Let party members select their candidates

IN THE coming crucial national elections, whom do we elect president?

The question defines the answer: He who can best lead us through these uncertain times—for indeed the most important problem facing us today is bigger than poverty, criminality, or the general breakdown of morality in public service; it is the threat to our national security.

Like an ogre that crashed into our backyard, China has broken all rules to impose itself upon us by grabbing some islets that we own in the West Philippine Sea.

How to face this situation is what will confront our next president. So who should we elect as our next president?

I believe it is time for us Filipinos to elect more carefully the leader most qualified to lead us through these uncertain times.

To achieve this, the Filipino people must change the present process of selecting presidential candidates, which is done only by the leaders of political parties. The candidates should be chosen by members of their respective parties in a nationwide preliminary or primary elections like the ones held in the United States. I believe this is not contradictory to Article 4 of the Philippine Constitution which requires the president to be elected by direct vote of the people.

Thus, we can have a president truly elected by the people, not foisted upon the people by a handful of political leaders. And, in dangerous times, supported by the people.

—AMADO F. CABAERO SR., [email protected]