Communicator

He created quite a stir last week when he announced his availability to run as standard-bearer for the ruling coalition in next year’s presidential contest.

The reviews were mixed, but predominantly positive. An unexpectedly large number of political leaders expressed enthusiasm for the prospect.

The announcement itself was so much in character for Gilbert Teodoro, Secretary of National Defense. It was quiet but forthright, humble but determined. It was clear and unequivocal.

He would aspire for the presidency, Teodoro said, only if he carried the endorsement of the majority coalition and the President he served. In other words, the presidency is a job; it shouldn’t be an obsession.

There were no fireworks when Teodoro announced his availability. He did not try to pull stunts like announcing a major break in alliances. Nor did he say anything oddly out of place such as: only billionaires ought to aspire for the highest post.

On the contrary, he announced his availability rather matter-of-factly, as if this was the most natural thing to do given the timing and alignment of things. He did not shirk from the graveness of the prospect not try to deliver an exaggerated image of himself. He simply said that if called upon, he was ready to serve.

That is so like him: humble but steely, a CEO-type personality who says only what is necessary and says it clearly.

Over the past few months, Gilbert Teodoro worked efficiently and effectively at his post. He did not hire a public relations staff to pepper the media with contrived press releases on every issue in the universe. He did not put up tarpaulins with his visage — although even that would not be unpleasant.

But wherever he went, and whenever he spoke, he impressed people with his impeccable demeanor and his unique ability to grapple with complex, hotly contested issues and make them completely comprehensible to the listener. He is a gifted communicator, not in the sense of a broadcaster with an overpowering voice, but in the sense of a statesman eminently capable of conversing with his people.

I caught him once, a few months ago, on a television talk show discussing a number of complex items. I was suitably impressed. And then surprised I was not alone in my appreciation: there and then, viewers called in and asked that he seek the presidency.

When the MOA-AD with the MILF happened last year, it was only Teodoro who ventured to Mindanao and discussed the issues with all the concerned parties in that aborted agreement. He cut through those issues impressively, maintaining that difficult balance between a non-negotiable sovereignty on one hand and a sympathetic understanding of the plight of a people that feels itself oppressed.

No other politician on deck at the moment, and certainly none of those others who presume themselves “presidentiable”, could have pulled that off with the grace, the eloquence and the conviction that Gilbert Teodoro did. All sides were impressed. The controversy over the aborted MOA-AD did not degenerate into yet another causus belli nor another opportunity for national self-laceration. The matter was put aside and the long trek in quest of a sustainable peace resumed, nearly without missing a beat.

Teodoro’s dignified expression of availability for the highest post of the land is not defined by reluctance. The man is not awed by the great responsibilities the post entails. Rather, it is the consequence of a proper sense of proportion and a clear understanding about how things could evolve.

When he expressed his availability for the job, the usual hecklers from the Left were quick to use the opportunity for their own self-serving propaganda. They said he should focus on investigating alleged human rights abuses by the military. These guys are simply sniping.

One commentator ventured that Gilbert Teodoro has few accomplishments in his young career to merit being taken seriously as a presidential contender. But that is exactly what some people said about a certain Barack Obama when that young African-American presented himself for that nation’s highest post.

Such comments are non sequitur. All young people have fewer accomplishments that old people of the same caliber. That should not disqualify them from taking the helm, as most Americans today would attest.

On the other hand, young people tend to have more energy and a refreshing new take on things. The world has not evolved because we conserved old visions. We have progressed faster when young and determined men, with fresh visions, are enabled to take command.

Gilbert Teodoro, Harvard-trained lawyer, is probably the best educated public servant we have onstage at the moment. He is certainly one of the brightest characters now in the public eye with any ability to harness the political currents in play. His potentials for leadership are immense.

But his most important merit, I suppose, is his unique abilities as a political communicator. This is the essence of what is called statesmanship: the ability to convince a critical mass that there is a way forward.

Presidencies fail when the occupant of the post fail to sustain a conversation with the people. Without such a conversation, the people will feel disengaged from the common tasks of the polity.

Gilbert Teodoro, communicator and listener, is a rare person on the political stage who can reassure us that a modern leadership, a conversation-based presidency, is a real option for this country. By itself, that is already refreshing.