There is a clear difference between the debate as to who deserves to win on the basis of credentials (i.e. what a candidate has done in the past) and who deserves to win on the basis of a solid campaign strategy (i.e. how he sold himself). I have already made it very very clear that Gibo is the best choice while Noynoy has already been proclaimed as the 15th President of our Republic.
As such, I'd like to provide my unsolicited analysis on how and why Noynoy won and why Erap, Villar, and Gibo lost. Let's start off with an analysis of the Target Market of the Presidential Candidates.
Target Market: Filipino electorate
Behavior:
1. Generally instinctive not too keen on the details/platform. Satisfied in general/generic ideas.
2. Majority hates the current administration led by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from the dominant political party: Lakas-Kampi CMD.
3. Decision is largely affected by personal and/or emotional attachment to the candidate.
4. Decision is largely affected by popularity and/or winnability.
5. Media blitz and glamor can sway the electorate.
Given the behavior of the target market, which is the Filipino electorate, then let us quickly analyze the campaign strategies of the four major presidential contenders.
Noynoy Aquino - 5 STARS
Noynoy is considered as a late comer, having only decided to run at around September/October 2009. However, his being a late comer should be seen in the light of him being the son of Cory and Ninoy and the brother of Kris Aquino. By looking at this angle, one can immediately see that he is not an unknown candidate unlike other late comers. Moreover, he ran and won a senate seat in 2007, which means that he has already campaigned in a nationwide scope placing him at least at par with his closest rivals.
The Cory Magic definitely worked. When Former President Cory Aquino passed away in 2009, Noynoy's political capital surged and his popularity rating went over the top. As such, it was very wise to use this to jump start his campaign. Noynoy's political ads in late 2009 to early 2010 were all about him being the son of Ninoy and Cory. These ads called on people to relive the spirit of EDSA 1986 by projecting that we are at the exact same state now as we were in 1986. Noynoy's initial campaign message was that the incumbent President Gloria Arroyo is Marcos and Noynoy represents the change that his mother, Cory, symbolized in 1986. Given the reality of the target market, this was a very effective message since this touched a sensitive/emotional chord within the Filipino people. EDSA 1986 remains to be one of our proudest moments as a people and reliving its spirit will always get a nod of approval from the majority of our people.
Noynoy was able to maximize the effects of Cory's passing and the spirit of EDSA. Using this message, his ratings went up to as high as 60%.
However, by February, right before the start of the campaign season, Noynoy's rating plummeted while that of Villar rose. Noynoy's strategists, veterans as they were, I believe, expected that at a certain point in time, The effect of the Cory/Ninoy Magic would have already been maximized and hence diminish and there should be an automatic transition to focus on a goal.
At this stage of the game, Noynoy's drop in ratings was due to an effort of his opponents to question him as a man in his own right, his platform and his accomplishments and not as the son of Filipino legends. As such, to deflect this attack, his campaign strategy shifted to focus on a goal and put the "son of cory" strategy a bit outside the limelight (take note: just a bit outside the limelight). Unlike other candidates, however, his goal was simple, straight and bereft of any sophisticaated details. His goal was as general and generic as it can be, some actually consider this a motherhood statement, but the point is: it worked. The message of ending corruption is a box office hit and people bought it like pancakes.
I will attribute the effectiveness of Noynoy's "anti-corruption" to 3 underlying action plans of his campaign.
1. Continue bombarding the public that GMA's supposedly corrupt regime has brought us nowhere and must end now.
2. Attack and attack and attack Villar through the C5 extension project and other supposed corrupt practices
3. Give corruption a face, it is not enough to only put GMA's face. Hence, they successfully combined GMA and Villar to create the VILLARROYO: the face of everything that is wrong with our country.
As such the initial stance was to promote Noynoy as the son of Cory and Ninoy, hence people will get a certain emotional/historical attachment with him. The Noynoy camp was able to do this flawlessly.
The second stage was attack, attack, attack Villar and GMA using corruption as the general message. This was not just simple, it was actually very elementary. Noynoy's campaign's lack of sophistication in message creation was actually its greatest strength. As such, by March to April 2010, he was ahead by miles.
The simplicity of Noynoy's message allowed him to deliver it clearly. More than this, the overarching / catch all "anti-corruption" message permitted his loose alliance with so many sectors of the society to remain intact since, nobody actually would tell you that being anti-corruption would not benefit their group and will therefore remove themselves from the yellow coalition. Lastly, the simplicity of Noynoy's message allowed them to execute it perfectly, in near flawless form.
Lastly, whether they admit it or not, Noynoy was the media's baby. I'll stop short of accusing the media of being bias but I believe that the media practitioners are persons too and in one way or another, some of their personal beliefs leaked into the way they reported and delivered news to the public.
In all, looking back at who the target market was, it's a straight 5 stars for Noynoy's campaign.
ERAP - 2.5 STARS
Erap, same as Noynoy, did not provide any details in his strategy. His was also a short and simple message (a sort of reprise of "Erap Para sa Mahirap" slogan in 1998) he used "Basta may Erap, may ginhawa." And basically, he just repeated that line over and over and over again during the whole 90 days. Again, unsophisticated, elementary, general, motherhood - Filipinos love that!
Second, Erap is also seen as anti-GMA. Although pardoned by GMA, he never wavered in being anti-Gloria. He kept on yarping about how he is better than GMA. He also argued that GMA must pay for her crimes, as Noynoy also did. Hence, Filipinos love him for this.
Erap's biggest weakness, however, is him already being a former president, womanizer, drunkard, ousted leader and convicted plunderer. Hence, there is a valid reason to hate the guy. As such, the Filipino emotion is quite divided on whether to treat him as a victim of Gloria's lust for power or a corrupt leader that was rightfully put in his proper place. There is an argument that he was already tried and he failed. Hence, this weakness pulls down the headway he gained from delivering a simple message and being anti-Gloria.
Further slowing down his momentum is his winnability. As discussed above, Filipinos only vote for winnable candidates. From November 2009 to March 2010, he was always ranked as a far third, hence voters set him aside. By April, however, he jumped to the second place and this gained him more voters. Obviously, this was not enough for him to overtake Noynoy.
He also lacked media blitz and showbiz support. Unlike in his 1998 campaign, Erap was more austere in his campaign and obviously did not enjoy the full backing of the showbiz world. As such, inspite having the correct message and stance on GMA, he falls behind Noynoy in the area of emotional attachment, winnability, and media blitz.
Hence, I believe it's a 2.5 to 3 stars/checks for Erap.
MANNY VILLAR: 1 STAR
Manny Villar started off very strong having prepared for his presidential run, I believe, as soon as he got elected to his second term in the senate back in 2007. He had laid out everything: his coalition, message and delivery. However, he did not prepare for one thing: Cory's death.
Villar's message, like Noynoy, is simple and straight: end poverty. However, he did not stop at the general tone of his message. Many of his ads pointed out his achievements throughout the years. Villar's ads told us how many trees he planted, how many OFWs he helped, how many jobs he created. This could have been somewhat effective but the electorate wanted a simple message. Villar, inspite or despite of the end poverty campaign, was still all over the place.
If you would remember, his most effective ad was not the one when he kept repeating everything he's done in the past. His most effective ad was the one where a group of kids sang a song about ending poverty. See... it was all about sticking to one general/generic/motherhood goal.
The problem with Villar's campaign strategy was that when Noynoy seemed to be surging, the more he used his achievements (e.g. I planted all these trees, I provided these scholarship grants, I made all these and all that before) and the less he utilized his simple/generic campaign of ending poverty. And hence, he was basically attacking all fronts when what was needed to be done was to stick to his "TAPUSIN ANG KAHIRAPAN" theme.
He also failed to exploit one of Noynoy's weaknesses: his alleged incompetence. Noynoy never shirked from attacking Villar and at around March to April, his anti-villar tact was all out. By April, Noynoy has successfully painted Villar as the evil and corrupt man that people should hate or at least be afraid of. Villar, on the other hand, save for the psychiatric reports, whose effect, I believed could have been maximized had it been delivered to the public differently, failed to really attack Noynoy. Villar should have, at least, tried to paint incompetence as the greater evil than any other evil. I am not sure if it would work but he should have tried that angle. Similar to when Hillary, in 2008, used White House's red phone to point out that she is better equipped to lead (or answer that "emergency" phone) than Obama. It may yield the same result but it was worth the try.
There are many things you can say about Manny Villar and but you CAN'T say that he was media's baby. Correctly or not, Villar was "killed" by the media. The point is bad news sell! and Villar's C5 and PSE controversies are bad news and hence, they sell! So eventhough he had all the money to buy all the airtime, the moment the show returns to its regular programming (particularly during news time) it was all anti-Manny V. The Filipino emotion, hence, slowly but surely turned away from Manny V.
And yes, one more thing, he had a softer stance against GMA, not as soft as Gibo but way softer as compared to "I'll Kill Her" stance of Noynoy. As such, Villar's ratings plummeted and a week before elections he even fell to the third place in most surveys.
Manny V. started off strong but he was disoriented when Noynoy came into the picture. He had no Plan Noynoy since all he had was Plan Mar. As such, he had to scramble to arrange a new battleplan, which I believe was just a rehash of his plan vs. Mar, which could have been effective if he were running against Mar.
Hence, his simple slogan was diluted by his detailed messages, his anti-gma stance was seen as little bit softer than what the public wants, his winnability faded by April, a media target, the face of corruption. This led him to make the wrong moves that led to his ultimate defeat.
Look back at the behavior of the Filipino electorate and you'll clearly see why he lost. He started with strong potential but he lost steam by mid-campaign season and ultimately lost all his strength by crunch time. Overall, I'll only give him one star.
GIBO: ZERO STARS
I believe the explanation as to why Gibo lost is simple: He did not do anything to win the vote of the Filipino electorate.
Many hate GMA. He is GMA's candidate.
He is hated because he is Lakas-Kampi's standard bearer. Yet, he didn't even bother maintaining/preserving the unity of Lakas-Kampi.
While Filipinos love generic goals, his message was a detailed platform of governance. He failed to see the reality that Filipinos during election season do not care about: Agro-entrepreneurship, Foreign investments, Infrastructure, Economic Policies/Credit Ratings.
Media. He did not spend enough.
Winnability. Always fourth on surveys.
Emotions? Well he did inspire many to volunteer for him but these people probably at the maximum only represents 10% of the electorate.
There is only one thing that I hope Gibo did. He probably would still have lost but if I were in his inner circle I would have told him to release an ad repeatedly saying that Gibo is new politics, Gibo doesn't meddle in useless politicking, Gibo focuses on issues, Gibo is new politics, Gibo provides solutions not shallow complaints. I hope he did that and I think he probably got a few more votes than he actually did.
If you want to analyze why Gordon lost, take a look at the 5 characteristics of Filipino voters and I believe it would be clear to you that Gordon did nothing to get their votes. For me, Gordon like Gibo, garnered zero stars.
