5 sexy attributes the next President of the Philippines must possess

As much as I want to dodge writing anything about politics in this blog, I have written articles with political context on numerous times in the past. I am now more accepting of the fact that no matter how much we do not give a fudge about it, we will and we must take our part in the quest of ensuring the equitability of government in managing the country’s vast resources. We are after all the bosses. We have the prime duty of delegating the best of the best in overseeing the internal and external affairs of our nation.

A few more sleeps and we will be welcoming another significant event in the history of the Philippines. The 2016 presidential elections is one of the most colorful and defining moments in Philippine history. This is one of the elections in which we can pick from a variety of options, each one promising a better avenue for this country. Now the question lies as to who should be the next president? Can these pitched promises really become realities of the future? What lies ahead of this nation depends on our choice. This post will bring you my personal take on what we must seek for the next president. By the way, nothing is sexy about it, I just have to catch your attention for you to start reading the post. Sorry for that one bro! If that is what you are looking for, you can’t find it here. Hahaha!

1. The next president must be INCORRUPTIBLE.

Corruption is rampant in the Philippines. Whether you admit it or not, you are as well guilty of corruption. You steal from other people their time, money and the truth and that is corruption. You accept bribes during elections and that is corruption. You don’t follow the laws of this land and you dodge from the responsibilities of being a citizen; that is corruption. Corruption is everywhere and to say that one can completely eradicate it is a lie. You can’t because whether we admit it or not, oftentimes our greed supersedes our values.

To say that the next president must be incorruptible then is to talk of the impossible. Nevertheless, we must think and believe in the impossible for us to start moving. What the next president must bear is the ability to be a staunch critic of himself. He must not fear criticism and he must not be swayed easily by public opinion. He must be firm in his stand and must not just seek popularity but embrace the value of inclusive and collective growth. He needs not to please the media or the pope or whoever it is. He needs to think of the Philippines and the welfare of its 101 million citizens.

Our nation needs incorruptible leadership, a leadership that is defined by integrity and justice. The next president must not have fear of being judged and must be ruthless if needed just so that we can start moving and achieve the impossible. Leadership is not all about being good. Why do we have wars then if it’s just about diplomacy and all sorts of good shenanigans? For goodness to thrive, one must sometimes embrace the darker shades of life.

2. The next president must HATE POVERTY.

I always find it dangerous when a politician says phrases such as “Ako ay para sa mahihirap”, “Gusto ko ang mahihirap”, and “Gobiyerno na para sa mahihirap”. If you take a look at the logical aspects of these phrases, it somehow supports the notion that they are more accepting of poverty. Yes, poverty is a reality in this country. No one can strikeout that fact. But to say that you are there for the poor is not enough. The next president must offer a solution to the problem and not just embrace it as a mere fact.

In the Philippines, income inequality is very obvious. The limited few earn millions while millions earn not even enough for the basic necessities. The larger minority are being abused and ripped of the benefits they deserve. Our country for example is agricultural and we all know that everyone needs food, but you get to wonder why almost all farmer families thrive below the poverty line. The truth is that our government lacks the mechanism to mitigate this income inequality and solve the poverty incidence in this country. I do not want to speculate but I think one reason is that our politicians need the poor because they are easily lured by the bribes they provide. Our government loves the idea of a dole out system. This is just a big no-no. (A big shout out to 4Ps! ..i..)

3. The next president must be DECISIVE.

If there is one thing I like about one particular candidate is his use of the word decisive. Well, it’s the only thing I find good about him. (evil grin) Decisiveness is important in any leadership. Two particular facets of being decisive are outlined by the words quick and effective. A decisive leadership needs to act quickly on all issues. You can’t reason out that “I just know about this” without saying that “but I have done all exhaustive efforts to ensure that is it addressed promptly”. The next president must show actions. He must also expect criticisms regarding his actions because it is normal. How he takes these criticisms defines whether he is an effective leader or not.

Decisive leadership requires a leader who is fierce and is unafraid of being judged. You can’t take immediate actions without risking ties from some individuals. You can’t take immediate actions if you are afraid of repercussions. You can’t take immediate actions if you are more worried of their consequences rather than the current situation. But beyond being prompt is the second element of decisiveness which is being effective. Don’t say that you are decisive just because you are quick to act. Decisive leadership must be quick but more importantly it must be effective.

4. The next president must have an UNDYING LOVE for this nation.

Nationalism is such a profound word and under the Philippine context it traces its roots from the heroes who have built the democracy and independence in this land. I don’t want any Justin Bieber in the presidency. A president must not love himself but must love this nation; to make it more of a leftist slogan, “Nation above self.”  It is easy to say that “I love my nation”, but the sad truth is that most of us don’t know the exact meaning of this phrase. The next president must be in love with the Philippines.

We cannot afford a president who is more than willing to renounce his or her citizenship for the greener pasture. We cannot afford a president who is willing to sell us to other nations. We need a president who sees our country as his humble COC base. He builds it to become better. He strategically plans its formation and its growth and upgrades. He is willing to attack the bad elements to protect it and he does not allow people to loot its resources so he safeguards them 24/7.

5. The next president must have all of the things listed from 1 to 4 as a whole package.

For me, the Presidency in the Philippines is a challenge of lifting the minority. Solving poverty is the biggest task to whoever sits at the Malacañang Palace. Many have tried, but each one of them failed. I don’t buy statistics (with all due respect to those who find this as their craft). Reducing the poverty incident is not a number game. If the next president is really keen to solve this issue, he must act and these actions should trickle down to the lowest in the hierarchy of governance. The challenge is not just on the president but on the entire government system. If the current state of government is indeed the best and the most ideal for this country, then I guess it should have been able to solve the problems that have been plaguing this nation for so many years now. We just have to find the right steward to guide the herd.

We need a leader who can bring transformational change. Who do I think it is? I bet you know now my choice. I’ll leave it up to you to decide who is yours. In the end, let us all be active and proactive in doing our part in the journey of this nation towards progress.