The Philippines’ “White” Obama?

Louis and I would debate about the need for charisma in a Presidential candidate, with him insisting that Dick Gordon possesses it while I would argue that the Senator comes off as passionate but arrogant.

Then Louis would counter, “Well, what the Philippines needs is an a______!” By this he meant, of course someone who was decisive, determined and someone who was not running a popularity contest — someone who would get the job done, regardless of what people would say.

And there I would have to agree, because I do long for the order and discipline that the Philippines used to enjoy during martial law (sans the Marcos plunder, of course, and the “hamletting,” the cronyism, the political oppression, the palpable fear in the air).

While America, by choosing President-elect Obama showed their desperate desire for CHANGE, the Philippines will be crying the same slogans in 2010.

But what kind of change do we want?

I believe that deep in every Filipino’s heart is the need for order, for predictability, for stability.

That we know where the next meal will come from, that we can rest knowing that our children will be safe, that when doing business there are no hidden costs, that the taxes we pay will not go into private pockets, that politicians will not take out loans that will mortgage the country’s future.

Paul Farol’s article is interesting. He makes a good point about Senator Gordon’s track record, does not insist that he is charming, but underscores the fact that the man is a man of action. Unlike so many in our government who pay lip service to kaunlaran (progress), “economic prosperity” while plundering the nation’s resources, and keeping everybody poor and uneducated.

“While all the other aspirants for the Presidency in 2010 are promising, Gordon is pretty much the only one with the longest track record of success as an Executive. While others are selling dreams, people whose lives he has touched are living the reality of a better life… In Olongapo, in Subic, in all the tourist destinations all over the country promoted through Wowphilippines, in disaster areas rehabilitated through the efforts of the Philippine National Red Cross, and soon, when the Automated Elections system is finally online in 2010, all over the country as they finally do away with the antiquated mano mano system of recording and tallying votes.

. . .

“He’s no superman, that is for sure. In fact, the truth is, he is hard of hearing. He can’t hear the word IMPOSSIBLE. He can’t hear the phrase IT CAN’T BE DONE. He just goes ahead and does it.”

If there’s one thing I know about Dick Gordon is that he inspires those who work for him. I have many friends from UP Law who have worked with him, some of them for free, too, and they rave about the man, which is something I cannot say for those other friends of mine in the Philippine Senate.

The article, though lengthy is a good read, and the post also contains the text of the original article by Alex Magno both of which I will not duplicate here of course. The author makes an interesting parallelism:

So, going back to where I started. There is no Filipino Obama, but try this parallelism on for size: How about electing the first WHITE Filipino President?

READ “A FILIPINO OBAMA” IN FULL

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Lisa’s Notes: While I have not decided who I will support in the 2010 elections, I am keeping my ears peeled for someone with a PLATFORM not EMPTY PROMISES.

The reason Filipinos all over the world are worried about Baguio is because the residents always vote into office people on the basis of name recall. No one is required by the voters to produce a program of action. Like elsewhere in the Philippines, there is hardly a campaign on the issues here, just personalities.

Thus we get surprises:

Congressman Domogan would build a flyover without even trying out a stoplight in a rotunda with hardly any traffic

• Congressman Domogan would rename Park Drive to Nanoy Ilusorio Drive

• Mayor Peter Rey Bautista has been wanting to build more flyovers,

• Mayor Peter Rey Bautista unilaterally declares a paradigm shift from tourism to education while Vice-Mayor Danny Farinas adds commercialism to that paradigm shift and no one complains, and

• one of the first acts of the newly elected councilors was to issue themselves cars!

And the most disturbing current issue is Pinky Rondez’s insistence on building a multi-storey parking building on Burnham Park. There was an unpublicized public hearing on this yesterday, and we have to let Councilor Rondez know that this is a most awful idea. The politicians will argue that they are only institutionalizing OVERNIGHT pay parking in Burnham Park, but even that is unacceptable! To have hordes of excursionists trashing Burnham Park is madness. Tell them to get a room!

These abovementioned people never warned us of their insidious plans during their campaigns! And suddenly, when they’re in positions of power — surprise!

We really have to find alternative leaders for 2010.

The search starts now.

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