The only reason Villanueva got a million is because he has his own religious movement.
And so let this be a lesson to all those who plan to run for an elective position in the future: In Philippine Elections, it doesn't matter what you did in the past, it doesn't matter what your ideology is, it doesn't matter how you plan to move this country forward, what matters is how you SELL THE DRAMA.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Move Forward: A Message to all Gibo Supporters From a Fellow Volunteer
During the month leading up to the elections, I began to take a more active role in Gibo’s campaign. I joined several campaign sorties and motorcades while I continued to write on my blog in the hopes that people would realize that he is indeed what we need now: A Modern Leader.
Yesterday, May 10, 2010, I shaded the oval right before Gibo’s name.
Today, May 11, 2010, all signs point to his imminent electoral defeat.
Today, May 11, 2010, I will mourn.
Today, I feel frustrated. Almost all my national candidates lost, same as in 2004 and 2007 elections.
Today, I will try to make sense of how and why Filipinos overlooked Gibo.
Today, I will rant. Yet again, we have another casualty of our political immaturity, as we passed up the chance for Roco’s leadership in 1998 and 2004, we have done it again to Teodoro, yesterday.
Today, I am bothered. When will we ever learn? How will we learn?
But as the day turns into night and as the dark sky gives way to the morning light of the 12th of May, I believe I will be comforted by the fact that my trust for Gibo is not based on him being the 6 foot tall-good looking-great public speaker that he truly is.
I voted for Gibo because of his platform.
I voted for Gibo because of the realistic ideas he presented on how to move this country forward and one thing I know about ideas is that ideas do not die.
More precisely, these ideas will not simply die due to an electoral defeat.
I am supremely confident that Gibo’s ideas are now planted deeply in our hearts. This is our glimpse of what new politics, what modern leadership, is all about. No more useless politicking, no more vindictive actions, just plain and simple focus on the issues to produce effective results.
Now, they are no longer Gibo’s ideas alone. Gibo has shared it to all of us. Whether or not Gibo will run again in 2013 and 2016 does not matter, it is already up to us, up to each and everyone of us, who believed and continuous to believe in him, to nurture these ideas and further spread it so that it may reach every island of this country and tear down every dividing wall, regardless if it is a wall of concrete or a wall that blocks one's social consciousness.
The responsibility to grow the idea of Modern Leadership now rests upon our shoulders.
Part of this responsibility is our obligation to promote unity, peace, stability and progress. And in advancing these, we must support the new and/or re-elected leaders of the Republic.
We must exercise positive activism, not destructive and vindictive politicking.
We must help in healing past wounds, not in further deepening them.
We must help in breaking down barriers, not in creating new ones.
We must take an active role in being part of the solution, not the problem.
If we continue to push for all his ideas, then Gibo did not really lose.
If even just a few of us would carry on his message of peace, stability, unity and progress then Gibo's electoral defeat bears no importance.
If we spread this message and develop the Filipino people into being ready and willing to accept and believe in new politics and modern leadership, then Gibo actually won.
Yes, we must always be vigilant. This is true. But this is more of a message of support. Because we have always been vigilant, to a point that we may have already overstepped our boundaries, which is counter-productive. Maybe it is time to take a different approach by stretching our hands in support and assistance to our new leaders in any capacity we can, keeping in mind that we can only move forward if we move as one.
We may argue, for days and days, about the specific ways and methods to solve our problems but these arguments should not outweigh the basic fact and the unifying force of the idea that all of us are united in the desire to create solutions.
Noynoy Aquino won fair and square. He will have a clear mandate to govern. Whether I like it or not, I have to recognize the fact that I am just one voice and that he will inevitably and rightfully be the 15th President of our Republic.
I will respect and recognize that.
Best of luck to him and with such massive support from all classes of our society, I hope he would be able to put this into good use to be able to truly lead us to prosperity and sustainable growth.
Kudos to Gibo for his high level campaign and clear cut policy direction. He proved that in a time where damaging and destructive politics is the trend, a leader can rise above it all and illustrate to us that modern leadership is actually within our reach.
Kudos to all the members of Green Team and other Gibo volunteer campaign movements, I think all of you worked harder than I did. We fought a good fight and we should all stand proud. I hope that Green Team will soldier on and that our group will not fade away. We can continue helping the society in many different ways. The relationships we built here will last a lifetime.
Today, I will mourn.
Tomorrow, I will move forward.
I sincerely hope you can do the same.
Monday, May 10, 2010
A Noynoy Victory
I religiously followed Gibo's call for positive campaign. I refrained from letting all hell break loose for almost 6 months, whenever I talk about Philippine politics. And now, I will ask for your forgiveness. The elections are over and both my priest and my doctor told me that it would be best to let out all the pent up frustrations and anger.
At this exact time, less than 1% of the precincts have been tallied so it is very immature to declare victory for any candidate. But you can expect Noynoy to do this very soon because maturity isn't really a trait he is well known for. As such, it is quite obvious that I can no longer constrain myself to discuss what a Noynoy Victory means.
In the event of a Noynoy victory, my hope that at long last, Filipinos would have already reached a certain level of political maturity will be proven groundless. Filipinos still vote based on popularity and personality. Filipinos have this "sabay sa uso" mentality and the surveys accomplished this well for Noynoy. Classes D & E are not solely to blame for this rotten mindset.
Classes A & B voters or the so called "educated" vote are also very much infected by this "sabay sa uso" disease. Many from this class have opted to vote for an innocuous candidate who has done nothing and proven nothing. More than this, this guy continuous to exhibit incompetence and traditional political behavior.
He, in his 12 years as a legislator, has not passed a single law. And what is the main role of a legislator? That's right, to create laws.
How did he explain himself? He argued that the reason for this is because only the rich benefit from the laws passed by congress and hence he simply directs you to all the legislative hearings and inquiries he attended.
And how did the so called "educated voters" respond to this spin? A resounding round of applause in agreement.
He, among all the candidates (I can't use the word Presidentiable to describe Noynoy, since that word requires the candidate to exhibit behavior and skills to actually be ABLE to become PRESIDENT), used negative campaigning at its worst. He pushed for instability through fear mongering by presuming People Power in the event of his defeat. Even Cardinal Rosales called this tactic "crazy, crazy, crazy" and "irresponsible."
How did the so called "educated voters" respond to this irresponsible behavior? With a big smile and a bigger yellow sticker on their foreheads saying, "I don't care if it's crazy, I don't care of it's irresponsible... basta ako NOY NA, NOW NA."
Like a little child, Noynoy licks his finger and sticks it in the air to see which way the popular winds are blowing. Case and point is his stand on taxation. One minute, he, in all his glory, balding head and all, boldly declares: "NO NEW TAXES!" the next minute he's singing a different tune. A day ago, he declared the redistribution of Hacienda Luisita, the next day his relative stated otherwise. Noynoy responds by saying his relative was misquoted. New York Times said they can actually release the interview transcript. Noynoy backs off.
How did the so called "educated voters" respond to this? With an all capitalized "WHATEVER! BASTA NOY IS THE SON OF CORY AND NINOY AND HE IS ANTI-GLORIA SO HE CAN MAKE ALL THE MISTAKES HE CAN. HE CAN SAY WHATEVER HE WANTS TO SAY!"
In Asia Dragon's December 2009 issue, Noynoy declared: "Democracy must work for everybody." He argued that a vote for him is a vote for the restoration of democracy so badly tarnished and spit upon by the incumbent. Let's take a quick look at how this man truly strengthens our democracy.
He strengthens our democracy by engaging in mudslinging and traditional political behavior.
He strengthens our democratic institutions by calling on people to rally on the streets in protest if he loses the election.
He strengthens our democracy by sitting on his legislative chair for 12 long years without writing, repealing, and/or strengthening any of our laws.
He strengthens our democracy by complaining without presenting solutions. Oh, I may be wrong, he did present a solution: himself and his messianic complex.
He strengthens our democracy by repeatedly declaring his motherhood statements not clear cut, solid, and grounded platform. And for the record, wrong headed economic policies and priorities are more responsible for poverty than this over-used, imprecise, catch-all term: corruption.
He strengthens our democracy by taking advantage of the personality political culture, calling on everyone to vote for him because he is Noynoy, the son of Cory and Ninoy.
He strengthens our democracy by skirting the pressing issues, such as infrastructure investments, education lending programs, and rural development. If he gets asked any questions related to these, he will simply look the other way and declare: HINDI AKO MAGNANAKAW.
He strengthens our democracy by getting irritated during debates, which is an essential part of democracy, when cornered or taken by surprised. His defensive tactic: he will claim that the moderator is biased.
That's sarcasm in case you didn't get it. Contrary to what Noynoy declares, our democracy will not magically and suddenly be strengthened and effectively function just because of one man. To make democracy work, a leader must not and cannot depend on HIMSELF and HIS DREAMS, he must have a solid, detailed, realistic and comprehensive platform to enact STRUCTURAL REFORMS that would work to strengthen both our middle class and our political party system. Noynoy did not present a concrete plan to address issues in both areas. In fact, his actions ostensibly contradict his rhetoric.
As such, the main paradox here is that these big bold promises of restoring and preserving our democratic institutions came from a man who exhibited nil capacity, in all his years in public service, to enact structural and institutional changes to our political system that would precisely solve or at least attempt to redress that which he passionately complained about (i.e. the incumbent's alleged crimes). In other words, Noynoy has not done anything in the past, the present, and during the campaign to prove that he actually can strengthen our democracy.
How did the so called "educated voters" respond to the absence of any solid track record and comprehensive forward looking platform that would allow Noynoy to deliver on his promises? Nothing. They were too blinded by Noynoy's smile and were too awed by him being the fiancee of a beautiful city council member, the brother of a celebrity, the son of the former president and a hero and many bought it. This is personality politics at its worst.
He exaggerates. He tells you things that you want to hear. Not the things that you need to hear. He is a populist and we don't need one.
He has no platform except to complain about the current administration. He has no policy direction. He has no plan on how to move us forward. He has nil achievements. He is insignificant.
All he has is the blessing... or may I call it an accident of being born into the Aquino family.
We have blamed classes D & E for the victory of Erap in 1998. We have blamed classes D & E for the continuous prevalence of Traditional Politicians in our system.
Today, I will blame Classes A & B for choosing incompetence just because he is Noynoy Aquino, for choosing unsubstantiated rhetoric just because he is Noynoy Aquino, for choosing motherhood statements (e.g. I will fight corruption) just because he is Noynoy Aquino.
Any warrior must prove himself first in several small skirmishes before rallying an army of millions to a grand battle. It is a sheer dictate of common sense that one should not follow a self-proclaimed warrior, who has not proven anything but promises a victorious empire, into battle. I will not follow a leader who has no achievements yet talks as if it would be so easy to effect change.
