The Leader That Our Nation Needs

**mantoy** · October 24th, 2003 11:19 AM

from Business World daily. A bit long but worth reading.
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The Leader That Our Nation Needs
by Alexander Lacson

Whoever will be elected president in next year's elections will be the leader of this country for the next six years until 2010.

By that time, the population of the Philippines will probably reach 100 million, if we go by the current population rate of 2.36% per annum.

By 2010, the foreign debt of the nation will probably break the $100 billion mark, if we go by the rate of increase of our country's foreign debt in the last three years. Our foreign debt stood at US$24 billion in 1986 under Marcos, and at $48 billion in December 2000 under Estrada. Three years under GMA, it has ballooned to $70 billion.

By 2010, the value of Philippine peso will probably break the PhP120 mark against one US dollar, if the rate of peso devaluation in the last seven years continues. The peso was PhP26.4 against the dollar in July 1997 when the Asian financial crisis hit the country.

Moreover, the next seven years leading to 2010 is a period during which, by all indications, our Asean neighbors -- like Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, and even Vietnam and Cambodia -- will continue their march towards economic progress. If our country does not show signs of improvement during this same period, or worse, declines further, our nation shall be at the bottom of the regional rankings by 2010, alongside, or in a worse position than Bangladesh.

But more worrisome than all that is the glaring fact that, at this very moment, many institutions under our democracy are fast deteriorating, if not crumbling. Look at the military and police organizations -- both are deeply divided and polluted with criminals. From syndicated kidnappings-for-ransom to bank robberies to shabu selling, there are military or police officers involved. And very recently, the Oakwood mutiny of some 312 young military officers with their soldiers. If these trends continue, what will our military and police be like in 2010?

Taking all these things in mind, is Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo still the leader that we need for the next six years? Is her brand of leadership the kind that will propel the nation and the Filipino people to remake itself beyond the likely scenarios of 2010?

Abraham Lincoln said that "leadership, as a concept, stands on two legs. The first leg represents the leader's respectability, the second leg his ability to lead by example. If one leg is missing, leadership crumbles resulting in a failure of leadership." If the leader loses the respect of his people, no one will follow him. And so how can he lead his people? If the leader does not have the ability to lead by example, how can he earn his people's respect? How can he lead his people?

It is crucial to know therefore if GMA, the candidate of the administration party, still enjoys the respect of our people. Or will the nation and the world see more intensified street protest actions in the next six years, with more political sermons in the pulpit?

Will our media banner even more negative news about our government for the whole world to see? Or perhaps more mutinies or coups from the military and police? Will the next six years be a repeat of the bad times under Estrada, or even the last three years under GMA?

I give particular stress to this because last October 2, Teofisto Guingona, personally handpicked by GMA after Edsa II to be her Vice-President and partner in running the government, withdrew his support for GMA and resigned as president of GMA's administration political party (Lakas-CMD). Of the many reasons cited for Guingona's withdrawal of support, two stand out -- corruption and failure of leadership.

Experts say that our country is in a critical state today. And no less than GMA acknowledges this. In her famous December 30 speech last year, where she announced that she would no longer run for president in the 2004 elections, GMA admitted that the Philippines has become one of the poorest and weakest states in Asia, with very feeble social and political structures, and a huge gap between the rich and poor. In February this year, she reiterated that our country is in a very critical state and admonished our people to sacrifice and act as one, otherwise "we shall perish." Last March, the newspaper International Herald Tribune likewise bannered a headline that read "Philippine economy has slid toward the brink," implying that our country is on the verge of collapse. Last month, Oscar M Lopez, chairman of the Lopez Group of Companies, compared the Philippines to the Titanic, not knowing just when it will hit the iceberg that will sink the nation.

In her turnaround speech, GMA said that she is best qualified to become our country's president for the next six years since she allegedly has two things -- the experience and the vision.

Experience? Our unemployment rate today stands at 12.7%, with roughly 4.35 million Filipinos unemployed, the worst for the country since 1984. DoLE statistics also show that, in the last three years, more companies have closed shop -- 2,258 firms in 2000, 2,859 in year 2001, and 3,296 in 2002 -- resulting in increased unemployment.

In the last 20 years, the country's average rate of tax collection effort had been 15% -17%, but tax collection efforts hit an all-time low of 12.2% in year 2002 and 11.7% in the 1st quarter this year.

A few weeks ago, Transparency International ranked the Philippines as the 3rd most corrupt country in Asia and the 11th in the world, the worst performance of the Philippines in the last eight years. Just last year, the country experienced its worst budget deficit in history at PhP210.7 billion.

The foreign debt of our nation also worsened dramatically in the last three years, from $48 billion in December 2000 under Estrada to almost $70 billion today. Also just a few days ago, the Philippine Population Commission reported that the country's official population stands at 82 million, making the Philippines the 12th most populated nation in the world (from 13th last year per the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau). But more alarming is the fact that the bombing incidents in the last three years seemed to have already surpassed all the bombings that occurred under the Estrada and Ramos administrations combined.

