WHO IS THE NEXT PRESIDENT?

The Philippines is right in the verge of change. In the coming election this May 10, 2010, the whole nation will choose who there next president will be. Unlike in other nations where we are only to choose between to leaders from a 2 party system, we are faced with a more confusing dilemma in selecting who is who. We have the multi party system where in anyone desirous to become the president can ran and any group can become a political party.

These may be the things that we have to accept and live with until somebody realizes that the people deserve a better political system than the confusing path we have always been. It may really be confusing but there some thin lines we can find to distinguish the bad from good.

As the saying goes, tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who are will remain to be useful this time in selecting the next president. There is really no way we can know who these people are except for those who have really been with them or from the things we see on media as they are advertised. The media plays a big contribution in introducing the candidate to the public but you know very well that the media will only tell what the people would like to hear. There is no good news from the media. The paid advertisement on the other hand will only tell you what the advertiser wants to portray, and advertisements are always good, in contrast to the news.

How do we tell then who these candidates are? I say we can determine who they really are by understanding very well the people surrounding them, who their party mates, the senators behind them, the people who supports them etc. If you doubt the qualifications of the candidates supporting this presidential candidate then you might as well select the opponent. Now think for your self which among these parties have the best senatorial line up then probably they must have the better president. Make sure you vote for the president of the party where the majority of your senatorial candidates belong to.

Let me share with you the Seven Personal Qualities of A Good Leader:
1. A good leader has an exemplary character. It is of utmost importance that a leader is trustworthy to lead others. A leader needs to be trusted and be known to live their life with honestly and integrity. A good leader “walks the talk” and in doing so earns the right to have responsibility for others. True authority is born from respect for the good character and trustworthiness of the person who leads.

2. A good leader is enthusiastic about their work or cause and also about their role as leader. People will respond more openly to a person of passion and dedication. Leaders need to be able to be a source of inspiration, and be a motivator towards the required action or cause. Although the responsibilities and roles of a leader may be different, the leader needs to be seen to be part of the team working towards the goal. This kind of leader will not be afraid to roll up their sleeves and get dirty.

3. A good leader is confident. In order to lead and set direction a leader needs to appear confident as a person and in the leadership role. Such a person inspires confidence in others and draws out the trust and best efforts of the team to complete the task well. A leader who conveys confidence towards the proposed objective inspires the best effort from team members.

4. A leader also needs to function in an orderly and purposeful manner in situations of uncertainty. People look to the leader during times of uncertainty and unfamiliarity and find reassurance and security when the leader portrays confidence and a positive demeanor.

5. Good leaders are tolerant of ambiguity and remain calm, composed and steadfast to the main purpose. Storms, emotions, and crises come and go and a good leader takes these as part of the journey and keeps a cool head.

6. A good leader as well as keeping the main goal in focus is able to think analytically. Not only does a good leader view a situation as a whole, but is able to break it down into sub parts for closer inspection. Not only is the goal in view but a good leader can break it down into manageable steps and make progress towards it.

7. A good leader is committed to excellence. Second best does not lead to success. The good leader not only maintains high standards, but also is proactive in raising the bar in order to achieve excellence in all areas.

WHO WILL I NOT VOTE FOR PRESIDENT ON MAY 10?

Election time is just 7 days away. We hear endorsements everywhere from all walks of life. In the same manner I want to express some thoughts on why I wouldn't vote for someone in the presidential race. Those who are not mentioned doesn't mean that they are on the better side of my voting list but they at least have a big chance to be selected. And the candidates who I think I will not be voting for are:

Noynoy Aquino

The band wagon may carry you over to voting for him because the surveys are telling you so. The band wagon effect is the best strategy used in marketing to entice people to believe in something, a product or an idea.

I remember the time when Noynoy’s mom died, he really didn’t have the inkling of raising his career to the presidency neither did he have any plans of moving forward as a senator. It was the people who demanded for him to run for the presidency because they thought that he will be the one to stop the increasing trend of the Philippines to becoming the number 1 most corrupt country in the world. Noynoy may be able to quell corruption but he will have to learn to stand on his own feet before he could begin to do that. He needs to have the conviction to stop corruption 1st which he really never had in the first place prior to his presidential declaration. Never did we see Noynoy stood for the people when he was yet a senator. The only plus points we could recall as his senatorial accomplishments was attendance.

When Noynoy becomes the president, the church will again become so vocal in their state intervention in the guise of moral guidance. I remember during the time of Cory when the Catholic Church has almost become part of the nation’s policy making body. Cory couldn’t just afford to say no to the cardinals; and Noynoy could still hardly get away from his mothers shadow.

Joseph Estrada

If there are issues circulating around about Noynoy’s mental health condition which he would obviously deny and what I can say is that it may just be running in the family. People who will vote for Joseph Estrada may be as worse as the mentally retarded voters. For obvious reasons, voting for Joseph Estrada is like swallowing again what you have vomited. He was convicted of plunder and pardoned by the even more slanderous administration which gave him the encouragement to run again for the presidency. In assuming that he did not even commit the crime he was accused of as he would say, I still wouldn’t vote for him by the mere fact the he was accused of such. It is an insult to our history that a disgraced president gets reelected after he ran again.

Jamby Madrigal

I just can’t imagine having a President of the Philippines with a foreigner as the husband. Her husband is a French businessman. We are used to officers with dual citizenships working in the government like Gary Olivar who is both a Filipino and an American citizen. For some obvious reasons he couldn’t get rid of his foreign citizenship because of security. Everybody needs a fallback. When things in the country won’t go right, they can right away leave and apply the benefits of their other citizenship. In the case of Jamby, it is just but very normal that the President should be 100% Filipino and that includes the better half.

Gibo Teodoro

It is really not safe to say right now that the reason I am not going to vote for him is because he is from the administration. There was a rumor that circulated which said that Gloria is backing up Villar and not Gibo, but whatever that is, a vote for Gibo may just be a waste of vote. Your single vote may be in the danger of being wasted if the trend of Gibo continues to dip down in the pit. Still I will not vote for him despite his winnability if there is because after all he is still the man for Gloria. Whoever Gloria supports will just have to end losing.

JC de los Reyes

I dont know, but I just cannot be convince why this little guy would really want to run for President. His arguments are very shallow and so common that he wont even get a chance to win if runs for Mayor.