A nation bereft of right leaders

As a nation that has long waited for right directions to authentic moral, social and material advancement, what the Philippines really needs is a president willing to do anything for his country because he is a genuine and impassioned patriot.

Since the birth of our republic, we have been allured into electing presidents who failed to steer our nation, which is teeming with great talents and rich natural resources, toward industrialization and modernization.

After World War II, the country was in equal footing with Japan and other Asian nations—which were all devastated and broke. But look at Japan and these nations now—they are wealthy and technologically advanced nations. In the meantime, the Philippines remains unindustrialized, and still importing things as simple as ping pong balls, needles and iron ladles. It is still under the mercy of greedy, mediocre and weak leaders who are not nationalistic and, therefore, will not and cannot work for the best interest, wellbeing and advancement of the country. At present, statistics show that we are a rising economy, but the harsh reality is that the majority of Filipinos are stuck in poverty, hopelessness and uncertainty. They see very little, if any, future in their lives primarily due to unemployment.

Japan focused on manufacturing vehicles, equipment and electronic gadgets and has been catapulted to the world’s Top 3 economies. South Korea gave all-out support to its ship building industry which, today, is one of the pillars of its economic growth. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew turned the tiny island-nation of Singapore,

into one of the most important business hubs in the world through sheer determination to enrich his nation, not himself. The United States, since its birth, through strong leadership, totally supported its agriculture industry. As a result, it was able to generate enough capital for industrialization. Today, the United States is the only remaining superpower on earth.

What went wrong with our country? We are just too unfortunate that we could not produce an ultrapatriotic, revolutionary president—one capable, intellectually and physically, of abandoning present, ineffective approaches of governance and of overhauling established systems. Being the highest and most powerful leader of the nation, he must be decisive and consistent in harmonizing the relationship and operations between and among the three branches of government. He must put in place and institutionalize doable and sustainable policies, programs and activities for the total elimination of corruption—and reduce and eventually put an end to political dynasties. He must stop once and for all the decades-old rebellion, and fully support financially and technically all industries with great potentials to spark massive employment and generate huge income for government.

Are we close enough in choosing the right president? The answer seems to be still blowing in the wind. The latest Pulse Asia survey indicated that the strongest contender for president in the 2016 election is tainted with corruption, while the second leading aspirant is perceived to be a weak leader.

—JESUS R. FLORENTINO,

Asuncion, Davao del Norte