“Can we ever have such a leadership that could actually make a difference politically, economically and holistically? Probably, not under the present way that we elect our leaders.”
by Ducky Paredes
The round of parties and golf tournaments where lots of stuff was given away — trail bikes, huge LCD flat television sets and other stuff (I saw a tiny red Motolite electric car parked in front of one golf clubhouse) and not getting anything worth much, I decided to look for things that I could wish for that wouldn’t be subject to the workings of random luck.
Peace, of course. What that needs for it to happen is a healthy respect for the country’s leadership – enough that the Muslim rebels will no longer hanker for their own country and for the leftist groups (that have actually been reduced to banditry with the realization that communism actually offers very little for those who embrace it) to become law-abiding citizens again.
Can we ever have such a leadership that could actually make a difference politically, economically and holistically? Probably, not under the present way that we elect our leaders. It is very difficult for a true leader to emerge when we have the open-ended political system that we have.
The system may be open-ended but our choices are actually limited to only about twenty persons who can realistically aspire to become President. To become President, one has to win an election, which is – in reality – a popularity contest. To be able to win, one must be known to the whole nation. This is virtually impossible except if one is a senator, an actor, singer, basketball player or other athlete who has played on the global stage as in the case of the boxer Pacquiao, a virtual present-day national hero.
In other countries, the choices are not so limited because the road to the White House or 10 Downing or whatever they call their equivalent of our Malacanang is not closed to the rest of their nation but for 20 known persons. Thus, it is more democratic. Imagine that a Barrack Obama, a first term US senator after serving one term in the state legislature, could become president of the United States or that state governors have also been previously elected. That cannot happen here.
A clean Manila Bay?
Department Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Lito Atienza says that he welcomes the Supreme Court decision requiring several government agencies, including the DENR, to speed up the cleanup, restoration, and preservation of the Manila Bay.
“The ruling of the High Court on Manila Bay strengthens my advocacy on river clean up and rehabilitation,” Atienza said.
In a unanimous decision written by Justice Presbitero J. Velasco, Jr., the SC emphasized the “extreme necessity for all concerned executive departments and agencies to immediately act and discharge their respective official duties and obligations.”
What first needs doing is the clean-up of the Pasig River and the Laguna Lake, part of which has been recently marked for reclamation. Without these two being rehabilitated, all efforts to revive Manila Bay goes to waste. Says Atienza: “We must rid these two water bodies of wastes and illegal fishpens.”
Also, the two water concessionaires, which have been collecting sewerage fees from all of us must stop delaying; they must build the wastewater treatment facilities using the funds they have been collecting as sewerage fees. These must be built starting now.
Cleaner Air.
Hongkong, Bangkok and Singapore (just to mention the cities I have been to this year) have cleaner air than we have. It shows in these cities’ buildings. They are not as heavy with soot as our buildings in Metro Manila. How can we have cleaner air in Metro Manila when our main transport system runs on dirtier fuel than are used in these three cleaner air cities?
Let’s start with those, for now. They are doable only over several years or even decades but if we don’t start now, when will these ever get done?
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Speaking at the book launch of the book with possibly the longest ever title: “Global Filipino: The Authorized Biography of Jose de Venecia, Jr., Visionary and Five-Time Speaker of the House of Representatives” written by Brett Decker. former President Cory Aquino, dressed in red, suddenly turned to former President Joseph Estrada to say: “Lahat tayo nagkakamali, patawarin mo na lang ako.” (Everyone makes mistakes, forgive me.)
Recall that without Cory leading the rallies against a president accused of high crimes and undergoing an impeachment, the then vice president Gloria Arroyo could not have become President.
Cory is probably our most honest political person in this country. This is born our by the fact that she has admitted that taking the presidency from Erap only to give it to a worse one – Gloria Arroyo – was a mistake.
A lot of those who joined Cory then are loath to admit the same mistake. In fact, most of them never will. This is simply because they are not as honest as Cory Aquino.
There will be those who will dismiss this as a weakness on her part, perhaps a sign that the cancer that she had has taken a heavier toll on her body that is apparent. It is not a weakness to admit an error; it is a blessing that one has the sense to know when one errs and it is another blessing to have the humility to express one’s regret at having made a mistake and having inconvenienced another.
The easier way would be to harden one’s heart and stick to what one would call his own convictions. That is the stupid way to live one’s life.
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hvp 12.22.08)
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