2010: Who to push to climb the presidential ladder?

Scenario: May 2010 and it’s a national election day, the historic election in the Philippine archipelago. Historic in a sense that it’s the first-held automated election conducted nationwide. And we all have a good reason to participate. Many people had even wanted the election done years back due to dismay to the performance of our then president.

You are now inside the election precinct and given a long, three pages, COMELEC security paper, a new election ballot, where you have to shade the names of the candidates you are going to vote from the national level down to the local level. Then you are confronted with the dilemma of searching on the fine prints the name of choice candidate since a lot of trapos are still enlisted in it.

Who then would you vote for the next president, a president whom we hope to change the corrupt image of our government and move our nation forward?

Are you thinking of the action movie superstar, convicted of plunder, thrown by people out of the palace in 2001 as your next president? Our Filipino action movie has long been gone. It’s no longer popular today. We are now in the age of telenobelas. And we don’t need action hero to put resolution to the problem in Mindanao much more to solve the problems of our macro economy. He still wants to run for the highest post and please don’t waste time to file petition to bar him from running. Let the Filipino people decide, he always said that. The electorates especially the young voters would not allow him again to play king in the palace. Let him run so he would wake up from his dream. I would never vote for Erap Ejercito-Estrada, our movie star. It’s enough to have him once as our president. He should enjoy his retirement and focus on helping the next president dispatch pro-poor programs instead.

Are you thinking of the American Boy (Amboy)? Many Filipinos particularly our lolas and the bebots love Amboy. It is perhaps because we were under American Occupation and had been exposed to American culture. There is nothing I am against Mang Amboy or Secretary Teodoro. Mang Amboy or Mang Gibo is my potential candidate. I saw one of his interviews in ANC and he is a good study. What makes me hesitant to vote for him as my president is his alliance with the administration. The administration bloc is dominated by traditional politicians and political dynasties.

Are you lured by the ST? (I mean, I mean) are you convinced of the sipag at tiyaga slogan? Honestly, I was and I even voted for him as senator. But as president? Let me rationalize in this. Mr. Camella Homes has a strong background as a businessman and politician. As a businessman, he, perhaps, is the unique example of modern haciendero owning a vast of land across the archipelago. Would he be covered by the CARP Law? It’s only my wild thought. As a politician, he became our House Speaker and Senate President, qualified enough to become our next country president. I got no doubt in his capability. The C-5 Road Scandal, with meat or no truth to it, gives us an idea to think again. His pronouncement that only those who have P2.0 Billion as campaign fund can run for the highest office disgusted me. He is becoming humbug. Plus with all his political ads, coined infomercials, it had me asking, how would he gained back this millions of pesos he spent on infomercials? He is not known as a philanthropist. Philanthropist works behind the limelight. And as businessman, you will always think of gain in your investment, if it’s unrealizable, at least you’ll break-even. So you finish then my would-be question. Wowowee’s Money Villar is my option for president but not likely my president.

We all love cheese! Are you cheesy enough to vote for Chiz Escudero as your next president? The palace perhaps needs more cheese so the many poverty-stricken Filipinos will have food in their table; that the Philippines can attain food security. He is full of idealism and I believe he would effect more changes in the government once elected president. But why the rush, he just turned 40? He will still be a president in six years. Chiz should give chance and support to other presidentiable who has imbibed his idealism, philosophies and principles. Let that person provide the momentum for change and have him (Escudero) sustained them in 2016.

How a about another general for the president? Secretary Ebdane of DPWH, a retired military general is not in my list of prospects. Newspaper ads may blazon that he is right for the presidency but he was not even strong enough to shun away from posting his picture in the many DPWH projects around the country. I roamed around Northern Mindanao and saw his face plastered on billboards of DPWH. If he has delicadesa and is aiming for presidency, he should not have done that. Even a few meters of road repair, it has billboards with his face glued in them. What a shame! I wonder before why all these billboards, then the answer came from the newspaper ads.

A hero would be a good president. And I am talking about a literal hero, Mr. Bayani Fernando. Residence of Metro Manila may hate him for executing and enforcing the laws around the metro but on the other side I see a quality we needed for a president. A president who has the will power to enforce the law even he would be met with many oppositions and lawsuits. He had transformed Marikina City into a bustling city and restore order in the sidewalks and major thoroughfares among others. He is likely my president.

The Ganito Kami sa Makati boy Binay is also likely my president but he has decided to run under Erap as vice president. He and Mr. Bayani is a good tandem. I could see swift progress in the country with the two action men, Binay and Bayani, running our country together.

With the Cory magic, you would likely bet for Noynoy Aquino. He is the most ideal person to be the next president. I don’t hear much negative comments about him except that he has no strong performance as a public servant to boost for. But why the need for performance in the past when what we need is a leader who can push us together to progress and honest government service in the future? He is the only person who will unlikely betray the good image and the legacy his parents had left to the Filipino people. He will likely not disappoint his parents and the nation. Plus the ever candid sister Kris, there is no doubt that those people with selfish intentions would be known to public. Kris had even disclosed the most intimate details of her life.

Who tops my list of presidentiables?

1. Noynoy Aquino
2. Bayani Fernando
3. Jejomar Binay (if he runs for president)
4. Chiz Escudero (but if he waits for 2016, he will be my no. 1 choice)
5. Gilbert Teodoro
6. Eddie Villanueva
7. Manny Villar
8. Joseph Ejercito-Estrada