“It turned out to be interesting in that this was the first time that one could compare the potential candidates one-on-one; at the same time, however, there were no real fireworks.“
by Ducky Paredes
The first of what could become a series of debates among the many presidential candidates (which could bring some sense into the way we elect our President) was timed a full year before the May 11, 2009 elections. This was the Leadership Forum at the Ateneo De Manila campus in Loyola Heights in Quezon City, which was aired live for two hours by the ANC channel of ABS-CBN.
The format was simple. TV hosts Tina Monzon Palma and Ricky Carandang took turns interviewing the candidates, followed by an open panel discussion wherein all the candidates had to answer questions randomly drawn from a pool of questions previously provided the candidates.
Those invited were Vice President Noli De Castro, Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Senators Francis Joseph “Chiz” Escudero, Manny Villar, Mar Roxas, Richard Gordon, Panfilo Lacson and Loren Legarda. Of the invited, only four attended — Escudero, Gordon, Roxas, Panlilio and Teodoro, attended.
It turned out to be interesting in that this was the first time that one could compare the potential candidates one-on-one; at the same time, however, there were no real fireworks, although the potential for real confrontations on the issues was there.
The audience composed primarily of Ateneo students seemed to appreciate Sen. Chiz Escudero more than the others. He is, after all, closer age-wise to the primary audience (only 39 on election day) and was freer in his responses than the others who often chose the safer, non-combative responses. Thus, throughout, Chiz elicited the most applause and appreciative laughter.
For instance, when asked about positive contributions of the Arroyo administration, while the others gave positive responses, Escudero was blunt. The one positive is that with all of the hardship experienced by our countrymen, and the scandals and abuses perpetrated by the current administration - the Hello Garci affair, the fertilizer scam, the NBN-ZTE deal, and the extrajudicial killings - GMA has succeeded in opening the eyes of Filipinos and raising their consciousness as to the kind of leaders they should elect in 2010. “Sa madaling salita, binuhay nila dahil sa paglabag ng batas at pag-aabuso ng adminitrasyong ito ang pagiging makabayan sa napakaraming Pilipino, lalung-lalu na sa aming mga kabataan.”
The other candidates offered some praise. Sen. Mar Roxas referred to his tenure as the administration’s DTI Secretary was a positive contribution. Sen. Richard Gordon praised her work ethic while at the same time taking a dig at the “transactional leadership” of her administration as a result of her numerous political debts. Sec. Teodoro, predictably, rolled off statistics (i.e., the country’s growth rate and unemployment rate) supporting the Administration’s successful handling of the economy. Gov. Panlilio, on the other hand, gave her credit for passing two environment-friendly laws (RA 9003, The Ecological Waste Management Act, and RA 9513, The Renewable Energy Act), although he said that implementation was a different story.
When asked if they would support an investigation of the Arroyo family for corruption allegations, Sen. Escudero pointed out that he was the only candidate who has attempted to make the President answer to allegations of corruption. Twice, as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, he led initiatives to impeach the president
Mar said that justice is blind and should be applicable to all and that we have to investigate the scandals so as not to repeat these mistakes.
Gibo Teodoro said that he will not get in the way of prosecuting the Arroyo family, but that if the charges are unsubstantiated and obviously nothing more than political harassment, then he will support his President.
Dick Gordon explained that as a lawyer, he is a man of the law and will respect the law so if a case will be filed, then so be it.
Gov. Panlilio said that as a country of laws, we should prosecute if there is basis. He added that not only the Arroyos who are corrupt, and that everyone corrupt should be prosecuted.
Question - What was the last book you read or the last movie you’ve seen?
Panlilio : Book: Leadership Secrets of St. Paul
Roxas : Book: 1776 about the American Revolution
Teodoro : Book: Power and Prosperity, about rewards and incentives; Movie: John Adams, about the second President of the United States
Escudero: Book: Dinner with a Perfect Stranger; Movie: Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo
Gordon : Book: Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama; Movie: We are Marshals
On the question of connecting with the young, Chiz said that, as the youngest candidate, he is the only one who can be considered part of the youth, a sector encompassing individuals 18-40 years old.
He calls on the youth to be involved: “angkinin natin ang eleksyon.” He adds: “Ang kabataan hindi lamang pag-asa ng bayan. Ang kabataan dapat maasahan na ng bayan.”
What Chiz has going for him is actually the fact that per his Statement of Assets and Liabilities, his net worth of 7.4 million pesos as of 2007 remains unchanged to date. He added in the forum that he lives in a modest townhouse with his wife, a music teacher, and his two children.
After all, in case the reader is unaware, Section 4 (h) of The Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees states “Public officials and employees and their families shall lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income. They shall not indulge in extravagant or ostentatious display of wealth in any form.”
If this is how they should live, why does Chiz Escudero seem the exception rather than the rule?
Perhaps, our problem with elections has been the way that we have been running them. We limit the exposure of candidates by limiting the campaign period and the amount of money that they can spend. This also limits our choices to those who are already known to the voters before they were candidates, as for instance movie actors and TV personalities. This gives no chance to those who are virtual unknowns. Thus, we deprive ourselves of discovering a Barrack Obama, who was a virtual unknown until he outspent everyone during the campaign and talked of a future that was far different from what the Americans had been getting from the administration.
If we had only two political parties or even if we had multiple actual political parties (and not what the late Mayor Pablo Cuneta referred to as “birthday parties”), perhaps limiting the campaign period and the money spent would make some sense. In our present set-up, however, we doom ourselves to electing the already popular (even with very limited accomplishments and capabilities) and forgoing a possibility of moving out of the morass we have been in for already far too long.
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hvp 05.21.09)
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