It maybe just me, but it takes a lot for me to admire a man. It takes a lot for me to believe in a leader. It takes a lot for me to be inspired. Because inspiration springs from action, from achievements and not from shameless/baseless rhetoric.
I am not that easy.
A vote for Noynoy is a vote for the past not the future. A vote for Noynoy is "sabay sa uso" vote. A vote for Noynoy shows that our political maturity is not only in its infancy, it is not only nascent, it is actually non-existent.
I maybe wrong. Noynoy may actually become a very good president. But using rational choice and analyzing all the information in front of me right now points me to a different direction. Believe me, I hope I would be proven wrong for the sake of our country.
But whatever happens, I can hold my head up high and I will always be proud because I made the right choice. I will tell the future generations that last May 10, 2010, I voted for Gibo Teodoro. I can boldly declare that I chose my president not because he is popular, not because he is "uso," and most of all not because he is Gibo. I decided to vote for my president after careful discernment... I studied and I listened.
http://straightshooter-lojo.blogspot.com/2010/02/case-for-gibo-teodoro.html
I did not allow my emotions to dictate my vote. I did not permit my instincts to dictate my actions. Because after all, I was told that the only difference we have from savage animals is our capability to use our cerebral faculty over our instincts.
Noynoy's victory's biggest contribution to this world is probably debunking the idea that all humans are rational beings.
For my closing, I would like to apologize.
I would like to say sorry but not to Noynoy's voters who may have been offended by this entry.
I'd like to say sorry to all us who voted correctly.
I'd like to say sorry to the gym owner who told me, while waiting for our turn to vote, that he will vote for Gibo because he wants a competent leader.
I'd like to say sorry to the taxi driver who told me, while waiting for our cars to get washed this morning, that he voted for Gibo because he is tired of political bickering.
I'd like to say sorry to the college students who told me, when I met them in Green Team activities, that they will vote for Gibo because they want to secure their future.
I'd like to say sorry to my colleagues who voted for Gordon, whom I highly respect, because they want to have a leader with a proven track record.
I will not say sorry to Noynoy's voters because they deserve everything that is coming their way.
I am sorry for myself.
I am sorry for all of us who made the right choice because while the country is not ready and unwilling to accept Modern Leadership, we are.
I am sorry for all us who made the right choce because all they had to do was to THINK and they would be ready for Modern Leadership but they chose not to.
I am sorry because we deserve better... so much better.
This is what a Noynoy Victory means.
But rest assured, that being a responsible citizen, I will respect the results of the election and offer my support to the New President of the Republic.
And to the citizens of this country, I hope we all realize that, whoever calls Malacanang his new home, for our own sake, we must always work hard and to achieve our goals... we must work even harder.
At this exact time, less than 1% of the precincts have been tallied so it is very immature to declare victory for any candidate. But you can expect Noynoy to do this very soon because maturity isn't really a trait he is well known for. As such, it is quite obvious that I can no longer constrain myself to discuss what a Noynoy Victory means.
In the event of a Noynoy victory, my hope that at long last, Filipinos would have already reached a certain level of political maturity will be proven groundless. Filipinos still vote based on popularity and personality. Filipinos have this "sabay sa uso" mentality and the surveys accomplished this well for Noynoy. Classes D & E are not solely to blame for this rotten mindset.
Classes A & B voters or the so called "educated" vote are also very much infected by this "sabay sa uso" disease. Many from this class have opted to vote for an innocuous candidate who has done nothing and proven nothing. More than this, this guy continuous to exhibit incompetence and traditional political behavior.
He, in his 12 years as a legislator, has not passed a single law. And what is the main role of a legislator? That's right, to create laws.
How did he explain himself? He argued that the reason for this is because only the rich benefit from the laws passed by congress and hence he simply directs you to all the legislative hearings and inquiries he attended.
And how did the so called "educated voters" respond to this spin? A resounding round of applause in agreement.
He, among all the candidates (I can't use the word Presidentiable to describe Noynoy, since that word requires the candidate to exhibit behavior and skills to actually be ABLE to become PRESIDENT), used negative campaigning at its worst. He pushed for instability through fear mongering by presuming People Power in the event of his defeat. Even Cardinal Rosales called this tactic "crazy, crazy, crazy" and "irresponsible."
How did the so called "educated voters" respond to this irresponsible behavior? With a big smile and a bigger yellow sticker on their foreheads saying, "I don't care if it's crazy, I don't care of it's irresponsible... basta ako NOY NA, NOW NA."
Like a little child, Noynoy licks his finger and sticks it in the air to see which way the popular winds are blowing. Case and point is his stand on taxation. One minute, he, in all his glory, balding head and all, boldly declares: "NO NEW TAXES!" the next minute he's singing a different tune. A day ago, he declared the redistribution of Hacienda Luisita, the next day his relative stated otherwise. Noynoy responds by saying his relative was misquoted. New York Times said they can actually release the interview transcript. Noynoy backs off.
How did the so called "educated voters" respond to this? With an all capitalized "WHATEVER! BASTA NOY IS THE SON OF CORY AND NINOY AND HE IS ANTI-GLORIA SO HE CAN MAKE ALL THE MISTAKES HE CAN. HE CAN SAY WHATEVER HE WANTS TO SAY!"
In Asia Dragon's December 2009 issue, Noynoy declared: "Democracy must work for everybody." He argued that a vote for him is a vote for the restoration of democracy so badly tarnished and spit upon by the incumbent. Let's take a quick look at how this man truly strengthens our democracy.
He strengthens our democracy by engaging in mudslinging and traditional political behavior.
He strengthens our democratic institutions by calling on people to rally on the streets in protest if he loses the election.
He strengthens our democracy by sitting on his legislative chair for 12 long years without writing, repealing, and/or strengthening any of our laws.
He strengthens our democracy by complaining without presenting solutions. Oh, I may be wrong, he did present a solution: himself and his messianic complex.
He strengthens our democracy by repeatedly declaring his motherhood statements not clear cut, solid, and grounded platform. And for the record, wrong headed economic policies and priorities are more responsible for poverty than this over-used, imprecise, catch-all term: corruption.
He strengthens our democracy by taking advantage of the personality political culture, calling on everyone to vote for him because he is Noynoy, the son of Cory and Ninoy.
He strengthens our democracy by skirting the pressing issues, such as infrastructure investments, education lending programs, and rural development. If he gets asked any questions related to these, he will simply look the other way and declare: HINDI AKO MAGNANAKAW.
He strengthens our democracy by getting irritated during debates, which is an essential part of democracy, when cornered or taken by surprised. His defensive tactic: he will claim that the moderator is biased.
That's sarcasm in case you didn't get it. Contrary to what Noynoy declares, our democracy will not magically and suddenly be strengthened and effectively function just because of one man. To make democracy work, a leader must not and cannot depend on HIMSELF and HIS DREAMS, he must have a solid, detailed, realistic and comprehensive platform to enact STRUCTURAL REFORMS that would work to strengthen both our middle class and our political party system. Noynoy did not present a concrete plan to address issues in both areas. In fact, his actions ostensibly contradict his rhetoric.
As such, the main paradox here is that these big bold promises of restoring and preserving our democratic institutions came from a man who exhibited nil capacity, in all his years in public service, to enact structural and institutional changes to our political system that would precisely solve or at least attempt to redress that which he passionately complained about (i.e. the incumbent's alleged crimes). In other words, Noynoy has not done anything in the past, the present, and during the campaign to prove that he actually can strengthen our democracy.
How did the so called "educated voters" respond to the absence of any solid track record and comprehensive forward looking platform that would allow Noynoy to deliver on his promises? Nothing. They were too blinded by Noynoy's smile and were too awed by him being the fiancee of a beautiful city council member, the brother of a celebrity, the son of the former president and a hero and many bought it. This is personality politics at its worst.
He exaggerates. He tells you things that you want to hear. Not the things that you need to hear. He is a populist and we don't need one.
He has no platform except to complain about the current administration. He has no policy direction. He has no plan on how to move us forward. He has nil achievements. He is insignificant.
All he has is the blessing... or may I call it an accident of being born into the Aquino family.
We have blamed classes D & E for the victory of Erap in 1998. We have blamed classes D & E for the continuous prevalence of Traditional Politicians in our system.
Today, I will blame Classes A & B for choosing incompetence just because he is Noynoy Aquino, for choosing unsubstantiated rhetoric just because he is Noynoy Aquino, for choosing motherhood statements (e.g. I will fight corruption) just because he is Noynoy Aquino.
Any warrior must prove himself first in several small skirmishes before rallying an army of millions to a grand battle. It is a sheer dictate of common sense that one should not follow a self-proclaimed warrior, who has not proven anything but promises a victorious empire, into battle. I will not follow a leader who has no achievements yet talks as if it would be so easy to effect change.
It maybe just me, but it takes a lot for me to admire a man. It takes a lot for me to believe in a leader. It takes a lot for me to be inspired. Because inspiration springs from action, from achievements and not from shameless/baseless rhetoric.
I am not that easy.
A vote for Noynoy is a vote for the past not the future. A vote for Noynoy is "sabay sa uso" vote. A vote for Noynoy shows that our political maturity is not only in its infancy, it is not only nascent, it is actually non-existent.
I maybe wrong. Noynoy may actually become a very good president. But using rational choice and analyzing all the information in front of me right now points me to a different direction. Believe me, I hope I would be proven wrong for the sake of our country.
But whatever happens, I can hold my head up high and I will always be proud because I made the right choice. I will tell the future generations that last May 10, 2010, I voted for Gibo Teodoro. I can boldly declare that I chose my president not because he is popular, not because he is "uso," and most of all not because he is Gibo. I decided to vote for my president after careful discernment... I studied and I listened.
http://straightshooter-lojo.blogspot.com/2010/02/case-for-gibo-teodoro.html
I did not allow my emotions to dictate my vote. I did not permit my instincts to dictate my actions. Because after all, I was told that the only difference we have from savage animals is our capability to use our cerebral faculty over our instincts.
Noynoy's victory's biggest contribution to this world is probably debunking the idea that all humans are rational beings.
For my closing, I would like to apologize.
I would like to say sorry but not to Noynoy's voters who may have been offended by this entry.
I'd like to say sorry to all us who voted correctly.
I'd like to say sorry to the gym owner who told me, while waiting for our turn to vote, that he will vote for Gibo because he wants a competent leader.
I'd like to say sorry to the taxi driver who told me, while waiting for our cars to get washed this morning, that he voted for Gibo because he is tired of political bickering.
I'd like to say sorry to the college students who told me, when I met them in Green Team activities, that they will vote for Gibo because they want to secure their future.
I'd like to say sorry to my colleagues who voted for Gordon, whom I highly respect, because they want to have a leader with a proven track record.
I will not say sorry to Noynoy's voters because they deserve everything that is coming their way.
I am sorry for myself.
I am sorry for all of us who made the right choice because while the country is not ready and unwilling to accept Modern Leadership, we are.
