Between a leader who is more honest than competent or one who is more competent than honest, which one would you choose?

Richelle Magno, Cabanatuan City: There is an abundance of competent leaders, but few are honest.

Jim Veneracion, Naga City: I would always prefer a not-so-competent but honest leader. It’s a Philippine tragedy that we’ve had more competent but less honest Presidents.

Why not both?

Lolong Rejano, Marinduque: It takes two to tango. We cannot separate honesty and competence. An honest leader will just rely on himself and believe his decision is right at all times, while competence comes from having enough skills to do something well. No one among the presidential wannabes has both. I could say Noynoy is honest, but I doubt his competence. On the other hand, Villar and Gibo are both competent, but I doubt their honesty. Erap? Well, Erap’s honesty and competence are questionable to me.

L.C. Fiel, Quezon City: I won’t settle for anyone less or pwede na if I can have both in a leader. Many possess these qualities but, sadly, elections in this country is more about having the financial means to get elected by hook or by crook. We talk about honesty, integrity, moral uprightness and competence but at the end of the day, it’s money that fuels the machinery that elects leaders. Sadly, the poor but deserving are left on the wayside.

Johann Lucas, Quezon City: I would choose a leader who is both honest and competent. In choosing a leader, heart is the most important. Intelligence and skill only come second. Intelligence without morality is a great danger to society.

Joyce Lyne Espino, Cabanatuan City:I would go for a competent leader, assuming that he has enough honesty to compete with others. In other words, he should know what he is capable of because a good leader won’t compete if he is not sure that he is going to win. People will only back those they believe in. This means he is honest to himself and to others.

Bobby Tordesillas, Quezon City: Why choose when you can have someone who is equally honest and competent? And that someone is Gilbert Teodoro who is not only a brilliant leader but has an indisputable record of honesty while being a government servant. Even the agency he handled, the DND, had no corruption scandal during his three-year watch.

Ryan Pahimulin, Rizal: Neither, I just hope that Filipino voters won’t have to find themselves in such a situation.

Juan Deveraturda, Zambales: People would actually prefer a leader who is more honest than competent, but it is hard to find an honest leader these days. I want our country to have leaders who are competent, who can get the job done, and who have integrity and, thus, would not dare to steal the people’s money. He can lie once in a while, if the act of lying is for the good of the country.

Ethel Kate Cruz, Nueva Ecija: I prefer both. We need honest leaders nowadays, because, as we can see, corruption is all over. However, competence is a great factor to establish good governance and better leadership. Competence will not result in anything good if there is no honesty behind it.

Competence is paramount

Dennis Montealto, Mandaluyong City: I would rather go for the competent candidate than the honest one.

Joe Nacilla, Las Piñas City: Voters must carefully analyze the candidates’ competence. Honesty is alien to all of us. Most everyone, including you and me, would cheat given the chance. But one must know what competence is. It is performance over popularity or promise. A competent leader is one who can draw people together and draw from the best of them so they can work together to achieve the common good. We can see this in how organized they are in their party or group. If there is some kind of factional in-fighting, how can they draw people together?

Honesty is harder to find

Cris Rivera, Rizal: Moral excellence comes as result of habit. Conformity to established rules is just an act. Kindness trumps stupidity. Honesty is second to none. I prefer the less competent but honest leader. Just acts excite people to work for a leadership built on a solid foundation of moral values.

Germi Sison, Cabanatuan City: It is difficult to turn a dishonest leader into an honest one, as dishonesty is inherent in a person. An honest leader admits his shortcomings and, with this, his advisers will not get tired of pinpointing his errors until he becomes competent.

Mark Kenneth Santos, Nueva Ecija: I prefer a leader who is more honest than competent, because most leaders are naturally competitive but lack honesty.

Robert Young Jr., San Juan: A good leader should be honest and competent, but if I had to choose, I’d choose one who is more honest than competent. We’ve had leaders who topped the bar, were doctors in their field of studies, and an ex-general. No one doubted their competence, but they were untrustworthy and they put us in a mess and left the economy in shambles. Honesty should come first.

Elpidio Que, Vigan: Truthfulness, justness, and rightness are what we need in a leader, not the ruthless sagacity that our leaders in government and business have displayed that sinks us further in the morass of economic and social ruin. These virtues can be stated in one word: honesty.

Shierlyn Valera, Nueva Ecija: Everyone must be honest, while leaders have to be competent on top of being honest, because what is the use of honesty if one doesn’t have the skills of a leader? An effective leader must possess honesty. I believe that everyone of us can learn and achieve competence through education and experience, while honesty is very hard to gain for it comes from the heart. We need a leader who offers not only his intelligence and competence, but also his heart.

Competent leaders have failed us in the past

Felix Ramento, Manila: Except for Erap, almost all our past presidents were competent, including the present dispensation, but we never got off the ground. Unless and until we elect an honest chief executive, I would not know the difference.

Rose Leobrera, Manila: I choose honesty over competence because so many in the past were said to be competent leaders and yet look where we are now. Instead of moving forward, we have been moving backward because of the abuses of these “competent” leaders. What we need now is an honest leader, ‘yung nasa puso ang paglilingkod. It’s not enough that he is matalino, or galing sa mahirap, makamasa, or whatever. We should have learned our lesson: Honesty is the best policy.

