Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Christian Monsod’s call for Filipino voters to choose leaders “with sincerity and depth” is borne not just out of experience but from years of seeing the country in a roller-coaster ride toward nationhood and progress.
Monsod, who was recently in Cebu to attend a gathering of civil society groups, oversaw the first elections held after the 1986 People Power revolution drove out the Marcos regime. It was back in the days when automated elections were still a pipe dream and election operators had yet to perfect the art of “dagdag-bawas.”
Three administrations later, the country will again hold elections next year, and Monsod’s appeal for the electorate to choose their leaders wisely is about as old or older than the combined terms of those leaders that have gone before.
For all his bluster and proclamations about “Daang Matuwid” (Straight Path), President Benigno Aquino III has been receiving more than a truckload of tirades from former allies and Filipinos who vent their disappointment over his administration’s shortcomings.
The latest one, the lukewarm response to the “tanim-bala” (bullet-planting) racket and the ongoing transportation and traffic crisis in Metro Manila, call to mind his mother Cory, who was chastised for failing to solve the energy crisis during her term and how it was exploited by officials who supposedly made a profit out of it.
While the next batch of leaders need not be heroes whose deeds are written in epic poems, , we agree with Monsod that they should not be afraid of making reforms that run counter to norms and culture that govern this country’s bureaucracy.
And according to the former Comelec chairman, sincerity—and for that matter, charisma —while useful, aren’t enough for candidates to qualify as the country’s next president.
In underscoring the need for maturity and experience, he seemed to be referring to one particular candidate whose growing popularity also stirs concern about hyped credentials with little track record.
“Many decisions would involve counter-cultural reform which many politicians assiduously try to avoid making. Thus even if we elect honest and well-meaning people in 2016, we will remain a failure of social justice and human development unless they know what to do,” Monsod said.
Knowing the core character values and nature of each candidate would be difficult enough as it is for the voters, who are entertained by advertisements and the bluster of aspirants who vow to rid the country of corruption, drug traffickers and all sorts of criminals by jailing them or throwing them all to the sea.
Filipinos have had enough of extravagant promises. What we need is true leadership — competence and character together — that translates into getting things done while staying true to democracy and the Constitution.
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