I am sorry for all us who made the right choce because all they had to do was to THINK and they would be ready for Modern Leadership but they chose not to.
I am sorry because we deserve better... so much better.
This is what a Noynoy Victory means.
But rest assured, that being a responsible citizen, I will respect the results of the election and offer my support to the New President of the Republic.
And to the citizens of this country, I hope we all realize that, whoever calls Malacanang his new home, for our own sake, we must always work hard and to achieve our goals... we must work even harder.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Unity. Stability. Progress.
The time has come for us to cast our ballots and choose the set of leaders that will lead us for the next three to six years, depending on whether they are running for a national or a local position. Contrary to what others say, your decision should not be based on the argument that this election simply boils down to a question of good vs. evil. In our socially constructed world, nothing is as elementary as good vs. evil.
The Real World is more complex than good vs. evil. Nothing is in black and white. There is not only a gray area, there is a whole plethora of every shade of every color known to a good paint salesman.
To be able to effect change, a leader must first and foremost see all these colors as they criss cross each other forming a kaleidescope. To be able to effect change, one must have a full grasp of reality.
There are not only 2 sides to every issue and in politics, there maybe millions of angles. In politics, there are a multitude of interests that must be considered and taken into account.
Failure to grasp reality results in useless/worthless opinions and views on how to move this country forward.
Only individuals who see the complexity of reality as clearly as possible can produce results and at the end of the day, producing effective results is the number one consideration in any measurement and or analysis. Those who do not see reality are bound to fail and fail again miserably. Those who do not see reality, repeat the same exact set of motions or actions and yet they expect a different result.
I have already, in my previous posts, described in detail why you too should choose Gibo and as such, I have already done everything I can in my capacity to tell the public that Gibo is the right choice.
Please view:
THE CASE FOR GIBO TEODORO: http://straightshooter-lojo.blogspot.com/2010/02/case-for-gibo-teodoro.html
WHAT WE NEED NOW: http://straightshooter-lojo.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-we-need-now-modern-voters-modern.html
Green Team MandaluyongAs such, I am now left with only an earnest hope that when the electorate cast their votes tomorrow, they would have already realized that the complexity of reality bars us from choosing unsubstantiated rhetoric. The complexity of reality demands us to choose substance, the choose concrete platform, to choose vision, and to choose meritocracy: TO CHOOSE THE BEST.
For decades, in an effort to sway the gullible electorate, candidates have used poverty and corruption as core issues because they sell. I hope that tomorrow, we would have already understood that the complexity of reality demands us to comprehend WHAT WE NEED NOW.
What we need is someone who is working for UNITY.
What we need is someone who has a clear platform towards STABILITY.
What we need now is a man who can be the lead instrument for PROGRESS.
Stop the division. No more vengeance.
What we need now is GILBERT "GIBO" TEODORO, JR.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
How about some sense of Mercy?
“I’m tired of hatred, Dr. Garrigan, our country is drowning in it. We deserve better.”
This line from the film “the Last King of Scotland” reminds me so much of our country. It is precisely hatred that has provided the downward pressure to the upward force of a surging economy and I am very much tired of it. But hatred has permeated deep in our society and I am actually quite amazed at how quick even regular citizens are in sowing speculations and conspiracy theories. It is quite clear that what we have now is a culture of hate.
Who do we blame for the current state of our country? The President, yes, ofcourse, the President is guilty. BUT SO ARE YOU AND SO AM I. The Media, the Church, the Business Clubs, the Academe, and yes, must I forget, the great orators, the senators, are all equally guilty of why we are in this sad state.
We have failed this country because we have chosen hate over unity, animosity over goodwill, hostility over stability.
Upon reading this, the arrogant, those who believe that they have the monopoly of rigtheousness, with their nose pointed up in the air, would say, YES, of course, we choose hatred, hatred of corruption, hatred of evil, that is. Evil? Everybody hates evil. It is a matter of how you effectively address evil. How you confront it and what results do you achieve after confronting it the way you decided to.
Hatred has been used to drive the search for justice. Hence, many of us look at justice as the legal method to crucify the sinners depending on our moods and whims. A Witch Hunt. A Vendetta.
This sense of justice would make us blind followers to a cult whose blind goal is to raze this country to ground until every living being that ever walked or crawled this land will have to either leave or suffer the subsequent economic deterioration.
This sense of justice promotes hate, further division, and utter destruction.
How about the millions of Filipinos living in poverty? What do all of these mean to them? What about those without food and clothing? Is this the justice they are looking for? What about those without jobs? Will this justice give them paychecks?
You see evil. You confront it. Many see this as the end of the struggle. I see this as the beginning.
Hatred has blinded us so much that we think that through hatred we can create jobs, produce food, and build roads. But this is not the case.
Hatred has blinded us so much that we think that just by hating we are already achieving something.
I have made this point again and again, but I cannot reiterate enough that the more we allow our hatred to violently confront the ills of the current system the more we push these ills, the more we solidify them and further entrench them in the system. Hence, we achieve nothing but create a vicious cycle.
A few weeks back, I read an article comparing Gibo's supporters to a bunch of guys satisfied eating their burgers with somebody else's phlegm on it. You can read hate between the lines. Obviously, the writer's initial goal was to convert some soft Gibo supporters into voting for someone else. But using hate as the driver to achieve his objective, He failed miserably. Those who were thinking of voting for Gibo, upon reading this hateful article, moved towards solidfying their ties with the Gibo team. This is what happens when hate takes the driver seat. We forget about effectiveness, we forget about results and we make hating the end-goal.
We have seen so much hate and it brought us nowhere.
So now, I ask you... I dare you... How about some sense of mercy?
Mercy: not for anyone but for our country and for our people.
Mercy: to provide hope, unity, stability, and progress.
Mercy: so that for once, we may have the chance to become a strong united country with the noble aim of finally being able to take our rightful seat among the world’s most respected nations.
It is only through mercy can we forgive the sins of our painful and hateful past.
Only through unity can we take flight towards our bright future.
Only one leader offers us unity over hate, goodwill over animosity, and stability over hostility.
I think it is just wise for us to take his offer.
GIBO TEODORO FOR PRESIDENT
MAY 10, 2010
This line from the film “the Last King of Scotland” reminds me so much of our country. It is precisely hatred that has provided the downward pressure to the upward force of a surging economy and I am very much tired of it. But hatred has permeated deep in our society and I am actually quite amazed at how quick even regular citizens are in sowing speculations and conspiracy theories. It is quite clear that what we have now is a culture of hate.
Who do we blame for the current state of our country? The President, yes, ofcourse, the President is guilty. BUT SO ARE YOU AND SO AM I. The Media, the Church, the Business Clubs, the Academe, and yes, must I forget, the great orators, the senators, are all equally guilty of why we are in this sad state.
We have failed this country because we have chosen hate over unity, animosity over goodwill, hostility over stability.
Upon reading this, the arrogant, those who believe that they have the monopoly of rigtheousness, with their nose pointed up in the air, would say, YES, of course, we choose hatred, hatred of corruption, hatred of evil, that is. Evil? Everybody hates evil. It is a matter of how you effectively address evil. How you confront it and what results do you achieve after confronting it the way you decided to.
Hatred has been used to drive the search for justice. Hence, many of us look at justice as the legal method to crucify the sinners depending on our moods and whims. A Witch Hunt. A Vendetta.
This sense of justice would make us blind followers to a cult whose blind goal is to raze this country to ground until every living being that ever walked or crawled this land will have to either leave or suffer the subsequent economic deterioration.
This sense of justice promotes hate, further division, and utter destruction.
How about the millions of Filipinos living in poverty? What do all of these mean to them? What about those without food and clothing? Is this the justice they are looking for? What about those without jobs? Will this justice give them paychecks?
You see evil. You confront it. Many see this as the end of the struggle. I see this as the beginning.
Hatred has blinded us so much that we think that through hatred we can create jobs, produce food, and build roads. But this is not the case.
Hatred has blinded us so much that we think that just by hating we are already achieving something.
I have made this point again and again, but I cannot reiterate enough that the more we allow our hatred to violently confront the ills of the current system the more we push these ills, the more we solidify them and further entrench them in the system. Hence, we achieve nothing but create a vicious cycle.
A few weeks back, I read an article comparing Gibo's supporters to a bunch of guys satisfied eating their burgers with somebody else's phlegm on it. You can read hate between the lines. Obviously, the writer's initial goal was to convert some soft Gibo supporters into voting for someone else. But using hate as the driver to achieve his objective, He failed miserably. Those who were thinking of voting for Gibo, upon reading this hateful article, moved towards solidfying their ties with the Gibo team. This is what happens when hate takes the driver seat. We forget about effectiveness, we forget about results and we make hating the end-goal.
We have seen so much hate and it brought us nowhere.
So now, I ask you... I dare you... How about some sense of mercy?
Mercy: not for anyone but for our country and for our people.
Mercy: to provide hope, unity, stability, and progress.
Mercy: so that for once, we may have the chance to become a strong united country with the noble aim of finally being able to take our rightful seat among the world’s most respected nations.
It is only through mercy can we forgive the sins of our painful and hateful past.
Only through unity can we take flight towards our bright future.
Only one leader offers us unity over hate, goodwill over animosity, and stability over hostility.
I think it is just wise for us to take his offer.
GIBO TEODORO FOR PRESIDENT
MAY 10, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
A Call to Arms: The Surge is Now!
Like a Hollywood scene, a faint shake grows slowly, wider and stronger before the ground swells up in a cataclysmic occurrence that tips the whole story line into one point or another.
Gibo Teodoro’s presidential campaign is off to a very decent start. From being a virtually unknown cabinet member, I can safely say that 99% of the population, voters and non-voters alike, already know him as a former legislator, former defense secretary, trained pilot – presidential candidate. His superb public speaking skills and his clear cut policy direction presentations has made many skeptics into believers. The young population has overwhelmingly thrown their support to Gibo’s presidential bid. The result is the formation of a solid core of followers, ready to follow Gibo to the gates of hell to ensure the victory of a heavenly cause.
The first phase has been successfully accomplished. The second phase is the surge. And believe me, the surge is coming. This surge is as certain as the sun’s rise every morning and darkness’ fall each night. We read it, we hear it, we feel it, and we know it. This surge is founded on the rise of an exemplary leader exhibiting extraordinary character.
Gibo is an enigmatic case. At this stage of our flawed democracy, it is unexpected for a modern leader to rise. If we make the correct decisions, our system should allow the rise of a forward looking leader anywhere between 12 and 18 years. The system is currently hacked by traditional, backward and pretentious leaders halting the advance of new leadership. Moreover, our system has been wired in a way that even new politicians provide useless and somehow idiotic visions or delusions of how to move this country forward. Nevertheless, Gibo managed to demolish these barriers and is now at the center of the latest saga of our struggle for sustainable growth. His realistic, positive, comprehensive, and genuine reformist vision is our opportunity to ignite and turbo-charge our movement for genuine development.