Laarni Sanchez, Nueva Ecija: Our leaders in the past showed competence, but that wasn’t enough. We need honest leaders to lead our country.

Gerii Calupitan, Muntinlupa City: That’s a trick question, right? Case in point: Marcos was a competent leader, but as expected, lacked honesty; Cory was incompetent and we presumed her to be honest. FVR came; he was competent, but may PEA-Amari, SBMA, BCDA, Clark Expo etc. naman pala. Erap gave us the worst of both worlds incompetent na, dishonest pa. Fast forward to PGMA, who is competent but she has FG. Fast forward to Noynoy, who is honest pero ‘yung kayang Kamag-anak Inc. honest na rin?

Competence produces results

Randolph Hallasgo, Misamis Oriental: Honesty is not possible among our leaders nowadays. Competence, on the other hand, is much required because a lot of our government leaders need this to fulfill their mandate. Good governance and quality leadership require strong determination. Honesty can be learned in the process of being a competent leader.

J.R. Mondoñedo Jr., Parañaque City: The kind of leader I would pick is more competent than honest. Let’s face it, if you’re a leader and people depend on you to run the country, you have to be competent and show the people that you’re doing your job well. It’s only but normal that most politicians are not honest when it comes to getting kickbacks or favors because that is part of being in position. For as long as they are doing their job well, it is fine with me. Let God deal with them later because what we need is a leader who works hard and produces results. If you can find me a true honest leader, then I am Tom Cruise.

Aries Diamante, Metro Manila: I’m sorry if I sound cynical, but nothing succeeds like success. A competent leader who can make this country as successful as Japan or China or Singapore will be forgiven anything, even the rape of our liberties.

Mak-Mak Manalang, Nueva Ecija: I’d choose a leader that is more competent than honest because we need to compete in order to survive.

Honesty brings about good governance

Mary Rose Puyat, Nueva Ecija: I prefer an honest leader to a competent one. Honesty will bring about good governance.

Maureen Kate Garcia, Nueva Ecija: Better if our leaders could be both, but if I had to choose one, it would be a leader who is honest. An honest person can be competent later on, while we cannot trust a competent leader who is dishonest. It will create never-ending corruption.

Lucas Banzon Madamba II, USA: A leader who is honest will surely bring about good quality governance and leadership. Moreover, an honest leader will not fall into the dark side of corruption.

Dino Monzon, Caloocan City: An honest president who knows his limits and cannot be bought or doesn’t play political games is preferable to a competent but dishonest political trapo.

Ed Alawi, Davao City: I would prefer a leader who is more honest than competent because we will be assured of transparency in governance.

Ernesto Oliquiano, Las Piñas City: I certainly prefer a leader who is more honest than competent. An honest leader can set himself as a model for all his subordinates.

Aaron Rivera, Nueva Ecija: Uprightness and fairness lead to good governance so I prefer an honest leader for a change.

Competence can be learned

Mandy Rillon, Cabanatuan City: An honest leader has all the chance to improve and be competent, while a competent and dishonest leader has a slim chance of being honest. It’s in the character. Day one of your training as a leader, you should already have built-in honesty; if not, all the things you say or do will be doubtful. Let’s choose an honest and, moreso, a godly leader.

Alexander Raquepo, Ilocos Sur: I will go with the honest leader. Leadership competence can be taught and learned as one matures as a leader.

Germi Sison, Cabanatuan City: The late Ramon Magsaysay was more honest than competent and he was the best President we ever had because he admitted his errors and corrected them when his advisers pointed them out. The late Ferdinand Marcos was more competent than honest and he did great but he was ousted for his dishonesty. The worst leader is a dishonest and incompetent one, so do not give him a chance anymore.

An effective leader must be honest

Noel Banias, Makati City: I will always choose a more honest than competent leader. An honest leader is always ready to accept his shortcomings in leadership and is amenable to hiring competent advisers. The competent but not-so-honest leader may not admit to his wrongdoings, rationalizing that his actions are called for, even if he knows fully well that they were for his own vested interests and not for the people he serves. This kind of leader will be adamant against accepting advice, shunning criticism as if it were the plague, claiming that he is on top of the situation.

Alquin Piñon, Maasin City: I would choose an honest leader because he has the conscience to examine his every action.

There is no cure for incompetence

Renato Taylan, Ilocos Norte: Competence is character, while dishonesty is not, because it can be tempered. I prefer a leader who is more competent than honest.

Luisito Vallo, Pangasinan: Wouldn’t it be better if he were both competent and honest? That way, we would have a leader who would be able to steer our country back to respectability and greatness. But if there are only two choices, I would opt for the leader who is more competent than honest as I think that competence is far more needed for a good leader to do his job.

Ishmael Q. Calata, Parañaque City: I’d choose a competent leader. If we go a little bit to the extreme, ang incompetence ay katumbas ng tanga, at para sa tanga ay walang gamot! Kakainin lang siya ng mga nasa paligid niya, kasama na rin siguro ang mga kamag-anak niya. Today, Filipinos have grown tired of nefarious dishonest activities in government and these can be checked and arrested, just like the NBN-ZTE imbroglio, which did not push through. We, together with media, only have to be wary of graft and corrupt practices, especially in high places.

Views expressed in this section do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The STAR. The STAR does not knowingly publish false information and may not be held liable for the views of readers exercising their right to free expression. The publication also reserves the right to edit contributions to this section as it sees fit.

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