Looking for a Widodo for the Philippines

I was struck by a post in Facebook that came up with a list of names as his preferences for the next president of the Philippines, with Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago as his number one. The second is his list is PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, third is RFM chairman Joey Conception.

Then comes his middle choices in this order — Ayala chairman, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr., Philippine Ambassador to the US and former Central Bank Governor Jose Cuisia Jr., former Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, former SEC chairman and outstanding lawyer Perfecto Yasay Jr., past PNB president and former Philippine Ambassador to the UK Edgardo Espiritu, summa cum laude and 11th placer chemical engineering exam and lawyer for 6 years and former Bulacan governor and past cabinet secretary Obet Pagdanganan II, unjustly impeached Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, BSP Monetary Board member and Asst Executive/Press Secretary and former Muntinlupa Mayor Toting Bunye, former MMDA Governor and past Marikina mayor Bayani Fernando.

And lastly, yours truly, whom he described as a fearless journalist and social justice fighter Carmen Pedrosa. I don’t know how I fit into this list because I am a journalist, not an aspiring politician.

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He adds that his order of preference can change anytime. In facebook his timeline says that he studied what he calls a “hybrid MBB from three business schools. He adds that he intends to work at the United Nations as a volunteer in their social projects. He used to work with Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (head office, Makati City) and Home Bankers Trust (now Citibank Savings, a Citibank subsidiary).

 He is educated and understands the importance of management so when he makes a list like this you can understand his bias towards businessmen and administrators. All this is very well except his no. 1 choice. Senator Santiago might be a fighter and good for the opposition but the question is can she run the country that requires hands on management. There is also the question of getting along with both equals and subordinates. Frankly, I think it is too much to ask of a single individual to have all the the desirable qualities for leadership.

In Porter’s list what does come out is that it is a selection of individuals that can work as a team. This is the virtue of collective leadership bound together by a common vision. They can compose a  political party. On the other end would be a political counterpart composed of workers, non-businessmen and career bureaucrats. This is similar to the two-party parliamentary system such as is had in the UK.

They start off with differing political philosophies but in time the Labour Party adopted the characteristics that belong to capitalism and the Conservative Party adopted qualities more akin to labor policies such as an emphasis on social services. The late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher liked to call her government “people’s capitalism.”

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If we are looking at suitable personalities for president, we should look towards Indonesia that recently elected — Joko Widodo. He departs from the elitist tradition of government with individuals that usually come from military or rich and powerful families. A provincial governor, Widodo is looked at as a man of the people but with management capability.

For the moment, suffice it to say that maybe the Philippines ought also to be looking for their equivalent of a man of the people.

“When I arrived in Jakarta, I was provided with countless security officers but I have cut the number to four. I hate protocol. I don’t want protocol to manage me. I don’t want it to be difficult for the people to reach me,” Widodo said.

“This is an era of horizontal leadership; this is the new democracy in Indonesia,” he said.

Then again we do not know how power might corrupt him and all that enthusiasm can quickly evaporate. He may be popular today but the real test of his leadership will come when he tackles the nitty gritty of being president and the problems of management.

According to one report he has made walkabouts or “blusukans” in squatter slums at river banks and the people have admired him for coming down to them. He says that is the only way he can understand people’s problems by listening and talking to them.

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Looking at the Porter list of would be presidents for the Philippines I do not see anyone who can match Widodo’s personality. It may be that we will have to wait for a man of the people to come along.

Meanwhile, we do face a presidential election in 2016 that looks dismal as far as the candidates being put forward are concerned. That is why, unlike Indonesia we should focus on changing the system rather than putting up candidates. All the talk on the corruption of Vice-President Jojo Binary and the ineptitude and inexperience of Grace Poe are pointing to another political debacle.

Therefore we should stop talking about personalities and stick to changing our system first before we put up candidates. But changing the system while retaining the same officials who perpetrated the most heinous corruption and destruction of our institutions will not do.

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The task of the National Transformation Council is to remove officials “elected” in the failed elections of the 2010 and 2013. That would be the correct direction as the Senate hearing continues to hear evidence on the elections that never were. For this we have to thank the youthful Glenn Chong of Libiran, Leyte who continues to fight the Comelec and its chairman to show that we had failed elections. In effect we do not have a de jure government. Officials are sitting in their posts unconstitutionally. We don’t even need a revolution because there is no government to speak of in the first place if they were put there by machines.