The choice is right

For successfully projecting himself as the “man for change,” Barack Obama won the US presidential elections in 2008  promising to end the war in Iraq, transform politics in Washington, cut down taxes for workers and promising to change the culture of “business as usual” in Wall Street. After almost four years in office, Obama’s approval ratings continue to slide down even among his strong base  blacks and Hispanics  with 64 percent of Americans believing that the US is not moving in the right direction.

Many Americans continue to suffer through one of the worst recessions in recent history, with so many people losing their homes and their jobs, personal incomes plummeting and living standards getting worse than ever. Sensitive issues like health care, education, illegal immigration, the high price of gas and environmental problems, plus a huge budget deficit continue to haunt the Obama administration. Today, China holds most of the US public debt at $1.16 trillion - higher than previously reported.

With so much politics in Washington and the coming presidential elections in 2012, the Republican congress is giving Obama a tough time getting the $3.8 trillion Federal budget passed as Republicans continue to question the government’s budget proposal, insisting on cuts that could reach as much as $60 billion. With time running out on Obama as he continues to negotiate with Republicans, the Federal government is faced with the prospect of a shutdown  meaning government services deemed as “non-essential” will be closed; more people will be losing jobs with the momentum for economic recovery hitting a snag. 

Whether he likes or not, P-Noy is being compared to Obama mainly because he, too, promised “change” most especially in the way our own government is being run (some say “like hell” as predicted by Manuel Quezon). With his campaign slogan “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap”  people’s hopes, dreams and expectations were raised so high. After 10 months in office, P-Noy has probably come to realize the difficulty of effectively governing this country and trying to please everybody. A case in point is the P450 million oil subsidy for jeep and tricycle drivers  which has been roundly criticized by transport group Piston and other militant sectors as “not enough”  even while bus drivers, fishermen and others are also agitating for a similar subsidy to help them cope with the rising oil prices.

The similarities that Obama and P-Noy share in their presidencies are so glaring that now both leaders are saying almost the same thing: They want an emphasis on the good news to counteract their plummeting survey figures and counter the negative news that are being circulated. The fact is, the American economy is showing signs of real strength; some 1.8 million private sector jobs were created over the last 13 months and the unemployment rate is going down, Obama announced a few days ago, promising that he would not be satisfied until every American “gets a shot at the American dream.” That’s almost in the same vein as the recent Palace announcement that the Public Works department has created 10,000 temporary jobs or the emphasis on dole outs given to the poor via the government’s conditional cash transfer program.

There is however one significant difference between Barack Obama and P-Noy. The American president is gunning for re-election and so more political decisions are being made to please as many people as possible to raise his ratings.

President Noy, on the other hand, need not worry about his survey ratings or a drop in his popularity. He’s not running for re-election. He must remember that he was swept into power because he promised change in the way government is being run and eradicate corruption. Guided by that, he just needs to do what is right. He was practically given the presidency on a silver platter being the only son of Ninoy and Cory Aquino.

“Do what is right” is easier said than done, but “change” is inevitable if P-Noy wants to honor the legacy of his parents. It’s not an easy thing to do, but we need to start somewhere. One such area is the Reproductive Health bill which at the onset was supposed to be a priority bill, but for some political consideration has been pushed back farther and farther. Sectors opposed to the RH bill say there are other items that should be prioritized like health and education  but the fact is the issue of population management will impact all sectors if the population growth rate continues to outpace economic growth. Recent CIA World Factbook population figures show that there are now 101,833,938 Filipinos with 35 percent living below the poverty line. Let’s face it, no amount of dole outs or cash transfer programs can alleviate the plight of the poor if they keep giving birth to children they cannot feed or take care of responsibly.

There is no arguing the tough choices and decisions that a president must make, but it does not help to pander to the dictates of popularity and approval ratings or worse, consider them as the be-all and end-all of effective governance. While it is true that one has to listen to the pulse of the people  at the end of the day, effective governance means strong political will and doing the right thing. President Obama has no choice but to play politics to get re-elected. President Noynoy has a choice  to do what is right and start the process of change in this country, or just try to remain popular and do nothing. But for most Filipinos, they don’t have much choice because time is running out.

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