I don't know Mar Roxas personally but based on what media has presented him to me, he seems to be a good person. I had the chance to meet him 3 years ago during Jollibee's annual convention when no other than our company president stood by him from table to table. Even then he was down to earth. Accomodating questions and shaking hands. If he had pursued his presidential bid, would I have voted for him? I don't think so (my apologies Errol).
Being president of a country not only entail good intentions but most importantly---doing what needs to be done. Mr. Roxas may have good intentions but I don't think he is capable of steering the country towards economic reform and stability. Again, my view is colored by my perception. I say, blame it to his lame ad campaign (Errol, if you're any part of that---my apologies!). For me it was too much drama bordering on the absurd! Question is: Why does it have to be this way? Whatever happened to simply telling the voting population what he did or accomplished as a public servant? And so I did my research and found out that Mr. Roxas actually has a stellar carreer as a public servant---authoring bills that benefit education and consumer protection.
The other day, Mar relinquished his bid for the presidency in lieu of Noynoy Aquino. What prompted him to step down? Is Noynoy a better candidate? In terms of track record, I don't think so(try researching on Noynoy's political accomplishments and tell me if you'll vote for him). I tend to agree with Dick Gordon when he said that "leadership is earned and not inherited". Unfortunately, Philippine politics is a game of perception. He who has the most POGI points wins! Plain and simple popularity contest!
Now why does this kind of political climate prevail in our country? It's not that we're easily cajoled but given the majority of the voting population belongs to the C-D-E class media plays a big role in molding a candidate's "attractiveness".
My former perception of Mar Roxas was biased by his commercial. If I had not validated by doing research, that perception would have stuck! Many of the Filipinos from the lower rung of society don't have access to the internet and rely heavily on media for information. Hence, come election time, media mileage is critical. Half of the battle is won there. How else do you think Erap won the 1998 elections? Definitely NOT with his brains! Poging-pogi kasi sya sa media e!
In my opinion, we can negate this situation by holding mandatory debates among candidates---broadcasted in both tv and radio. Do away with on-site campaigning---para wala ng bayaran! Let the candidates joust on existing socio-economic issues and how they plan to address them. This way, the people will know who's talking bullshit!
For me, a president should be righteous, has a genuine love for servitude, knows how is it to be poor, has a clear vision on how to steer the country towards economic recovery and has the cajones to stand up for the betterment of the nation.
How I wish Ramon Magsaysay was still alive!
Dark clouds... a foreboding sign of the coming rain...
