Philippines’ fate in 2022: Choosing the next leader
By Michael Janus Sunga, October 26, 2021
Today, many of our leaders are facing numerous challenges, dilemmas, and decisions to manage the hurdles we are experiencing. There is no easy route through the crisis we are living in today especially with the COVID-19 outbreak which affected numerous lives across the world. Present leaders are stepping up their ways of leading their constituents by extending extra miles of efforts to attend to the needs of their citizens and ensure their safety and welfare. They are not just attending countless press conferences and meetings to construct different plans of action to combat the pandemic, but they also face an immense type of task where they must assure and persuade the public to follow government policies and protocols they implement.
It is a challenging task ahead. For people to follow such policies and protocols, the government must first give an assurance that all will be alright in due time. To make this possible, it is important for leaders to possess qualities such as transparency, accountability, and good governance. Unfortunately, it seems that current leaders of the Philippines are lacking in those qualities as displayed by their unsystematic and inefficient ways of handling this pandemic. Over a year after its emergence, the threats posed by the COVID-19 virus is still lurking in the streets of this country. Not to mention its negative impacts on the country’s economy and healthcare system, as well as on the morale of Filipinos to look forward to a fully-recovered Philippines.
For instance, Ronald Mendoza (2021), a dean and professor from the Ateneo De Manila University, said that “The Philippines’ economic growth faltered in 2020 entering negative territory.” This can be attributed to implementation of heavy lockdowns which temporarily impeded the economic movement of the Philippines. Although businesses, companies, and corporations are starting to get back on their feet and gradually resume full-operation, the economic recovery of the Philippines is still unstable and weak at this point. Meanwhile, the current healthcare system does not offer better news. Amidst the inadequate supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and lack of appropriate compensation such as hazard pay, the healthcare workers in public hospitals were still hit with budget cuts. According to Robert Mendoza (2021), the president of the Alliance of Health Workers said that “the proposed health budget reflects the government’s total abandonment of the people’s right to health care. This will never solve the COVID-19 pandemic,” which resulted to another criticism in the current administration on how they treat the health care system of the country.
As the year 2022 is fast approaching, the national elections are only a few months away. Yet, the Philippines is still barely showing signs of firm and long-term recovery. Given the country’s present situation, it is important for Filipinos to use the upcoming elections as a juncture to elicit positive developments in the country. With our power to vote, the fate of the nation is in our hands.
For us to see positive changes in our country, we need to choose the right leader. A leader who prefers actions rather than words. A leader that is motivational and inspiring that can help the public mobilize their different knowledge and skills to lessen the burden brought by the pandemic. A leader who is great at handling and allocating such government and public funds for people not to suffer. A leader that has the time to solve such environmental problems that can lessen the carbon footprint that we have today. A leader that is open to building international partnerships that can help us grow economically. A leader who is empathic about the people who lost their jobs and most importantly, A leader that has a heart. In these endless statements of us dreaming of a leader who can achieve those qualities, it is now the time for us to use our privileges as citizens by choosing a leader that is effective in solving national problems.
By electing the right leader, we are more likely to achieve sustainability and development. According to Arjen Boin (2016), leaders must not sugar-coat situations but instead be open to such problems by having good governance, showing a sense of purpose, compassion, and a deep understanding about the issues.
It is high time for us Filipinos to open their eyes and keep an open mind about the things happening today. We, as a nation, should start to assess the leaders capable to proactively lead and govern our beloved Philippines. The upcoming elections is not a matter of competition of who should sit in the iron throne of the Malacañang Palace and solidify great power. Instead, it is a matter of upholding great responsibility — serving the masses in good faith.
Filipinos should start to practice social awareness, national consciousness, and civic engagement to avoid our past mistakes of electing incompetent politicians into government positions. Instead, let us elect people with competence and good intent of serving their people. With our collective efforts, there will always be hope for our beloved Philippines.
Copyeditor:
Christine Joy Infiesto
Researcher:
Jashley Manalili
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