Vision? I heard about it only once in her speech at the EDSA Shrine on January 21, 2001, but even that was couched in words of vagueness. Since then the nation never heard of that vision again. But I agree with her, we need vision because even the Bible reminds us that "where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18)

Some quarters say that they will still vote for GMA because she is "hardworking" and that she's "trying her best." Is she really? Or is she just more visible because of her speeches and doleouts of titles or goodies to calamity victims, all exploited for photo-ops?

The largest group of foreign prostitutes in Japan and Singapore are Filipinos. The largest group of foreign prisoners all over Saudi Arabia are Filipinos, many of them for trumped up crimes of which they were used as scapegoats. In Hong Kong every Sunday, the Charter Park is flooded by almost a hundred thousand Filipino domestics, squatting under the sun, to enjoy a day of freedom from foreign employers, many of whom are unfriendly if not brutally cruel.

As good citizens, we owe it to ourselves and our children to ask this question -- Is GMA really still the leader that we want for our nation for the next six years? Aristotle said, "The salvation of the community (nation) should be the common business of good citizens."

While it is true that it is GMA's personal right to change her mind to run for president, it is also true that it does not mean that it is right. She's definitely not in the mold of a true leader, as in King Solomon who said in the Bible -- "What the king has said, the king has said."

This brings me to the point -- what kind of leader does our nation need in the next six years?

Perhaps what we need is a leader with character, more than experience and vision, and not mere religiosity.

Lao Tzu, a famous Chinese philosopher, said -- "In choosing a leader, character is the most important quality. Intelligence and skills come second in importance." Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest leaders mankind has ever produced, has something similar to say -- "Power is best used by a leader who has character." Plato said "He who does not seek power is the most qualified to hold it."

Perhaps what we need is a leader who truly loves the Filipino and the nation, someone who believes that patriotism is an ideal higher than the ideals of friendship, fraternal brotherhood, and even family and self.

**mantoy** · October 24th, 2003 11:21 AM

...continuation

Perhaps what we need is a leader who truly loves the Filipino and the nation, someone who believes that patriotism is an ideal higher than the ideals of friendship, fraternal brotherhood, and even family and self.

Think of the story of President Chung Hee-park of South Korea, as told by a young Korean named Jaeyun Kim. After the Korean war in 1954, South Korea was one of the poorest in the world, with so much political instability. In 1961, Army General Chung Hee-park was installed as president via a coup. He tried to borrow money from other countries, but was always rejected because of his country's very bad economic situation. So President Park sent many mine laborers and nurses to Germany so they could work and send money back to Korea to help its economy. In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Several hundreds of Koreans came to welcome him at the airport in Germany, and they cried when they saw him. They told him of their hard work, low pay, and of the ill treatment they were getting. President Park cried with them, openly, in front of the press and the public. The President of Germany was moved by the incident, and Germany became the first country to give a loan to Korea.

By the time President Park died in 1981, South Korea was already an emerging tiger in Asia, its economy almost five times better than the Philippines. When President Park started his quest in 1961, Korea had less than 200 university graduates, and only a handful with PhDs. They did not have economists of high caliber, foreign-trained or home-grown. They only had President Park who, at the time of his death, remained a poor man, with only an old apartment as his property.

Perhaps what we need today is a leader who, by the power of his sincerity and humility, can bring out the best in us as a people so we may discard the apathy and selfishness among our rich, the despair and lack of spirit among our poor, the greed and ambition among our leaders.

A leader that can inspire the entire nation to act and work as one to do great things, including performing acts of true sacrifice for the good of the nation. A leader like Lincoln and Park.

Perhaps what we need is a leader who values honor, whose word is his bond, whose oath of office is his commitment, who cannot be bought, who will be honest in small things and in great things.

A leader whose stand on right and wrong is clearly defined as black and white, whose principles and values are beyond the reach of money, who will be strong and brave and bold to do what is right.

A leader whose love of country is greater than his love for self, and who shall be willing to march into hell so that the Filipino may have heaven on this planet.

In short, what our country needs today is a leader who truly loves the Filipino and this nation, more than himself, his family, friends, classmates, neighbors and, yes, more than America and its interests.

Writer Elmer Davis once said that "America will remain the land of the free only so long as it remains the land of the brave." John F. Kennedy put it a bit differently by saying that "the people always get the government they deserve."

********************
Alexander L. Lacson, 38, is a lawyer by profession. He finished at the U.P. College of Law and has taken post graduate studies at Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Mass. He was legal counsel of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) from 1997-2003 and a columnist of BusinessWorld (on leave) since 1996. He may be reached at alacson*pacific.net.ph or at Tel. Nos. 840-0338 to 41

**IceColdBeer** · October 24th, 2003 12:15 PM

GMA's Experience and Vision?!?!
Experience in corruption - YES
Vision to be super filthy rich and the Philippines down the drain - YES
Other than that? NADA!!!