I don’t think all of us realize how great this opportunity is. This is our opportunity to have a leader who can inspire even the most non-believers to greatness. This is our opportunity to place a modern leader, right now, at the helm of power without the need for bloodshed and violence. This is our opportunity to create a stable society without the pre-requisite of purging. This is our chance to have a leader who sees reality as clearly as possible and one who provides solutions by working with reality and not by going against it.
This is about a rare opportunity. This is about one chance. The challenge here is will you take it? Nay... will you grab it?
Anybody or anyone who hopes for a modern and developed country must take this chance. We must understand that mere rhetoric without substance is bound to fall like the winter wheat. Intentions are good but action is required. Eloquence is a trait well revered but grounded plans are necessary. We must realize that personality politics has been our curse and it will continue to plague us until we understand that meritocracy is not just an option, it is our only option. Anybody or anyone who wants to change this country must realize that the time our voices are the loudest is not when we are on the streets in protest, it is when we cast our ballots. And on the 10th of May, we can make our voices even louder, stronger, and bigger. We can make it resonate across the seas to reach every island. We can make it tear down every dividing wall so that everyone will know that we choose positive and competent leadership. We can make it even more powerful if we bond with this incoming surge. Because this surge is coming and it is coming fast.
In fact, it is happening right now. Gibo’s vision is spreading like wildfire, turning spectators into active citizens in nation building. His positive attitude is contagious. His clear cut reformist vision springs hope. His leadership is inspiring. His vision is what we need now.
It’s been a long hard climb and much has to be done because it remains to be one. But we do not fear because like the charge of a million man infantry, we will prevail. Like the incessant waves successively hitting the shore, we are unstoppable. No different from Patton’s army blazing through the European theater, no matter how formidable the enemy is, our victory is certain. And one by one as arms link together forming a chain from EDSA, along Taft, down to the monument of the greatest Filipino revolutionary, Andres Bonifacio, the world will realize that this is not a Hollywood scene, that this is indeed real and that we are truly in the midst of a revolution. The time has come to grab this country by its throat and demand it to listen: THE SURGE IS HAPPENING NOW AND YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF IT!
Gibo Teodoro’s presidential campaign is off to a very decent start. From being a virtually unknown cabinet member, I can safely say that 99% of the population, voters and non-voters alike, already know him as a former legislator, former defense secretary, trained pilot – presidential candidate. His superb public speaking skills and his clear cut policy direction presentations has made many skeptics into believers. The young population has overwhelmingly thrown their support to Gibo’s presidential bid. The result is the formation of a solid core of followers, ready to follow Gibo to the gates of hell to ensure the victory of a heavenly cause.
The first phase has been successfully accomplished. The second phase is the surge. And believe me, the surge is coming. This surge is as certain as the sun’s rise every morning and darkness’ fall each night. We read it, we hear it, we feel it, and we know it. This surge is founded on the rise of an exemplary leader exhibiting extraordinary character.
Gibo is an enigmatic case. At this stage of our flawed democracy, it is unexpected for a modern leader to rise. If we make the correct decisions, our system should allow the rise of a forward looking leader anywhere between 12 and 18 years. The system is currently hacked by traditional, backward and pretentious leaders halting the advance of new leadership. Moreover, our system has been wired in a way that even new politicians provide useless and somehow idiotic visions or delusions of how to move this country forward. Nevertheless, Gibo managed to demolish these barriers and is now at the center of the latest saga of our struggle for sustainable growth. His realistic, positive, comprehensive, and genuine reformist vision is our opportunity to ignite and turbo-charge our movement for genuine development.
I don’t think all of us realize how great this opportunity is. This is our opportunity to have a leader who can inspire even the most non-believers to greatness. This is our opportunity to place a modern leader, right now, at the helm of power without the need for bloodshed and violence. This is our opportunity to create a stable society without the pre-requisite of purging. This is our chance to have a leader who sees reality as clearly as possible and one who provides solutions by working with reality and not by going against it.
This is about a rare opportunity. This is about one chance. The challenge here is will you take it? Nay... will you grab it?
Anybody or anyone who hopes for a modern and developed country must take this chance. We must understand that mere rhetoric without substance is bound to fall like the winter wheat. Intentions are good but action is required. Eloquence is a trait well revered but grounded plans are necessary. We must realize that personality politics has been our curse and it will continue to plague us until we understand that meritocracy is not just an option, it is our only option. Anybody or anyone who wants to change this country must realize that the time our voices are the loudest is not when we are on the streets in protest, it is when we cast our ballots. And on the 10th of May, we can make our voices even louder, stronger, and bigger. We can make it resonate across the seas to reach every island. We can make it tear down every dividing wall so that everyone will know that we choose positive and competent leadership. We can make it even more powerful if we bond with this incoming surge. Because this surge is coming and it is coming fast.
In fact, it is happening right now. Gibo’s vision is spreading like wildfire, turning spectators into active citizens in nation building. His positive attitude is contagious. His clear cut reformist vision springs hope. His leadership is inspiring. His vision is what we need now.
It’s been a long hard climb and much has to be done because it remains to be one. But we do not fear because like the charge of a million man infantry, we will prevail. Like the incessant waves successively hitting the shore, we are unstoppable. No different from Patton’s army blazing through the European theater, no matter how formidable the enemy is, our victory is certain. And one by one as arms link together forming a chain from EDSA, along Taft, down to the monument of the greatest Filipino revolutionary, Andres Bonifacio, the world will realize that this is not a Hollywood scene, that this is indeed real and that we are truly in the midst of a revolution. The time has come to grab this country by its throat and demand it to listen: THE SURGE IS HAPPENING NOW AND YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF IT!
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Case for Gibo Teodoro
OUR COUNTRY'S POLITICAL CHRONICLES ARE FILLED WITH DELUSION AND FRUSTRATION THAT WE TEND TO FAIL TO FULLY APPRECIATE A GENUINE VISION WHEN IT COMES ALONG.
We tend to disregard the real deal and consider it as just another one of them, a political wolf in sheep's clothing. Can we really blame ourselves? Probably not…
Decades of mistrust have resulted in the callousness of some and blindness of others. The indifferent has turned into a skeptic bystander, satisfied in simply watching the world go by. The blind, on the other hand, has turned to worship false prophets or even those who go as far as claiming themselves to be the messiah.
However, this time is different from any other era in our history. We are truly in a critical juncture.
Our country has been in a whirlwind ride for almost a quarter of a century since the dictatorship fell. We experienced darkness in the early 90s followed by a build up in our growth momentum in the mid 90s. We saw Asian markets tumble in the late 90s and we suffered a huge drop in investor confidence as we entered the new millennium. We looked at what most thought to be an inevitable national financial meltdown in early 2000s and barely escaped it through the sacrifices we have institutionalized. We had three impeachment complaints and several failed coup attempts in mid 2000s and yet we were able to squeeze out the highest GDP growth rate in the region in 2007. We have been widely considered as a Newly Industrialized Country and yet our people experience extreme hunger. We have pockets of modern urban landscapes but have a largely impoverished rural country side. If there is only one thing we can make out of all these, let it be that we are a nation in dire need of stability because unnecessary political noise weighs down on the upward force provided by a developing economy.
After a quarter of a century of mixed celebrations and mourning, we find ourselves again in a cross road, where we have to decide which of the several paths we will take. We cannot blindly walk towards just any path. We must not just follow a mere gut feel. We certainly cannot just tag along or simply swim with the current. Our move must be based on a carefully analyzed and reviewed decision because we can no longer prolong this tumultuous cycle. Doing so, would expunge whatever accomplishments we have achieved in the last 24 years and hurl us in an endless pit of degradation and stagnation. Now, more than ever, we need a captain to chart our course towards modernization and prosperity.
And hence, we must review the capabilities of each and every candidate aspiring to be President. And so, I humbly ask of you to take a good hard look at Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro.
His is a realistic vision:
He does not promise the heavens and the stars nor does he say he can move mountains and turn water into wine. He does not claim to be the political messiah because after all, do we really need one? And to whom do we really need salvation from? His vision is to simply be the lead instrument, among many, which would work towards genuine and sustainable economic development of the country.
If you think about it, when was the last time a candidate restrained himself from assuring the public that he will eradicate corruption and poverty? When was the last time a candidate refused to claim that his election would virtually mean an end to all our problems? I have never heard such a political animal exists in the Philippines prior to Gibo.
His is a positive vision:
While other candidates turn to insults to get the public’s attention, he focuses on his detailed platform of governance.
In our pseudo-democracy, it is a time-tested and proven technique that negativity can win one a seat in the government. As such, most candidates continue to use this tool despite the fact that it leaves the country more divided, more blood thirsty, and its citizens, more unwilling to cooperate with one another.
Gibo’s campaign, on the contrary, focuses on his positive vision. A vision founded on him being a statesman of the highest caliber. One who thrives on criticisms. One who is willing to sit down with his opponents. This characteristic of him leaves no doubt in my mind that his administration would be genuinely inclusive and approachable without undermining command responsibility and accountability.
In fact, Gibo has stated that the first thing he would do if elected president is to reach out to all his political opponents in an effort to unite the country and move it forward. At long last, we have a leader who sees and understands the urgent need to unite our deeply fragmented country. This goes to show that Gibo fully appreciates the fact that it is only in a stable society that genuine development can be reached.
His is the comprehensive vision:
His vision is a solid and detailed roadmap towards growth. He focuses in equipping our students with the skills needed to meet the demands of the global economy. The young population must be given incentives to veer towards what is in demand in order not to over-supply one or several sectors in the job market and hence causing salary prices to drop and leaving many unemployed.
He intends to continue the massive infrastructure projects of our country. A sudden halt to the pipeline of infrastructure projects would surely make potential investors look towards our more stable neighbors. It is not rocket science that Foreign Direct Investment is a key factor in solving the poverty problem. The spill over effect of FDIs would create a virtuous cycle which would grow bigger to effectively and positively impact the poor.
He knows that in our quest for sustainable growth, a leader must not simply have a dream. Rather, he must have a complete set of skills built upon his experience and competence to put his comprehensive plan into action and actually propel this country towards full economic development.
His is the genuine reformist vision:
He has declared his advocacies no matter how unpopular they may be. He has long announced his intention to push for charter change in order to introduce reforms in its economic restrictions. While most candidates use euphemisms in addressing the issue of taxation, Gibo never shirked from putting forward his thoughts on this sensitive and unpopular matter. And while others are neither here nor there on most issues, Gibo has provided his solid stand on all matters.
He knows that genuine reform can only be achieved through the leadership of men who do not fear flying against strong popular political winds.
While others choose to take the safest route to win an election, which is to say what everybody is thinking in the loudest voice, Gibo prefers to say what we need to hear and what we need to know.
It is up to us to listen. It is up to us to believe.
