The President We Need: A Post-election Perspective

Election fever is finally over here in the Philippines. Even so, all eyes are on the winning presidential candidate and some problems with the automated elections system. We can finally say goodbye to the past and head on to a brighter future with the new administration.

But recently, I saw a post made by the Nuffies working at the OutComm office in the Philippine Nuffnang site titled 'The President We Need'. It was a sponsored post by volunteers of the winning candidate which, in the end, wasn't a good idea. The post made it look like the Nuffies in Nuffnang Philippines have a biased view of the elections, kinda like shattering their own image. I was quite annoyed by the post, even if they said it didn't reflect their own public view, because it reflected that Nuffnang can be made into a place of massive campaign (like spamming in their innit chatbox). Instead of making extra rage, i'll just explain what kind of president we really need.

In my perspective, the country needs a president who:

1. ...is sincere and transparent. (the likes of Noynoy Aquino)


2. ...is a leader. (the likes of Manny Villar/Erap Estrada)


3. ...has many programs settled that would benefit the multitude. (like Gibo Teodoro/J.C. delos Reyes)

But, in my perspective, there is no candidate that may satisfy all three basic criteria. I kinda think of it like a MMORPG game where you have to select the class that your character will use (e.g. swordsman, thief, archer, mage, etc.). In fact some of them have minus points like 'star power' or a smudge in the cheek from the dirt of the previous administrations.

Besides, the selection of a president for the next administration is only part of the many factors that may lead us or veer us away from corruption. Other deciding factors are the choice of cabinet and office members, newly elected senators, senators with three years left in the national senate, local government officials, and the like.

Now the election is over and the country has selected Mr.(a.) as the newly elected president, we will just have to see for ourselves on how he will lead the country.