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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Lucky (?) appointees

Lucky (?) appointees

Published May 15, 2023 04:02 pm

MEDIUM RARE


All eyes on the Office of the President: Who’re on his list of appointees who’ll make it to the cabinet? As PBBM stressed, the newcomers will mean a reorganization, not a reshuffle.
Imagine the pressures bearing down on him. Whom to choose, and why? How many competent and trustworthy people does he know who are willing to be drafted for a thankless job? Already there are warnings from politicians cautioning against picking losers, but what’s so wrong about losing an election as long as one has the credentials, the willingness, and the bottomless pit of masochism to work and serve the people while enjoying some measure of power and pelf?
The vetting won’t be easy, considering how many whisperers will want to have the President’s ear.
Maybe we need a Ping Lacson to strike the fear of God in the hearts of profit-hungry policemen.  A Tito Sotto with his suave personality to bring word-warring factions together without turning the event into a slugfest. An Isko Moreno to preside over a relandscaping of our crowded cities. An independent manager like Gilbert Teodoro. A labor leader like Leody de Guzman. Maybe even a Manny Pacquiao to carry out sports development like what Michael Keon used to do for Gintong Alay. All droppable names, sure, but then they won’t be working for me.
In the olden days of empire, Middle Kingdom (aka China), the process of vetting could not be carried out without the court astrologer’s inputs, as it was his duty to go over each candidate’s birth hour, birthday, and astrological sign. The data would then be judged against the emperor’s chart: Are they compatible with the emperor’s positives and negatives? In short, will they bring harmony or discord to the court?
It was a different story with Napoleon Bonaparte, soldier, general, emperor of France, whose genius on and off the battlefield was celebrated not only by historians but also by military experts. Napoleon, so the legend goes, was more than meticulous in choosing the right men for the right position in his government, but one thing he was most scrupulous about: After going over a prospective appointee’s records, achievements, etc., he would ask a simple question: Is he going to be lucky for me?

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MEDIUM RARE JULLIE DAZA Jullie Y. Daza
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