In politics, nothing is permanent except greed.
Last September 8, the Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi-led faction of PDP-Laban officially endorsed Sen. Bong Go and President Rodrigo Duterte for the presidential and vice presidential spots. The rationale behind having an incumbent president and his former top aide turned senator run for the top executive positions, Cusi justifies, is to continue the “change” that was started. In his words, “Maipagpatuloy ang pagbabago.”
But what change was he referring to?
The 1987 constitutional framers gave the President a fixed term of six years as they argued that “six years were long enough for a good president to implement his program.” Certainly, six years is more than enough time for Duterte to implement his platforms under his “Change is coming” slogan.
Yet years later, the country has changed—arguably for the worse.
Six years is more than enough time to implement lasting change. With the country’s resources literally at the administration’s disposal, it is head scratching that the Philippines is still in the current state it is in. With billions at their disposal and the faith of Filipinos on their shoulders, it is their duty to ensure the welfare of the citizens. Yet our country is gasping for reprieve.
Extrajudicial killings, economic downturn, a lack of a coherent action plan to combat the coronavirus, and more maladies highlight the incompetence of Duterte’s presidency. The Philippines is in a massive setback right now and giving him and his cronies another term to “lead” and to “serve” the people means we are expecting much worse circumstances.
What the country needs is decisive yet humane leadership. As the national elections loom closer, it becomes more evident that many current officials would rather spend time securing their seats than protecting the welfare of the people they serve. There is nothing stopping politicians from their national campaigns. But if their leadership records indicate anything, it is that they do not deserve our vote of confidence.
The burden does not fall only on a select few. This is a shared responsibility; every registered Filipino must exercise their right to vote.
With the dismal state of the Philippines, we should mobilize the Filipino electorate to participate this coming 2022 national elections.
Although Go is in hot water for alleged corruption on various government deals, to gun for the top government position with no relevant leadership experience especially when the country needs a competent leader to traverse the volatile economic situation and create a strong pandemic response strategy takes a lot of guts.
Let this administration be a cautionary tale to the indifferent. One way or another, an incompetent and corrupt government will continue to reign as long as the indifferent turn a blind eye to the reality of the pitiful state of the country.
