President Rodrigo Duterte called a spade a spade. He called one candidate a weak leader, and for once, I believe him. So, in choosing our next leader, are we fully aware of the tremendous responsibilities of the president? Are we sure that our preferred candidate is competent, prepared, and has enough qualifications to handle national security, foreign affairs, national economy, disaster management, public order, local government control and supervision, defense of our territories and represent our country and people before the international family of nations?
Come May 9, about 68 million among the 111 million Filipinos are going to the polls to choose our leader to lead and manage our state affairs and head the government from 2022 to 2028. We have ?11.9 trillion in national debt. No less than 23.7% of all Filipinos are living below the poverty line, or roughly 26.30 million are poor. No less than 8% of the labor force is jobless, 24% percent are underemployed, and more than 20 million Filipinos do not have decent housing or access to clean water, affordable healthcare, and quality education. Are our candidates even fully aware of the magnitude of the problems they are going to solve?
The president has the power of appointment of all Cabinet members, all heads of bureaus as well as the top officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police. He appoints all justices of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and all Regional Trial Court judges as well as the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan justices, and the Court of Tax Appeals. He also appoints all chairmen and commissioners of the Commission on Elections, the Civil Service Commission and the Commission on Audit. He appoints all ambassadors and consuls. Can we trust all these sensitive powers to a weak person?
The president has full control of all executive departments, bureaus and offices. He can fire presidential appointees except only the career executives. The president is the commander-in-chief of all armed forces and can call the military to suppress insurrection and rebellion. He can suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus and declare martial law subject to some conditions. The president can pardon convicted criminals and grant reprieve and commutation of sentences and can waive fines and other penalties. He can grant amnesty, and these are very earth-shaking responsibilities. Can you entrust all these to a moron, imbecile, or nincompoop?
The president may contract or guarantee foreign loans. He signs treaties and other international agreements, with the concurrence of the Senate, and such international conventions become integral parts of the law of the land. The president is both the head of state and head of government. He is more powerful than the prime ministers of UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia who are only heads of governments and not heads of state. The Philippine president is very powerful. Foreign dignitaries come to pay their respect before him in the Palace.
Now, may I ask you these crucial questions: Can you entrust all these tremendous responsibilities to one who has not even finished college, or has shown any genuine and authentic diploma? Can you entrust this exalted office to one who has arrogantly announced that he will not publish his SALN? All employees in government are required to comply. They need to file their income tax returns every year. Will you entrust your vote of confidence to one who has failed and promises not to comply?