Okay, truth be told, the more I see Mar Roxas and his desperate attempt to earn the people’s sympathy and favor, the more I want to roll around on the ground laughing. See, I think one of the biggest reasons why he’s not getting anywhere with his vain attempt at convincing the people he can become a good president is that he doesn’t really understand the essence of becoming a president in the first place. Look, I know the man is supposed to be educated and all but I doubt that he really understood anything in class at all. Unless of course, you can add cheating and bribery to that.
Anyway, here are five things that Mar Roxas should first consider if he really wants to become the next president:
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Vision
Well, it’s been stated over and over again that in order for the country to get anywhere, we need a leader with vision. No, I’m not just talking about a person who can see things. Heck, I think Helen Keller would make a better president than current President Aquino. I’m talking about being able to see what we can become as a people.
The problem is, majority of Filipino leaders are really no different from the idiots who vote for them. They only see what is obvious and only what is important to them and their own. For them to truly understand what is being put before them, it first needs to be painted in bright clashing colors, attached to a very loud siren and advertised by a bikini-clad Angel Locsin.
The thing is, there are precious few politicians (Mar Roxas not included) who see the potential of the common Filipino. All they really see is what is immediately useful and not what else it can become. They see common Filipinos as just an able workforce (a dumb one at that) and nothing more. They praise and keep talents that are immediately obvious which can be seen in the way they only promote manual laborers, beauty contestants and singers but ditch more subtle but nonetheless important things such as writers, engineers and scientists.
Few politicians ever see that with discipline, determination, a sense of honor and wisdom, the Philippines can indeed become a First-World country. However, that is only achievable if we can see ourselves as better people. Unless our next leader can see deeper than what is readily apparent and prepared to fully utilize the potential of the Filipino people, then we are truly doomed.
Empathy
Okay, let’s get this straight, I find Mar Roxas’ various activities rather amusing. Pictures of him delivering goods to the market, directing traffic and putting together desks for schools never fails to bring a smile to my face. However, true empathy has a deeper meaning than that and let’s not forget that majority of his alleged good deeds are only done in the presence of a camera and well-paid producers.
If you want a good example of empathy, here are some things one can think about:
Think of pagpag. Yes, re-cooked leftovers. A Jewish-American friend of mine sees it as pigfood and believes that to feed it to anyone is both an insult to the person you’re feeding it to and the Almighty Himself. Imagine being forced to eat that on a regular basis. Would you feed your spouse something that other people have simply refused to eat? Can you bring yourself to feed your children what is essentially vomit?
Now think of the OFWs who toil in other countries so they can guarantee their children a good life. Imagine the trouble they have to go through just so they can travel to other countries such as ton after ton of paperwork just so they can engage in what is essentially slave labor. Can you even picture yourself as one of our unfortunate fellows in the Middle-East who are second-class citizens and are sometimes abused both verbally and physically by cruel masters? Then, imagine being sentenced to death for a crime you were only forced to do because you were so desperate to get a profitable job in another country.
Unless I actually see Mar and his wife eating pagpag in a lonely street corner somewhere in Tondo or wiping crap off the butt of a Saudi will I believe in the propaganda they’re putting out.
Humility
Humility is another important aspect of being a leader. And no, humility has a deeper meaning than simply eating with your hands when in the presence of farmers and allowing yourself to be filmed. Being humble is about lowering oneself before others. As it is stated in the Bible, one must first learn to serve before being given the honor of leading.
Unfortunately, most of Mar’s “humility” is nothing more than a PR stunt. In real life, the man has been long believed to be quite a snobbish jerk. While I can admit that I haven’t seen any of his alleged misbehavior, but his inability to respect Anderson Cooper and engage in intelligent debate is sign enough of his undeniable arrogance. The fact that he feels entitled enough (that he thinks he deserves it) to win the presidency in 2016 is another sure sign of his foolish pride.
Leadership
Apparently, Mar’s idea of the presidency is something akin to a title or a trophy. We can see this in the way he said that he essentially “sacrificed” the chance to become president in order to make way for President Aquino in 2010. However, what Mar seems to forget is that the presidency is a responsibility to the people and is not a privilege that you can simply pass on to others.
Being a leader of a country is like carrying a huge but fragile weight on your shoulders. The presidency is not a title or trophy that will bring you fame and fortune, it’s a sacred duty not just for yourself and those around you but all your countrymen.
Sacrifice
Oh God, this is the funniest.
I remember Mr. Roxas saying: “I’m used to being sacrificed.”
Well heck, I doubt he even fully understands the meaning of the word “sacrifice”.