What you get from Gibo is real straight talk with clarity and conviction from a real man and not simply randomly selected populist political jargon any loud-mouth guy with a microphone can declare.
It is not very often that we have a chance to elect a leader who knows, understands, and prioritizes what we need now. It is actually very rare for us to have a leader who appreciates reality and who intends to build solutions by working with it, not by ignoring it and most certainly not by going against it. This is of prime importance because only those who see reality as clearly as possible have the ability to actually redress its wrongs and reform its ills.
This election is about our future and our future will not be secured by locking ourselves up within the sins of our past. Our future cannot be built by a leader who fails to fully grasp the reality of what we need now. Our future will certainly not be bright if we elect a leader who, intentionally or not, sows and promotes a culture of hate and vengeance.
On the contrary, what we need is a leader who intends to extend the hand of reconciliation. What we need is a leader who promotes stability as the foundation of genuine progress. What we need now is a real leader who can break down barriers, who can inspire, who can unite.
He is Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, Jr.: a young, vibrant, firm, inclusive, real leader of men.
We tend to disregard the real deal and consider it as just another one of them, a political wolf in sheep's clothing. Can we really blame ourselves? Probably not…
Decades of mistrust have resulted in the callousness of some and blindness of others. The indifferent has turned into a skeptic bystander, satisfied in simply watching the world go by. The blind, on the other hand, has turned to worship false prophets or even those who go as far as claiming themselves to be the messiah.
However, this time is different from any other era in our history. We are truly in a critical juncture.
Our country has been in a whirlwind ride for almost a quarter of a century since the dictatorship fell. We experienced darkness in the early 90s followed by a build up in our growth momentum in the mid 90s. We saw Asian markets tumble in the late 90s and we suffered a huge drop in investor confidence as we entered the new millennium. We looked at what most thought to be an inevitable national financial meltdown in early 2000s and barely escaped it through the sacrifices we have institutionalized. We had three impeachment complaints and several failed coup attempts in mid 2000s and yet we were able to squeeze out the highest GDP growth rate in the region in 2007. We have been widely considered as a Newly Industrialized Country and yet our people experience extreme hunger. We have pockets of modern urban landscapes but have a largely impoverished rural country side. If there is only one thing we can make out of all these, let it be that we are a nation in dire need of stability because unnecessary political noise weighs down on the upward force provided by a developing economy.
After a quarter of a century of mixed celebrations and mourning, we find ourselves again in a cross road, where we have to decide which of the several paths we will take. We cannot blindly walk towards just any path. We must not just follow a mere gut feel. We certainly cannot just tag along or simply swim with the current. Our move must be based on a carefully analyzed and reviewed decision because we can no longer prolong this tumultuous cycle. Doing so, would expunge whatever accomplishments we have achieved in the last 24 years and hurl us in an endless pit of degradation and stagnation. Now, more than ever, we need a captain to chart our course towards modernization and prosperity.
And hence, we must review the capabilities of each and every candidate aspiring to be President. And so, I humbly ask of you to take a good hard look at Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro.
His is a realistic vision:
He does not promise the heavens and the stars nor does he say he can move mountains and turn water into wine. He does not claim to be the political messiah because after all, do we really need one? And to whom do we really need salvation from? His vision is to simply be the lead instrument, among many, which would work towards genuine and sustainable economic development of the country.
If you think about it, when was the last time a candidate restrained himself from assuring the public that he will eradicate corruption and poverty? When was the last time a candidate refused to claim that his election would virtually mean an end to all our problems? I have never heard such a political animal exists in the Philippines prior to Gibo.
His is a positive vision:
While other candidates turn to insults to get the public’s attention, he focuses on his detailed platform of governance.
In our pseudo-democracy, it is a time-tested and proven technique that negativity can win one a seat in the government. As such, most candidates continue to use this tool despite the fact that it leaves the country more divided, more blood thirsty, and its citizens, more unwilling to cooperate with one another.
Gibo’s campaign, on the contrary, focuses on his positive vision. A vision founded on him being a statesman of the highest caliber. One who thrives on criticisms. One who is willing to sit down with his opponents. This characteristic of him leaves no doubt in my mind that his administration would be genuinely inclusive and approachable without undermining command responsibility and accountability.
In fact, Gibo has stated that the first thing he would do if elected president is to reach out to all his political opponents in an effort to unite the country and move it forward. At long last, we have a leader who sees and understands the urgent need to unite our deeply fragmented country. This goes to show that Gibo fully appreciates the fact that it is only in a stable society that genuine development can be reached.
His is the comprehensive vision:
His vision is a solid and detailed roadmap towards growth. He focuses in equipping our students with the skills needed to meet the demands of the global economy. The young population must be given incentives to veer towards what is in demand in order not to over-supply one or several sectors in the job market and hence causing salary prices to drop and leaving many unemployed.
He intends to continue the massive infrastructure projects of our country. A sudden halt to the pipeline of infrastructure projects would surely make potential investors look towards our more stable neighbors. It is not rocket science that Foreign Direct Investment is a key factor in solving the poverty problem. The spill over effect of FDIs would create a virtuous cycle which would grow bigger to effectively and positively impact the poor.
He knows that in our quest for sustainable growth, a leader must not simply have a dream. Rather, he must have a complete set of skills built upon his experience and competence to put his comprehensive plan into action and actually propel this country towards full economic development.
His is the genuine reformist vision:
He has declared his advocacies no matter how unpopular they may be. He has long announced his intention to push for charter change in order to introduce reforms in its economic restrictions. While most candidates use euphemisms in addressing the issue of taxation, Gibo never shirked from putting forward his thoughts on this sensitive and unpopular matter. And while others are neither here nor there on most issues, Gibo has provided his solid stand on all matters.
He knows that genuine reform can only be achieved through the leadership of men who do not fear flying against strong popular political winds.
While others choose to take the safest route to win an election, which is to say what everybody is thinking in the loudest voice, Gibo prefers to say what we need to hear and what we need to know.
It is up to us to listen. It is up to us to believe.
What you get from Gibo is real straight talk with clarity and conviction from a real man and not simply randomly selected populist political jargon any loud-mouth guy with a microphone can declare.
It is not very often that we have a chance to elect a leader who knows, understands, and prioritizes what we need now. It is actually very rare for us to have a leader who appreciates reality and who intends to build solutions by working with it, not by ignoring it and most certainly not by going against it. This is of prime importance because only those who see reality as clearly as possible have the ability to actually redress its wrongs and reform its ills.
This election is about our future and our future will not be secured by locking ourselves up within the sins of our past. Our future cannot be built by a leader who fails to fully grasp the reality of what we need now. Our future will certainly not be bright if we elect a leader who, intentionally or not, sows and promotes a culture of hate and vengeance.
On the contrary, what we need is a leader who intends to extend the hand of reconciliation. What we need is a leader who promotes stability as the foundation of genuine progress. What we need now is a real leader who can break down barriers, who can inspire, who can unite.
He is Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, Jr.: a young, vibrant, firm, inclusive, real leader of men.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
What We Need Now: Modern Voters & Modern Leaders
A basic pre-requisite for a successful pursuit of economic development in any society is the rise of a modern leader. No matter what political system is in place and whatever the social environment, a modern leader's ascend to power brings upon much needed reformist policies, which would enable any society to move forward.
However, in a pseudo democratic system, which we have, it is quite harder to give rise to modern leaders. Like any working democracy, we choose our leaders through a popular vote done during elections but unlike working democratic systems, ours is flawed in more ways than one.
Our pseudo democratic system operates under an environment wherein voters are ill-informed and where political maturity is only nascent or in some areas, actually non-existent. To further worsen the problem, we have a no-party system where voters cannot differentiate one candidate from another except in terms of looks, dance moves, and celebrity endorsers. We have martial law/Cory babies who cannot get over the glory of EDSA 1, not to disparage the memories of our brave countrymen who defied tyranny in the face of death but it is an undemanding dictate of sheer common sense that we cannot topple or try to topple each and every succeeding administration. By doing so, we preclude our society from attaining stability and maintain it, in what seems to be, a perpetually precarious state. We have deeply entrenched populist traditional politicians, whose only goal in office is personal gain. And to top it all, we have separatists and communists, supporting and funding their respective armed movements, within our supposedly democratic government.
Given this convoluted democratic space, where merit, a solid platform, and capability to lead do not directly translate to a landslide election victory, most modern leaders are left marginalized, leaving our society in the hands of traditional politicians. These traditional politicians, whose strongest credential is the blessing of being born into a political family, thrive in this pseudo democratic environment because we, voters, allow them to. And this is why we have been left behind by our Asian neighbors.
With so many candidates reciting the exact same laundry list of campaign promises, many of us have found it difficult to choose the fresh from the rotten. However, it is quite simple to distinguish their differences if one tries to carefully discern and not allow the TV blitz and emotional appeal to distort one’s cerebral faculty to see through a veneer of slick talk and make correct rational decisions.
One must not misconstrue youth, new faces, and new names as straight away stalwarts of modern leadership. On the contrary, we have quite a lot of young backward thinking officials in this country.
A modern leader is a disciplinarian yet he is flexible, one who promotes an inclusive government but at the same time, he stands his ground and asserts his overall role as the sole and final decision maker. He does not shirk from accepting responsibility and accountability. He does not partake nor tolerate activities which are disguised as noble and righteous but are, in reality, plain and simple politicking aimed to benefit a select few.
He understands that to graduate from a pseudo democracy to a working/consolidated democratic system, our society must succeed in growing a sizable middle class and in developing a strong party system. Hence, the modern leader aims to institutionalize policies to strengthen both.
He is forward-looking. He accepts the lessons learned from the past but he will not permit its horrors and hatred to continue to traumatize and further divide an already deeply fragmented nation.
He understands that only through correct, mostly unpopular, reformist policies can we modernize and truly achieve growth that can have significant positive effects to those in the lowest levels of the social stratum. He knows that sustainable economic growth is not achieved thru a rehash of universal vows and campaign slogans played over and over again but through specific and realistic policies aimed towards industrialization. These policies cover mainly the areas of peace and order, education, and infrastructure investments.
His policies are founded in his recognition of the fact that foreign direct investments and export oriented production/industrialization, reinforced by domestic demand stimulation are the tri-engines of economic growth, which will eventually, if not inevitably, empower the poor. He is aware of the correlation of stability and growth and believes that only a politically stable society can usher an era of unprecedented and sustainable economic growth, which for the Philippines should be an over 7% GDP growth per annum and a GDP per capita of at least $4,000.
He breaks down barriers, he inspires, and he unites.
He makes solutions, not enemies.
Modern leaders, however, have largely remained on the sidelines and not in the positions of power because they depend on modern voters to elect them. Sadly, modern voters in our country, like modern leaders, are few and far in between and this can be confirmed by the results of recent pre-elections polls.
One needs to be neither affluent nor intellectual to be a modern voter. In fact, one only needs to put into use his common sense and open his mind to clearly see and understand what we need now.
