FINDING ANSWERS
Manila Bulletin’s frontpage story last Jan. 11 titled “Brawner says electing worthy officials, not coup, key to solving society’s ills” is a powerful reminder of the importance of democracy and civic duty.
Quoting Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Romeo Brawner, the lead paragraph of the news story by Martin Sadongdong said: “If Filipinos want to help solve the various societal issues faced by the country, then the first thing to do is to elect candidates who are worthy, not to call for a coup d’etat or military uprising.”
“Maraming mga problema ang ating bayan, minsan ang naiisip na lang nilang solusyon ay ang military kudeta or military junta. Hindi po ito ang solusyon (Our country faces a lot of problems, sometimes some people think the only solution is coup d’etat or military junta. This is not the solution),” the AFP chief said at the launching of the National Election Monitoring Center at Camp Crame on Jan. 9, and attended by Comelec Chaiman George Garcia and PNP Chief Rommel Francisco Marbil.
What Gen. Brawner said is reassuring, amid the call of former President Rodrigo Duterte last November for the AFP to “correct” the “fractured governance” of the current administration. And what the good general stressed is absolutely true — electing worthy officials is essential to solving our country’s problems.
Although the essence of our democracy entails a government run by elected leaders and representatives, I’ve often said that we the people virtually own government, in line with the constitutional principle that “sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them.”
And because we virtually own government, we are obliged to organize the government we own. In the coming midterm elections, we have the opportunity to organize anew our government by choosing leaders best suited to administer the bureaucracy or function as legislators.
It is therefore of paramount importance that people are able to fulfill their role of installing onto leadership positions the candidates who are God-fearing, highly-capable, selfless, and who genuinely have their constituents’ interests at heart.
As in any organization, government leadership is indisputably a very critical factor in our nationhood, and the quality of our elected leaders determines whether our communities progress or retrogress. If quality of leadership is beyond reproach, it inspires cooperation and support of all sectors of society in the pursuit of excellence.
But quality of leadership ultimately depends upon the ability of the people to make the right choices, to elect the right leaders. Pope Francis once said: “The future of humanity does not lie solely in the hands of great leaders, the great powers and the elites. It is fundamentally in the hands of peoples.”
Thus, our future lies in our ability as voters to elect highly-skilled and dedicated leaders who have the correct economic strategy to uplift the lives of Filipinos and the knowhow to run the bureaucracy and maximize the use of public funds for the common good.
To make the right choices, we must be more discerning. But with no coherent political party system and no clear party platform of governance, many find it difficult to differentiate candidates from each other.
Their pronouncements are of little help, especially when it is obvious that candidates blurt out their messages simply to suit the audience. After all, talk is cheap and candidates cannot be prevented from saying what people want to hear.
The challenge, therefore, is for voters to discern the real worth of pronouncements made by candidates based on character and track record. For candidates without sufficient track record that can be assessed, the next best thing would be to rely on the perceived ability of these candidates to really walk the talk. And it must be stressed that past positions either in the private or public sector do not necessarily translate to competence. Positive accomplishments in office are a better yardstick.
Ideally, scrutiny of candidates on character and platform of governance should find answers to questions like: Are they suited for public office? Do they have a clear grasp of the workings of government? Do they fit the job description of the position they aspire for? Do their proposals match the elective post in the legislative or executive branch of government?
Will they use public funds with utmost integrity and efficiency? Will they get things done to achieve what matters most especially to the poor: inclusive growth, more jobs and livelihood opportunities, housing for the homeless, quality education, quality healthcare, and many more?
Such questions can greatly help in finding the “gems in a pile of dirt” amid a political landscape containing a mix of all kinds of candidates — from the efficient, compassionate, and sincere, to the grossly incompetent who are clueless on what it takes to be an effective public servant.
From our meticulous and careful efforts to come up with the right choices shall emerge an excellent quality of leaders who are competent, morally upright, and truly devoted to public service. These leaders would be the “key to solving society’s ills.” ([email protected])