The 2016 Philippine Elections is almost here and it’s still super hard to choose who to vote for president. With all the articles and posts trending on my wall telling me who to vote, who said this, who manipulated this, whose supporters did that, it is a must to be vigilant. Do your own research and be informed!
While I’m still researching, I made a list of the things I look for in my president-to-be. I just listed down a few top-of-mind wishes regardless if they are part of the president’s job or not. It’s just my grown-up election list!
My president must be accountable.
I think this is pretty self-explanatory. I cannot highlight the need for an accountable president more. The problem with most Filipinos is that we always try to blame somebody. And that somebody is always the president. I’m poor because of the president. The airport is lame because of the president. Zayn left One Direction because of the president. We’re fond of blaming others but can’t take the blame when it’s our fault in the first place. To make matters even worse, the president, the highest leader in the land, also plays the blame game.
So my friends, my friends, choose an accountable president. And please, future president, own up to your faults. Be an example to every Filipino.
My president should prioritize the environment, resource conservation and preservation.
I cry for the environment each time I see a construction site, each time I see an all-you-can-eat restaurant. Sure, the economy may be on the rise. The unemployed have new jobs available to them. People are enjoying the cool air in the malls (especially in this gawd-awful heat!). Companies are raking in millions. But when do we stop? When do we step back and reflect on the irreversible damage we’ve done to the environment? When do we stop cutting down trees and paving the grounds for the next big high-rise project? Do we still think if we are disposing our wastes correctly? Until now, I’m collecting all my used batteries because I don’t know how to dispose them!
What laws do we need to enforce the sustainability of our resources before it’s too late? When will the environment be a primary and urgent concern for the government? When the next super typhoon ravages the country and becomes the hot topic in international media because we let the logging and mining companies kill our lands? When the whole country is in a rotational brownout scheme because we didn’t invest in alternative energy sources? When trees in Baguio are uprooted to construct a mall that features “green walls consisting of live plants to help improve air quality”?
Like I said before, bata pa lang ako issue na ‘to, hanggang ngayon issue pa rin. Dear future president, do something, anything, please. No amount of money can buy and replace Mother Nature.
My president should be non-partisan.
In college, after winning the elections, student government officials coming from opposing political parties were still treating each other as “rivals”. This was confusing because they were in the same council, they’re supposed to help and support each other. They’re in one team! THIS WAS IN A UNIVERSITY! GOSH!
Much like in the national level where our “servant leaders” do not stop politicking each other, politicians can’t move past their rivalries and personal gains. Even good projects are discontinued and repackaged for the sake of political power. Observe your city (especially if you live in Metro Manila) after the elections: if a new mayor wins, you can bet that the city’s “official color” will change. What a waste of paint! And what a blatant disrespect of the city’s taxpayers. That’s taxpayers’ money they’re using AND misusing!
My president should be non-partisan because it’s his duty to serve the Filipino people and that includes his political enemies and his family’s enemies. No exceptions.
My president should enforce the law.
The senate and congress’ basic purpose is to write laws but how many of these laws are really enforced. We have some of the best laws in the world but are they properly implemented? When I was in 4th grade, I actually tried to memorize the Philippine Constitution of 1987 because I was afraid that I’d unknowingly break the law. As I grew up, I realized that the law is just a piece of paper (e.g. separation of Church and state).
My president should be able to enforce the law to everyone: the rich, the poor and the powerful.
My president should be able to protect his country and his people.
Security is one of a human’s basic needs. Without it, no amount of high-speed internet or stable GDP can make a country better than the other. My president should be able to protect the sovereignty of the country at all costs. Issues like China’s claim on the West Philippine Sea should not be taken lightly. Not that we need to declare war or something, because in reality our military does not even compare to our neighboring countries’. It just needs to be resolved immediately, hopefully peacefully and permanently. Again, the environment is at stake here not just our sovereignty.
Decisions that are a matter of life or death should also not be thought of twice. The president should put the interests and safety of the Filipino people first, no matter what.
I do hope that this list would help me know who to vote for. I am hoping though that this time around, with social media, Heneral Luna and all our declaration of nationalism, we can choose the right candidate.
Credits: Featured Image of Presidentiables from Sun Star
How about you? What are you looking for in your future president? Sound off in the comment section below.