Rather than voting based on unsubstantiated rhetoric, modern voters will choose real, honest, solid, and detailed platform of governance. Rather than voting based on winnability, modern voters will choose competence and positive leadership. Rather than voting to relive the torture of our painful past, modern voters will choose to take flight to the future, to modernity, and the benefits we stand to gain.
Now, more than ever, our country needs more modern voters to elect modern leaders.
However, in a pseudo democratic system, which we have, it is quite harder to give rise to modern leaders. Like any working democracy, we choose our leaders through a popular vote done during elections but unlike working democratic systems, ours is flawed in more ways than one.
Our pseudo democratic system operates under an environment wherein voters are ill-informed and where political maturity is only nascent or in some areas, actually non-existent. To further worsen the problem, we have a no-party system where voters cannot differentiate one candidate from another except in terms of looks, dance moves, and celebrity endorsers. We have martial law/Cory babies who cannot get over the glory of EDSA 1, not to disparage the memories of our brave countrymen who defied tyranny in the face of death but it is an undemanding dictate of sheer common sense that we cannot topple or try to topple each and every succeeding administration. By doing so, we preclude our society from attaining stability and maintain it, in what seems to be, a perpetually precarious state. We have deeply entrenched populist traditional politicians, whose only goal in office is personal gain. And to top it all, we have separatists and communists, supporting and funding their respective armed movements, within our supposedly democratic government.
Given this convoluted democratic space, where merit, a solid platform, and capability to lead do not directly translate to a landslide election victory, most modern leaders are left marginalized, leaving our society in the hands of traditional politicians. These traditional politicians, whose strongest credential is the blessing of being born into a political family, thrive in this pseudo democratic environment because we, voters, allow them to. And this is why we have been left behind by our Asian neighbors.
With so many candidates reciting the exact same laundry list of campaign promises, many of us have found it difficult to choose the fresh from the rotten. However, it is quite simple to distinguish their differences if one tries to carefully discern and not allow the TV blitz and emotional appeal to distort one’s cerebral faculty to see through a veneer of slick talk and make correct rational decisions.
One must not misconstrue youth, new faces, and new names as straight away stalwarts of modern leadership. On the contrary, we have quite a lot of young backward thinking officials in this country.
A modern leader is a disciplinarian yet he is flexible, one who promotes an inclusive government but at the same time, he stands his ground and asserts his overall role as the sole and final decision maker. He does not shirk from accepting responsibility and accountability. He does not partake nor tolerate activities which are disguised as noble and righteous but are, in reality, plain and simple politicking aimed to benefit a select few.
He understands that to graduate from a pseudo democracy to a working/consolidated democratic system, our society must succeed in growing a sizable middle class and in developing a strong party system. Hence, the modern leader aims to institutionalize policies to strengthen both.
He is forward-looking. He accepts the lessons learned from the past but he will not permit its horrors and hatred to continue to traumatize and further divide an already deeply fragmented nation.
He understands that only through correct, mostly unpopular, reformist policies can we modernize and truly achieve growth that can have significant positive effects to those in the lowest levels of the social stratum. He knows that sustainable economic growth is not achieved thru a rehash of universal vows and campaign slogans played over and over again but through specific and realistic policies aimed towards industrialization. These policies cover mainly the areas of peace and order, education, and infrastructure investments.
His policies are founded in his recognition of the fact that foreign direct investments and export oriented production/industrialization, reinforced by domestic demand stimulation are the tri-engines of economic growth, which will eventually, if not inevitably, empower the poor. He is aware of the correlation of stability and growth and believes that only a politically stable society can usher an era of unprecedented and sustainable economic growth, which for the Philippines should be an over 7% GDP growth per annum and a GDP per capita of at least $4,000.
He breaks down barriers, he inspires, and he unites.
He makes solutions, not enemies.
Modern leaders, however, have largely remained on the sidelines and not in the positions of power because they depend on modern voters to elect them. Sadly, modern voters in our country, like modern leaders, are few and far in between and this can be confirmed by the results of recent pre-elections polls.
One needs to be neither affluent nor intellectual to be a modern voter. In fact, one only needs to put into use his common sense and open his mind to clearly see and understand what we need now.
Rather than voting based on unsubstantiated rhetoric, modern voters will choose real, honest, solid, and detailed platform of governance. Rather than voting based on winnability, modern voters will choose competence and positive leadership. Rather than voting to relive the torture of our painful past, modern voters will choose to take flight to the future, to modernity, and the benefits we stand to gain.
Now, more than ever, our country needs more modern voters to elect modern leaders.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Get Real!
Welcome to the real world - a line thrown around far too many times particularly during college graduation ceremonies. In these hyped up and glamorous rituals, filled with moving speeches and glitters of silver and gold, young adults bid goodbye to the warm embrace of college life. Not that my college life was trouble-free, it was actually far from that. I, in fact, used to question this notion of the real world outside the University. Because, as far as I was concerned back then, the headaches, stress, and heart palpitations I suffered due to the never ending exams, midterm papers, final essays, graded recitations, report presentations and the tons and tons of reading assignments, were all too real to be considered fake. But a few years inside the “real world” made me understand the difference. The nuances between campus life and working life became very apparent as its fine distinctions turned solid and more pronounced.
When we were in college, all we had to do was study as hard as we can, get good grades, and we could already take comfort that we were on the right track. After graduation, we get employed, and then we ask ourselves, is this a job worth keeping? We ask again, will this work give me the financial security that I had when I was living under the comfort of my parents’ weekly allowance? We ask deeper, do we have a clear career path ahead? And after that, we ask again and then we answer. Yet no amount of thinking and no length of time wasted on pondering would deliver an answer that would satisfy us and make our minds stop. That is when we suddenly feel the pressures of life and the hardships of real decision making.
And that is why I have come to the conclusion, that you are not yet an adult until you earn your own money and pay for, at least, your gas, your power & water, your cable TV, and your wireless internet connection. As such, with all the real life burden on your shoulder, your perspectives change. Then we come to understand the meaning of that line-- Welcome to the Real World.
I think all of us 20-somethings would agree that the dreams we have as children have been resized, reassessed, while some have completely faded away. When we were kids, we wanted to become astronauts, to explore the heavens and the stars and discover a galaxy far, far away. We dreamt of being revolutionary soldiers to defeat the enemies of light and fight for freedom to liberate people from the bondage of slavery and poverty. Some of us wanted to become priests in order to save souls and spread the good news of the Lord.
During my junior year in the university, I became part of a group who sat down in a coffee shop to discuss and debate about the ills of the Philippine society. The discussion slowly became focused on our dream to start a political party. We analyzed it to its smallest detail. We discussed its guiding principles and its ideology. We argued about its strategies and goals, its mission and vision, and the message that would differentiate it from all the other political parties, or at least from those who claim to be one, in this country. We even conversed about how we can purge the society of all its negative forces and create a new order where democracy shall be considered consolidated and where economic development shall be shared by all. We discussed all possible issues in developing The Philippines and how we were all going to be in the forefront of this movement.
A week ago, while I was having a cup of coffee with a friend, we found ourselves discussing and debating about opening up a taxi business. We analyzed it to its smallest detail. We discussed how car maintenance would be the biggest problem. We argued about what kind of automobile would be best suited to be used as a taxi. We even conversed about the franchise fees, the return of investment, and how to pick a good driver from a long list of applicants. We discussed all possible issues in starting a taxi business and how we can earn money from this venture.
We still talk about politics and society, with the same intensity and passion. We still debate as if we were in Batasan Pambansa. We are still very much aware of current events and issues. But today, we have more to think about than just politics. We think about our careers and our lives, ten, fifteen, twenty years down the road. We analyze how every action we take can affect the realization of our short, mid, and long term goals.
So, what do we make out of this? Are we nothing but victims of the physical and material world? Have we lost our dreams and become too apathetic to even care? Have we become too selfish and too self centered? Have we lost all sense of citizenship that we should hide our heads in the sand, in shame, for the persons that we have become?
I think not. I think this is simply the natural tendency of the mind to veer away from childhood fantasies and concentrate all energy and effort towards developing one’s self, clearly understanding that to be able to help others one must first and foremost help himself. I think this is simply our minds telling us to grow up and get real.
I have nothing against dreams and dreaming big. But dreams are just ideas floating without form and substance. It is up to us to nurture these dreams until they are actually realized, because dreams, precisely, exist to be achieved. However, one must always bear in mind that the achievement of these dreams is a function of one’s ability to see reality, as clearly as possible. One must not only know where he wants to go, but where he is currently located, what type of path he is supposed to take, what kind of steps he must make and the possible consequences of each and every move he makes. One must understand all possible factors, one must see through all possible angles, and to actually achieve something, one must be open to fine-tune and adjust his goals and dreams.
It is true that we cannot be afraid of reality, but we also cannot ignore the obstacles it places in our paths and our inability as humans, even for a brief moment, to overcome them.
Without the clearness and openness of mind, one will be stuck in perpetuity in a futile quest no different from trying to place the seven seas on the palm of his hand.
I still remember the day, more than a decade ago, when I told a Salesian priest that I will leave a mark in this world. I will leave a name when I die. Until today, I still dream of leaving a name, but it no longer involves exploring the heavens.
If I ever achieve anything in this life, it would be because I decided to live in the real world.
If I ever get to leave a name, it would be because I prudently chose my battles.
Originally written in April 2008. Edited February 23, 2010.
When we were in college, all we had to do was study as hard as we can, get good grades, and we could already take comfort that we were on the right track. After graduation, we get employed, and then we ask ourselves, is this a job worth keeping? We ask again, will this work give me the financial security that I had when I was living under the comfort of my parents’ weekly allowance? We ask deeper, do we have a clear career path ahead? And after that, we ask again and then we answer. Yet no amount of thinking and no length of time wasted on pondering would deliver an answer that would satisfy us and make our minds stop. That is when we suddenly feel the pressures of life and the hardships of real decision making.
And that is why I have come to the conclusion, that you are not yet an adult until you earn your own money and pay for, at least, your gas, your power & water, your cable TV, and your wireless internet connection. As such, with all the real life burden on your shoulder, your perspectives change. Then we come to understand the meaning of that line-- Welcome to the Real World.
I think all of us 20-somethings would agree that the dreams we have as children have been resized, reassessed, while some have completely faded away. When we were kids, we wanted to become astronauts, to explore the heavens and the stars and discover a galaxy far, far away. We dreamt of being revolutionary soldiers to defeat the enemies of light and fight for freedom to liberate people from the bondage of slavery and poverty. Some of us wanted to become priests in order to save souls and spread the good news of the Lord.
