Choosing a president, part 1

Matud ni Andrew J. Masigan, ang tagsulat niining article nga napatik sa Philippine Star nga maoy gibasihan sa atong mga hunahuna ug opinion: “Miriam Defensor Santiago was right when she said that there are three fundamental requirements to be president. They are: academic excellence, professional excellence and moral excellence.”

To repeat, academic excellence, professional excellence, ug moral excellence. Note nga ang excellent, usa ka adjective, nagkahulogan og outstanding, superior, exceptional, superb, exemplary, ubp., sa ato pa, ngilngig kaayo, subra ka manggialamon,  ug dili ma-question ang moralidad.

Wala maghisgot si Miriam og excellently popular, excellently rich, ug excellently dili ma-question ang moralidad.

Yuna pa, mahimo man nga super intelligent ka, super educated, ug super professional, apan, wala kini magpasabot nga dili ka corrupt. So, mas importante ang moralidad, kay nia dinhi ang tanan sa atong pagkatawo. Maoy hinungdan nga gilakip kini ni Miriam sa iyang criteria pag-diagnose sa kinatibuk-ang pagkatawo sa usa ka tawo, ilabina kon ang maong tawo nakahunahuna pag-alagad  sa lungsod.

Pagka-presidente pa gyud. Sa ato nang nahisgutan dinhi, kon atong iapil si Aguinaldo sa atong pagkwenta, 16 na ka presidente ang mialagad kanato.Ug komusta man? Atong kutluon pag-usab si Massigan:  “From the time we became a self-governing republic in 1946 up to the late 1960’s, the Philippines had all the ingredients to become an economic and geopolitical superpower.

“We had the most advanced financial and banking system in Asia, a democratic framework of government, a market driven economy, advance learning institutions with educational standards that were the highest in the Pacific rim, a, burgeoning manufacturing sector and relatively advanced infrastructure.

“We also had the strongest armed forces and one of the best military schools in Asia. The future could not have been brighter for the republic.”

Basaha ninyo ni’g usab, makapangutana kamo sa inyong kaugalingon ngano nga naingon man kita niini karon? What have we been doing? Nag-unsa man lang diay ta? Hain na man ang mga maayo natong lake pagdumala sa mga bangko, pagpalambo sa agrikultura, pagpadagan sa industriya, ug daghan pa. Sa ato nang giingon dinhi, economically speaking, lupig nato ang kasilinganang nasud sa Asia.

Niining mga tuiga medyo duna na koy buot gamay. Kon iksakto ang akong paghinumdom, ang atong pesos was 4 pesos to a US dollar. Di mo motuo?

Anyway, that was yesterday. Ug from yesterday, fast forward ta uban ni Masigan:  “Fast forward to 2021 and we have plummeted to become one of the least competitive economies in ASEAN (6th out of 10).

“We were recently overtaken by Vietnam in per capita income such that today, Filipinos are only wealthier than the Cambodians, Laotians and Burmese. Our educational standards are dead last among 79 countries ranked by the United Nations.

“No surprise, our human development index is also in the lower rung among market-driven economies. Our democratic institutions have eroded and so has the rule of law. Once a burgeoning manufacturing economy, the Philippines today is dependent on imports for practically all its needs, including rice.”

Bitaw, an agricultural country, apan namalit kita’g bugas gikan sa ubang nasud. Hasta gud ang toothpick made in China.