How many divisions has the Pope?? Josef Stalin asked in 1935 when French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval suggested that the Soviet Union encourage Catholicism in order to propitiate the Pope. Similarly, people who doubt the electability of probable presidential candidate Ed Panlilio may now ask, ?How many campaign workers can he muster?? and ?Will he be able to draw enough votes to win the presidency??

Several groups recently proposed that the governor of Pampanga province, a priest on leave, run as a reform candidate as an alternative to the traditional politicians who run for president every six years. The proposal to draft Panlilio as a candidate is part of the strong reaction to the failure of traditional politicians who have served as president to provide real leadership to the nation.

The perception is that failure of leadership is largely to blame for the very slow social and economic development of the country. More specifically, the clamor for reform-minded candidates is a strong reaction to the failure of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to provide moral and dynamic leadership to the nation in these crucial times.

Ms Arroyo?s record makes her a prime example of what a national leader should not be. A survey by the poll group Pulse Asia in 2007 said she was perceived to be the most corrupt president the country had ever had. A recent survey by the poll group Social Weather Stations put her satisfaction rating at negative 32. Poverty has worsened under her administration. Her human rights record is dismal: 991 activists and militants killed (as tallied by the Karapatan rights group) and 63 journalists killed. The political situation now is not unlike that in 1985-86 when the nation was looking for an alternative to the dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, who had called for a snap presidential election. The opposition chose Corazon C. Aquino, widow of the assassinated former senator Benigno Aquino Jr., as its standard-bearer. The 1986 snap election was generally perceived as a fight between Good and Evil. Evil at first prevailed because of cheating and other political manipulations, but in the end, Good won with the help of People Power.

The scenario now is not exactly similar because Ms Arroyo cannot run for reelection. But we don?t know what she has up her sleeve; she may yet spring a surprise at the 11th hour and find a way to remain in power. But if a presidential election is held in 2010, the nation will see more of the same: a gaggle of ?trapos? [traditional politicos; literally, dirt rags] running for president.

That is why concerned groups are now looking for new faces, people who fit their idea of what a real leader should be. First they proposed Chief Justice Reynato Puno, but he declined to be drafted, saying that he would rather attend to his grandchildren after his retirement. Now they are suggesting Panlilio, but he has not given a definite answer.

If Panlilio finally decides not to run, he could render a signal service to the nation by being the lead convener in the selection process for a reformist candidate. It?s time we had a president who will lead the nation to progress, not to perdition.

* * *

Leaders

What should a good national leader do, and what should his objective be? In 2000 Time magazine drew up a list of 20 people who helped define the political and social fabric of our times. The list included totalitarian leaders like Hitler, Lenin, Stalin and Mao Zedong.

Also on the list were:

? Winston Churchill, who found fulfillment in leading the democracies to victory in World War II

? Mohandas Gandhi, who shaped India?s struggle for freedom

? Martin Luther King, who led a mass struggle for racial equality that doomed segregation and changed America forever

? Nelson Mandela, who set an example of moral integrity that shines far beyond South Africa

? Pope John Paul II, the most tireless voice of a secular age who reminded humankind of the worth of individuals in the modern world

? Franklin D. Roosevelt, who lifted the US out of economic despair and helped make the world safe for democracy.

These leaders believed in causes larger than themselves; they thought of their nations and humankind before themselves. They were the embodiment of selflessness. Can we say the same thing about our ?trapos??