During my junior year in the university, I became part of a group who sat down in a coffee shop to discuss and debate about the ills of the Philippine society. The discussion slowly became focused on our dream to start a political party. We analyzed it to its smallest detail. We discussed its guiding principles and its ideology. We argued about its strategies and goals, its mission and vision, and the message that would differentiate it from all the other political parties, or at least from those who claim to be one, in this country. We even conversed about how we can purge the society of all its negative forces and create a new order where democracy shall be considered consolidated and where economic development shall be shared by all. We discussed all possible issues in developing The Philippines and how we were all going to be in the forefront of this movement.
A week ago, while I was having a cup of coffee with a friend, we found ourselves discussing and debating about opening up a taxi business. We analyzed it to its smallest detail. We discussed how car maintenance would be the biggest problem. We argued about what kind of automobile would be best suited to be used as a taxi. We even conversed about the franchise fees, the return of investment, and how to pick a good driver from a long list of applicants. We discussed all possible issues in starting a taxi business and how we can earn money from this venture.
We still talk about politics and society, with the same intensity and passion. We still debate as if we were in Batasan Pambansa. We are still very much aware of current events and issues. But today, we have more to think about than just politics. We think about our careers and our lives, ten, fifteen, twenty years down the road. We analyze how every action we take can affect the realization of our short, mid, and long term goals.
So, what do we make out of this? Are we nothing but victims of the physical and material world? Have we lost our dreams and become too apathetic to even care? Have we become too selfish and too self centered? Have we lost all sense of citizenship that we should hide our heads in the sand, in shame, for the persons that we have become?
I think not. I think this is simply the natural tendency of the mind to veer away from childhood fantasies and concentrate all energy and effort towards developing one’s self, clearly understanding that to be able to help others one must first and foremost help himself. I think this is simply our minds telling us to grow up and get real.
I have nothing against dreams and dreaming big. But dreams are just ideas floating without form and substance. It is up to us to nurture these dreams until they are actually realized, because dreams, precisely, exist to be achieved. However, one must always bear in mind that the achievement of these dreams is a function of one’s ability to see reality, as clearly as possible. One must not only know where he wants to go, but where he is currently located, what type of path he is supposed to take, what kind of steps he must make and the possible consequences of each and every move he makes. One must understand all possible factors, one must see through all possible angles, and to actually achieve something, one must be open to fine-tune and adjust his goals and dreams.
It is true that we cannot be afraid of reality, but we also cannot ignore the obstacles it places in our paths and our inability as humans, even for a brief moment, to overcome them.
Without the clearness and openness of mind, one will be stuck in perpetuity in a futile quest no different from trying to place the seven seas on the palm of his hand.
I still remember the day, more than a decade ago, when I told a Salesian priest that I will leave a mark in this world. I will leave a name when I die. Until today, I still dream of leaving a name, but it no longer involves exploring the heavens.
If I ever achieve anything in this life, it would be because I decided to live in the real world.
If I ever get to leave a name, it would be because I prudently chose my battles.
Originally written in April 2008. Edited February 23, 2010.
A Dangerous Alliance
We are all being made witness to an amazing spectacle, and although this isn’t the first time that blindness and hypocrisy are seen holding hands, it is, nevertheless, an amazing sight.
Two forces have come together. Each already poses a lot of danger to any society, so just imagine what they can achieve together.
On one side of this alliance are the misguided idealists. These people never outgrew the martial law era. They believe that the only way to express patriotism and love for country is by screaming their lungs out in the streets while holding a placard with a defaced picture of the President. These misguided idealists have arrogance running through their veins as they believe that they have a monopoly on righteousness. Whatever they do, they do because it is in the best interest of the nation. Well, since when did spray-painting a U-turn sign on Commonwealth Avenue with bold black letters that read “OUST GMA” [“OUST GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO] become part of promoting the nation’s interest?
They have so much hate against the government that they have become allergic to rules. Their ideas push them to believe that the government and the people running it are perpetually bound to oppress the poor and enrich themselves. They make this eternal call for change, yet they don’t change—or better yet, they don’t want to change. These people waste resources, time and energy by burning effigy after effigy. They believe that only through noise, disorder, turbulence and confusion can a new society be born—descending slowly and graciously from the heavens, like the New Jerusalem, with angels singing in the background. Yes, that’s how blind they are.
In their minds, they are catalysts of change. In reality, they are plain and simple anarchists. They should start looking for jobs and become more productive.
On the other side of this alliance are the politically motivated personalities, hypocrites to the bone. They are using scandals and controversies to become more popular, and their end-goal is to get the highest political position possible. And they have been quite successful. Last year, we saw young congressmen rise to the Senate based, not on merit and achievements, but on controversies they had destructively stirred.
They are populists because it’s the only way they can climb the political ladder. They can’t enact strategic legislation, which will provide long-term benefits, such as developing the transportation system, increasing exports, improving revenue collection and assisting businesses, because all these entail short-term sacrifices, which might cost them their positions—a risk they are unwilling to take.
All they do is complain, and they complain with a fiery passion to make the people believe in the fantasies they are selling. They are polemicists, criticizing without presenting solutions and alternatives. They speak only words that are pleasing to the ears of the masses. When they face political dilemmas, their decisions are based on what would profit them politically, not what is right and just. They are slick talkers, and if you’re not careful enough, they can easily deceive you.
This is a dangerous alliance, as it seeks to plunge society into chaos. They want our society to lose any semblance of stability so that they can create a new order. But even they themselves have no idea how it will function.
But I am not afraid. They cannot achieve anything unless we let ourselves be used by these political clowns for their own blind and selfish goals. They can make as much noise as they want, but they need many more warm bodies to join their ranks before they succeed in destabilizing our society. I have already counted the many curious, naïve, gullible, ignorant and politically immature countrymen who are neither misguided idealists nor hypocrites but will take part in this political adventure, and they still won’t make it.
I can hear the noise, but I still can’t feel the heat. After each and every protest rally, the crowds would fizzle out, the streets would be left empty and dirty, and the leaders of the carnival would be eating a fancy dinner while most of the gullible people they drew into the activity would be walking home. Every demonstration sends a clear and strong message to the whole world that while countries across the globe are taking measures to strengthen their exports, develop their industries, attract new investors and ensure their competitiveness in a fast changing, globalized world, we are busy playing on the streets of our financial district.
Having taken this unpopular stand, I ask:
Why do we have to change the government, when we are all part of the problem? Imagine how much more we could have achieved if all the wasted time, resources and energy were utilized to enact good legislation, build more houses, establish more schools, help small and medium enterprises, and construct more roads.
Why do we waste time, resources and energy in asking the President to change or to change the President when we can, in our own little ways, bring about change? When will we realize that we have better things to do? When will we understand that regime change, right here and right now, will not solve anything?
In this day and age, genuine reform and revolution no longer necessitate the dramatic street episodes of the martial law era. Today, our society’s transformation depends on small, quiet, often undocumented steps toward political and economic stability.
I refuse to be part of this political circus of blind and selfish clowns.
Leondro R. Lojo, 23, has a master’s degree in political economy from the University of Asia and the Pacific and works as a research analyst in a risk-advising company.
Originally published in Philippine Daily Inquirer's Youngblood 3/31/2008
Two forces have come together. Each already poses a lot of danger to any society, so just imagine what they can achieve together.
On one side of this alliance are the misguided idealists. These people never outgrew the martial law era. They believe that the only way to express patriotism and love for country is by screaming their lungs out in the streets while holding a placard with a defaced picture of the President. These misguided idealists have arrogance running through their veins as they believe that they have a monopoly on righteousness. Whatever they do, they do because it is in the best interest of the nation. Well, since when did spray-painting a U-turn sign on Commonwealth Avenue with bold black letters that read “OUST GMA” [“OUST GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO] become part of promoting the nation’s interest?
They have so much hate against the government that they have become allergic to rules. Their ideas push them to believe that the government and the people running it are perpetually bound to oppress the poor and enrich themselves. They make this eternal call for change, yet they don’t change—or better yet, they don’t want to change. These people waste resources, time and energy by burning effigy after effigy. They believe that only through noise, disorder, turbulence and confusion can a new society be born—descending slowly and graciously from the heavens, like the New Jerusalem, with angels singing in the background. Yes, that’s how blind they are.
In their minds, they are catalysts of change. In reality, they are plain and simple anarchists. They should start looking for jobs and become more productive.
On the other side of this alliance are the politically motivated personalities, hypocrites to the bone. They are using scandals and controversies to become more popular, and their end-goal is to get the highest political position possible. And they have been quite successful. Last year, we saw young congressmen rise to the Senate based, not on merit and achievements, but on controversies they had destructively stirred.
They are populists because it’s the only way they can climb the political ladder. They can’t enact strategic legislation, which will provide long-term benefits, such as developing the transportation system, increasing exports, improving revenue collection and assisting businesses, because all these entail short-term sacrifices, which might cost them their positions—a risk they are unwilling to take.
All they do is complain, and they complain with a fiery passion to make the people believe in the fantasies they are selling. They are polemicists, criticizing without presenting solutions and alternatives. They speak only words that are pleasing to the ears of the masses. When they face political dilemmas, their decisions are based on what would profit them politically, not what is right and just. They are slick talkers, and if you’re not careful enough, they can easily deceive you.
This is a dangerous alliance, as it seeks to plunge society into chaos. They want our society to lose any semblance of stability so that they can create a new order. But even they themselves have no idea how it will function.
But I am not afraid. They cannot achieve anything unless we let ourselves be used by these political clowns for their own blind and selfish goals. They can make as much noise as they want, but they need many more warm bodies to join their ranks before they succeed in destabilizing our society. I have already counted the many curious, naïve, gullible, ignorant and politically immature countrymen who are neither misguided idealists nor hypocrites but will take part in this political adventure, and they still won’t make it.
I can hear the noise, but I still can’t feel the heat. After each and every protest rally, the crowds would fizzle out, the streets would be left empty and dirty, and the leaders of the carnival would be eating a fancy dinner while most of the gullible people they drew into the activity would be walking home. Every demonstration sends a clear and strong message to the whole world that while countries across the globe are taking measures to strengthen their exports, develop their industries, attract new investors and ensure their competitiveness in a fast changing, globalized world, we are busy playing on the streets of our financial district.
Having taken this unpopular stand, I ask:
Why do we have to change the government, when we are all part of the problem? Imagine how much more we could have achieved if all the wasted time, resources and energy were utilized to enact good legislation, build more houses, establish more schools, help small and medium enterprises, and construct more roads.
Why do we waste time, resources and energy in asking the President to change or to change the President when we can, in our own little ways, bring about change? When will we realize that we have better things to do? When will we understand that regime change, right here and right now, will not solve anything?
In this day and age, genuine reform and revolution no longer necessitate the dramatic street episodes of the martial law era. Today, our society’s transformation depends on small, quiet, often undocumented steps toward political and economic stability.
I refuse to be part of this political circus of blind and selfish clowns.
Leondro R. Lojo, 23, has a master’s degree in political economy from the University of Asia and the Pacific and works as a research analyst in a risk-advising company.
Originally published in Philippine Daily Inquirer's Youngblood 3/31/2008
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