) people were shocked,” he shares, “people have a certain expectation when they go into a government building. We comfortably exceeded that.”

Temporally, he worked himself at a pace that his team kept up with as best they can. “It actually took me awhile to realize that re-caliberating my workday to a less hectic one was a good move.” He remembers starting his day as early as 5am, taking a few minutes to center himself, before diving into the days meetings in rapid succession. “The ports never close,” he quips of their 24/7 operation, “and the success of our mandate is largely dependent on whether or not we turnover enough revenue, as well as inspect enough containers for that day.” He is also keenly aware that delays of goods may cause a spike in prices— which affect much of the population. “But I realize we can only work to an extent, and (the bureau) is never going to run out of work, so I tell my guys now, ‘if it isn’t an emergency, go home, there is still tomorrow.’ People work better that way.”

His kaizen-like approach to running the bureau even landed him the role of Spokesman for the entire organization. “It’s a privilege and a headache,” he admits, “when things go wrong, I have to handle it. At one point my relatives are asking each other ‘why is Dino on tv again?’ They didn’t want me to take the heat. From my perspective, I just wanted to put myself out there and encourage more people to join government. I mean, why wait? Why not while we’re young, take an active involvement in nation-building?”

Move Meant in Good Governance

With his post owed to a co-terminus tenure with the current administration, Atty Dino is looking forward. “There is always movement in bureaucracy,” he acknowledges, “one can never be attached to the office.” And while he’s taken steps towards more certain career prospects, Atty Dino’s main focus is to ensure a smooth transition of power. He coaches his people, encouraging them to articulate their ambitions, as well as securing ISO certifications across the board. “It’s about continuity to the people we serve,” he says, “we do all the heavy planning now so that the incoming administration can focus on execution further down the line.”

Asked about his future plans, he still thinks himself most effective in the executive branch. “I feel I need to up my competence however,” he says, prefacing his application to several public leadership courses in his alma mater, as well as higher education abroad in the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. “I owe it to the people I want to serve. Hindi lang puso, pero utak din.”

Til then, Atty Dino intends on serving in his capacity, whilst engaging in his hobbies such as biking, immersing in science fiction (imagine our civilization a hundred years from now, perhaps across the stars!), and in parallel—studying the great leaders of history (among them, Catherine the Great and Emperor Wu Ze Tian)— all in preparation for his hopeful transition from government bureaucrat to national statesman.

—alike.com.ph

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