Remember always that real sacrifice is painful. It’s a terrible price you pay for the greater good. It’s not something that you can easily make, that much I can tell you, and it’s not something that will guarantee a good reward. Oskar Schindler made a sacrifice by giving up all he had to save total strangers from certain death. Mother Theresa made a sacrifice by living among the poor so that the destitute can feel like human beings after their own family members had given up on them. Erwin Rommel made a sacrifice by allowing himself to be branded a traitor just so he could put an end to the tyranny that gripped Germany in WWII. Sacrifice, my dear readers, is about tears and blood, not just ego and privilege.
Here’s one example of what I would call a sacrifice: Imagine being a lonely average guy. Then one day, you learn that a gorgeous woman had somehow fallen in love you. She’s as beautiful as any Victoria’s Secret model, as rich as Bill Gates, as smart as Stephen Hawking and as nice as Mother Theresa. Now, think about having to turn her down because you know, in your heart, you can never really make her happy. You tell her to turn away and never look at you again because of the simple fact that someone else can probably make her happier.
Sacrifice isn’t about what you can gain, it’s about what you can give. So no, giving up the presidency to a man who can’t even be trusted with simple delegation of tasks does not count as a sacrifice in my book.
***
And in case Mr. Roxas is reading this, I only have two words for you: GET REAL!
P.S.: However, if you do a macho dancing stunt wearing only a thong (t-back) I might actually reconsider some of my statements…
I HAVE RETURNED TO LAY WASTE TO OUR ENEMIES!
you forgot to mention this one as #6, Grimwald:
6) Try to go to Davao City & learn the leadership of Mayor Rody Duterte. He could even go to Singapore & learn how that country made a huge success for the past 50 years (Belated happy 50th anniversary of Independence, Singapore). 😉
Nah, he just needs to dance sexy wearing a thong. If he does that, I’ll think about changing my views about him. That’s all.
Oy Grim, baka naman ayaw mo ng pulitiko. Maybe you want a puppet to run for office — walang magpapakahampaslupa nang ganoon para maging pangulo. Kahit sinong pulitiko — kahit sinong tao.
Maybe you don’t want a human.
sana mayroon taong ganoon…libre naman mangarap
For the five big points above, he doesn’t need to do them, he just needs to UNDERSTAND them.
However, I stand by my last my point. If he dances sexy in a thong, I’ll reconsider writing articles against him.
Mar Roxas cannot understand himself; cannot understand Philippine politics; and cannot understand the duties of a government public servant.
Mar Roxas was born, with “silver spoon” in his mouth. He is rich and an Oligarch . He tried in vain , to convince US, common people; that he is as common, as you and me.
So, he goes on driving a pedicab; carrying bags of onions; posing for photo with construction materials; directing traffics; etc…he looks DUMB, doing these things…
He is trying Too Hard, to become President of the Philippines…and people are not interested on him…
I was hoping Mar Roxas would do a Jack Ryan from the movie Clear and Present Danger in the Mamasapano incident. That incident would have been a defining moment for his career in taking charge. He instead opted to distance himself.
Him being not aware of operation could have been a sign that he was kept in the dark as Jack Ryan is in the movie where a covert military operation was executed behind his back as CIA Deputy Director. Similar to the SAF 44, the military team were also caught and massacred by the mercenaries. But Jack Ryan, instead of distancing himself, investigated on his own the incident that dragged his name. It was his responsibility to know it in the first place, as Roxas is as DILG Secretary. Ryan learned that the scandal traced all the way to the president. Did he protected the president? No. He reported the matter to the Senate Oversight Committee because it is his duty. What did Sec. Roxas do? You tell me.
The difference? Jack Ryan was not running for president and is not seeking the incumbent’s endorsement.
He showed us that is the way he handles such crisis and now he is asking us to vote him as president. “Sorry, sir. Thank you for your time. Maybe in the next election if you showed us some improvements.”
With all the power that a President has, the most important thing to bear in mind is this: You must not give power to a man/woman unless, above everything else, he/she has character. Character is the most important qualification the President of the Failippines can have.
If you will think about what you ought to do for other people, your character will take care of itself. Character is a by-product, and any man who devotes himself to its cultivation in his own case will become a selfish prig.
In a president, character is everything. A president doesn’t have to be brilliant… He doesn’t have to be clever; you can hire clever… You can hire pragmatic, and you can buy and bring in policy wonks. But you can’t buy courage and decency, you can’t rent a strong moral sense. A president must bring those things with him… He needs to have, in that much maligned word, but a good one nonetheless, a “vision” of the future he wishes to create.. But a vision is worth little if a president doesn’t have the character– the courage and heart– to see it through.
All leaders must face some crisis where their own strength of character is the enemy. Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
In the Failippines history they have shot several presidents, worried several of them to death, nearly impeached several and hounded several out of office. And when all else fails, Failipinos hold an election and assassinate their character.
Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wing, and only character endures.
I agree with this brilliant writer! I felt he expressed all my thoughts and feelings about Mar!