**eyescube** · October 24th, 2003 02:47 PM

Hmm, cno kaya ang dependable, honest, trustworthy,intelligent, kamay na bakal, disciplined, hard working, uncorrupt, ano pa?

Meron ba tayo nito?

DOC OTEP o kaya c DUDE TEAL >>> mag run ka na lang kaya sa pagka EL Presidente?? uuwi ako para mangampanya para sa iyo....

Hay naku, wala ng bago dyan sa Political Arena, wala ka man lang makitang bagong aspirant na walang bahid na dumi o mabahong amoy, dapat sana yung freshly baked, walang halong dumi sa kanyang personalidad... dapat yung bagong-bago, cgurado itong mananalo, marami itong sasagasaan, maraming makukulong na politicians... alam naman natin lahat na kaya mga batikang politicians eh nandyan lagi sa Govt. para maging untouchables sila... o dili kaya vested interest lang, puro cla tuta ng kani-kanino... puppeteering na ang nangyayari...

huh, kahirap talagang isipin, bakit ang inang bayan lalong kinakawawa, sana meron pa ring pulitiko na merong kaluluwang natitira...

**empy** · October 24th, 2003 10:02 PM

um, what was the point of that entire article, besides trashing GMA? who is this guy endorsing as that 'perfect' leader for the philippines?? :confused:

how about instead of pointing out a very obvious problem, try to figure out a solution?

**gretzy** · October 25th, 2003 12:23 AM

Roco sana, only that walang big pipol who support him

**TJMaxx** · October 25th, 2003 02:15 AM

Kawawa naman ang Pilipinas.
Naubusan na ng mga marunong at
matitinong mga leader. Ang mga
kumokorte' ng destiny ng ating bansa
ay mga intellectual lightweights tulad
nina Tito Sotto, Loren Legarda at Noli
Boy de Cashtro.
Aba! Huwag tayong pumayag na
gani-ganitohin lang tayo. Mag-ingay tayo!
Ipaalam natin sa maraming tao na ayaw
na natin sa mga politikong bobo na, buwaya pa!!

**DonCamote** · December 18th, 2009 10:02 AM

Allow me please to revive the post. This was posted before the 2004 Elections and it becomes a timely post again.

Alexander Lacson's thoughts back in 2003.

Originally Posted by mantoy

...

Perhaps what we need today is a leader who, by the power of his sincerity and humility, can bring out the best in us as a people so we may discard the apathy and selfishness among our rich, the despair and lack of spirit among our poor, the greed and ambition among our leaders.

A leader that can inspire the entire nation to act and work as one to do great things, including performing acts of true sacrifice for the good of the nation. A leader like Lincoln and Park.

Perhaps what we need is a leader who values honor, whose word is his bond, whose oath of office is his commitment, who cannot be bought, who will be honest in small things and in great things.

A leader whose stand on right and wrong is clearly defined as black and white, whose principles and values are beyond the reach of money, who will be strong and brave and bold to do what is right.

- Alexander Lacson

Fast forward to 2009, the above statement is timeless, and now, it applies to our choices of who steers our ship for the 6 years to come. Atty Lacson is running for the senate with Noynoy's party, LP.

Does it describe Noynoy? With all due respect to Noynoy, we don't remember him as that. I'm a passionate supporter of both his parents and we grieved when they died but that alone is not enough reason.

I do not agree with Atty Lacson's choice for President but nonetheless, I will vote for Alexander Lacson this coming elections as a senator because of his passion to find ways of helping the Philippines.

**Gen. Miting** · December 20th, 2009 11:33 PM

ang kailangan natin leader yun hindi magbabasa ng mga write-ups na ganito sobrang haba ubos oras dami pa dapat gawin

and that goes the same dun sa mahilig magsulat mapa-magazine, showbiz, blog, newspaper etc. etc.. sayang oras kababasa ng mga ganito puro lang sulat. pake ko sa opinion nyo. basta mabibili ko gusto without inconveniencing others yun na yun

tama na yan i care i care na yan. ang problema sa mga taong mahilig sa i care for the country i care for your my countrymen pag hindi mo nagantihan ng care, sila pa pusong-mamon. ano 'to instant utang na loob. nag-i-care ka lang kala mo hawak mo na ko sa leeg. who cares!

**cktlcmd** · December 21st, 2009 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by mantoy

...continuation

Perhaps what we need is a leader who truly loves the Filipino and the nation, someone who believes that patriotism is an ideal higher than the ideals of friendship, fraternal brotherhood, and even family and self.

I'd like to add that if we want immediate change... IRON HAND of the law is another key factor, otherwise this change we sought for will take at least a century or more, that is assuming we have leaders who trully loves the Filipino people for the coming century or more.