A curriculuma vitae

Victor Rodriguez, the spokesperson of Bongbong Marcos, likened the presidential race to a job application for the highest post in the country. “You allow yourself to be interviewed and let your bosses or management choose among the best.” For a man who shuns debates, this is a strange thing to say. In business, we make that comparison, so we can choose the most experienced, qualified person to run the business. Voters need that comparison if they are to make a wise choice. It’s why businesses succeed, they pick the best person, after a comparison, to run them. Not the most popular one.

If we did that in choosing our president, and we very, very definitely should, and the 65.7 million local registered voters were educated to choose this way, what would we be looking for?

The first, and uncompromisable, thing is of good moral character and unquestionable honesty. That way he/she may, just may, have a chance of suppressing dishonesty amongst others. Although, I must admit, our track record on that has been dismal (the Philippines’ rank of 117th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index is something to be ashamed of). Corruption is a major reason why this country doesn’t progress as fast as it could. It’s not just the direct loss of public funds, and shoddiness of work, it’s the high indirect cost of new investment from honest investors that doesn’t happen to create the jobs and wealth we need.

It would help if that leader is someone who tells the truth, doesn’t distort it, and tells it like it is. Someone who does not fool the people, or sugarcoat events. If the future is bleak, say so, so something can be done about it. We don’t need an ostrich as our leader.

Then, there’s experience — genuine experience — not some make-believe story. Holding an impressive leadership position means nothing. It’s what you did whilst in that position. What’s your track record of performance? That experience must be relevant to the task of leading a country.

Mind you, there can be exceptions but at this critical juncture in our history, this is not the time to take that risk. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, is just such an exception. Winston Churchill went down as the savior of Britain. Zelenskyy, with equal courage, commitment, determinism, and death-defying patriotism, will be recorded equally highly.

We need someone who can inspire a populace to great heights as Zelenskyy is doing. Would that we had such a person. Being inspirational is a necessary characteristic of a great leader, as is his/her ability to communicate that inspiration. A leader doesn’t do it on his/her own. He/she inspires people to do it, to go to extraordinary lengths to support him/her in the quest for the country’s greatness.

Then, there’s work effort. A laid-back approach to the job, carousing till dawn, is not it. Absence from the task indicates a person who lacks commitment. This is not a part-time job, it’s a 12-15 hours a day job that requires a high level of energy. Look at the history of the candidates. Do they have a record of hard work?

But that doesn’t mean getting into the detail of it all. It means being a visionary, someone who can develop a long-term master plan and what key areas to focus on. Someone who sees the macro picture and drives for it by effective delegation to experts running the day-to-day operations of the government. It means being well-respected and trusted to elicit the support needed. And a proven ability to motivate others to excel.

A leader must be someone open to new ideas, and willing to listen. Someone who encourages a very un-Filipino characteristic in his/her people: willingness to disagree, to openly contradict the ideas of the leader. We need argument in the Cabinet. And we need it from people in Cabinet who’ve been chosen because they are experts in their field, not sycophants loyal to the boss. The president must select people based on merit, not nepotism. A team he/she can motivate to work well together. Above all, someone who is decisive. At the stage the Philippines is in, it requires much change, decisions made swiftly and firmly.

We are part of a global community, our leader must be someone who can proudly represent our country on the world stage. That will be respected, even admired.

Someone might like to create a tick-a-box questionnaire of what we want of a leader, and do the candidates meet it. Voters can use that to make a better choice. Do Marcos Jr., Leni Robredo, and the other presidential candidates measure up to these criteria?

Dancing on stage doesn’t cut it. We need a Zelenskyy, not a Donald Trump.

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