We all know the basics—the President and the Vice President of the Philippines governs over the executive branch of the country’s republic. They; specifically, the President has control over executive departments, agencies and offices that often concerns about public relations, needs, and interests.
Moreover, the head of state supervises the local government, appoints secretaries of the state, members of the Supreme Court and chairpersons for all constitutional commissions.
The executive head also acts as the commander-in-chief of the country’s military or the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Aside from all these things mentioned, the power of the President is an array of acting, granting, suspending, and directing that may directly or indirectly affect his or her people. Yet the general qualifications for a person to be elected as the President of the Philippines, as mandated by the 1987 Constitution, is that a person shall be a natural born Filipino, a registered voter, can read and write, 40 years old by the time of the election and have resided in the Philippines for the last 10 years before the elections. So, that is simply any Filipino 40 years of age born and lived in the Philippines for the last 10 years can change the course of 100 million Filipinos’ lives for the next six years – at least, that’s what the basic law is saying.
But the real deal here, is that for a person to be declared as the Philippine President he or she must be voted by the majority of voters, by the Filipino people. Hence, as voters we can confidently say that NOT ANYONE can be a president, only those we choose to be. But, until we unify our personal qualifications for our next leader, the fate and progress of the country is unknown, and your safety and rights and lives are at risk.
So, let’s talk about this, how should the NEXT PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT be?
1. Someone who could pick up the debris of Covid-19 onslaught.
The pandemic has shown us many gruesome truths about the current administration. Lack of plans, inconsistent decisions, belated responses, vile political agendas, and corruption have rammed the country more malevolently than the virus itself. Despite those unfortunate events, we remain steadfast in helping each other get back up and we must do it again, until we find someone who has concrete plans to organize broken healthcare system of the Philippines, a person that has moral ascendency to help and build up for the people, a competent leader that initiates actions and inspires other to act too. A leader that embodies the ideals of science and technology and serves for the betterment of every Filipino lives.
Other economic and social damages of Covid-19 that the next National executives should fix:
- The country is heavily indebted because of failed economic recovery programs and corruption.
- Job loss because business firms, micro and macro have suffered massive losses, some forced to shut down.
- Economic recession and continuous price hike in the market.
- The education sector is crawling to find support to continue distance learning through online platforms and printed modules. Producing competent, proficient, and progressive graduates is at stake.
- Tourism sector are still suffering grave losses.
Hence, yes; we need someone with the ability to recreate and repair the Philippines.
2. Someone who chooses life.
As a Christian community, it is difficult to see when many personify the teachings of the church but tend to turn a blind eye when the country suffers from one of the most dreadful degradation of human rights.
The injustice lurks in every corner, terror, unjust and extrajudicial killings, power tripping among authorities and maltreatment of the poor and needy. Our qualification of the next head of state must include someone that acts and speaks to inspire and motivate goodwill, empathy, and service. The President and the Vice president should be working hand in hand in ensuring that life and liberty is utmost imperative.
The President and its second should prioritize on these issues to allow their people, regardless of who and what they are, enjoy their rights as Filipinos:
- Equal men, women, and LGBTQ+ empowerment and protection against violence, abuse, and objectification regardless of gender identity and expression.
- Killings among the country’s poorest.
- Foreign countries’ violation of Philippine Sovereignty and territorial rights
- Labor injustices
- Weaponizing misinformation and violations of the right of the press, plus killings.
- Red tagging and killings under the mantle of anti-terrorism.
3. Someone with irrefutable credentials and unsullied reputation
This can be a difficult criterion to be spotted at a glance in every presidential and vice-presidential candidate. With majority of voters who rely on media appearances only, we can be easily swayed with popularity, flowery and rather too good to be true promises of change. We have an ill-fated record of electing and bestowing power over bigots, clowns, and drama-queens because they have given us a good laugh or an entertaining song and dance number during campaign, or maybe because we’ve seen them in teleseryes or make clamor in social media.
But betting our votes on popularity alone is the reason why we are treated as a joke.
So, don’t expect for good governance when you voted because of a pretty face or popular media influence. Where did that get us?—NOWHERE.
What we need is someone with irrefutable knowledge and experience of politics and governance, someone that can interpret the law to serve the highest interest of its people, someone with education, diplomatic and oratorical prowess, someone that can defend our land and borders to invaders and country bullies, someone that is apt in economic equations and strategies and someone that is honest and unassailable.
And we cannot know if the candidate we are rooting for have these qualities over a small talk show or a limited-time debate. We have to do our research, and we have to increase our efforts to spread awareness among voters.
We have to choose a president that acknowledges that the power of the people is unending and perpetual. Not someone who resign the people with their constitutional power after being elected and keep the power to himself for another six years.
WeInform on Election 2022
Constitutionally, anyone who meets the standard can run for office, most of the requirements are achievable, but QUALIFYING the position takes grit, resilience, character. Our next President, with the assistance of his or her Vice shall rewrite the nation from its ruins over the last six years of economic ravage, deaths, and injustices.
However, we tend to be busy in setting qualifications for our next leaders, but it seems that we fail to answer one important question before How should the NEXT PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT be? – and that is HOW SHOULD I, AS A VOTER BE? if we as voters cannot, will not and does not vote right, we cannot expect something to be RIGHT. We are just people sinking in the depths of poverty, powerlessly waiting for scraps.
So, allow us to ask you again, as a family man or woman, a student, a citizen, a voter, how should the NEXT PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT be?