Okay, truth be told, the more I see Mar Roxas and his desperate attempt to earn the people’s sympathy and favor, the more I want to roll around on the ground laughing. See, I think one of the biggest reasons why he’s not getting anywhere with his vain attempt at convincing the people he can become a good president is that he doesn’t really understand the essence of becoming a president in the first place. Look, I know the man is supposed to be educated and all but I doubt that he really understood anything in class at all. Unless of course, you can add cheating and bribery to that.
Anyway, here are five things that Mar Roxas should first consider if he really wants to become the next president:
Vision
Well, it’s been stated over and over again that in order for the country to get anywhere, we need a leader with vision. No, I’m not just talking about a person who can see things. Heck, I think Helen Keller would make a better president than current President Aquino. I’m talking about being able to see what we can become as a people.
The problem is, majority of Filipino leaders are really no different from the idiots who vote for them. They only see what is obvious and only what is important to them and their own. For them to truly understand what is being put before them, it first needs to be painted in bright clashing colors, attached to a very loud siren and advertised by a bikini-clad Angel Locsin.
The thing is, there are precious few politicians (Mar Roxas not included) who see the potential of the common Filipino. All they really see is what is immediately useful and not what else it can become. They see common Filipinos as just an able workforce (a dumb one at that) and nothing more. They praise and keep talents that are immediately obvious which can be seen in the way they only promote manual laborers, beauty contestants and singers but ditch more subtle but nonetheless important things such as writers, engineers and scientists.
Few politicians ever see that with discipline, determination, a sense of honor and wisdom, the Philippines can indeed become a First-World country. However, that is only achievable if we can see ourselves as better people. Unless our next leader can see deeper than what is readily apparent and prepared to fully utilize the potential of the Filipino people, then we are truly doomed.
Empathy
Okay, let’s get this straight, I find Mar Roxas’ various activities rather amusing. Pictures of him delivering goods to the market, directing traffic and putting together desks for schools never fails to bring a smile to my face. However, true empathy has a deeper meaning than that and let’s not forget that majority of his alleged good deeds are only done in the presence of a camera and well-paid producers.
If you want a good example of empathy, here are some things one can think about:
Think of pagpag. Yes, re-cooked leftovers. A Jewish-American friend of mine sees it as pig food and believes that to feed it to anyone is both an insult to the person you’re feeding it to and the Almighty Himself. Imagine being forced to eat that on a regular basis. Would you feed your spouse something that other people have simply refused to eat? Can you bring yourself to feed your children what is essentially vomit?
Now think of the OFWs who toil in other countries so they can guarantee their children a good life. Imagine the trouble they have to go through just so they can travel to other countries such as ton after ton of paperwork just so they can engage in what is essentially slave labor. Can you even picture yourself as one of our unfortunate fellows in the Middle-East who are second-class citizens and are sometimes abused both verbally and physically by cruel masters? Then, imagine being sentenced to death for a crime you were only forced to do because you were so desperate to get a profitable job in another country.
Unless I actually see Mar and his wife eating pagpag in a lonely street corner somewhere in Tondo or wiping crap off the butt of a Saudi will I believe in the propaganda they’re putting out.
Humility
Humility is another important aspect of being a leader. And no, humility has a deeper meaning than simply eating with your hands when in the presence of farmers and allowing yourself to be filmed. Being humble is about lowering oneself before others. As it is stated in the Bible, one must first learn to serve before being given the honor of leading.
Unfortunately, most of Mar’s “humility” is nothing more than a PR stunt. In real life, the man has been long believed to be quite a snobbish jerk. While I can admit that I haven’t seen any of his alleged misbehavior, but his inability to respect Anderson Cooper and engage in intelligent debate is sign enough of his undeniable arrogance. The fact that he feels entitled enough (that he thinks he deserves it) to win the presidency in 2016 is another sure sign of his foolish pride.
Leadership
Apparently, Mar’s idea of the presidency is something akin to a title or a trophy. We can see this in the way he said that he essentially “sacrificed” the chance to become president in order to make way for President Aquino in 2010. However, what Mar seems to forget is that the presidency is a responsibility to the people and is not a privilege that you can simply pass on to others.
Being a leader of a country is like carrying a huge but fragile weight on your shoulders. The presidency is not a title or trophy that will bring you fame and fortune, it’s a sacred duty not just for yourself and those around you but all your countrymen.
Sacrifice
Oh God, this is the funniest.
I remember Mr. Roxas saying: “I’m used to being sacrificed.”
Well heck, I doubt he even fully understands the meaning of the word “sacrifice”.
Remember always that real sacrifice is painful. It’s a terrible price you pay for the greater good. It’s not something that you can easily make, that much I can tell you, and it’s not something that will guarantee a good reward. Oskar Schindler made a sacrifice by giving up all he had to save total strangers from certain death. Mother Theresa made a sacrifice by living among the poor so that the destitute can feel like human beings after their own family members had given up on them. Erwin Rommel made a sacrifice by allowing himself to be branded a traitor just so he could put an end to the tyranny that gripped Germany in WWII. Sacrifice, my dear readers, is about tears and blood, not just ego and privilege.
Here’s one example of what I would call a sacrifice: Imagine being a lonely average guy. Then one day, you learn that a gorgeous woman had somehow fallen in love you. She’s as beautiful as any Victoria’s Secret model, as rich as Bill Gates, as smart as Stephen Hawking and as nice as Mother Theresa. Now, think about having to turn her down because you know, in your heart, you can never really make her happy. You tell her to turn away and never look at you again because of the simple fact that someone else can probably make her happier.
Sacrifice isn’t about what you can gain, it’s about what you can give. So no, giving up the presidency to a man who can’t even be trusted with simple delegation of tasks does not count as a sacrifice in my book.
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And in case Mr. Roxas is reading this, I only have two words for you: GET REAL!
P.S.: However, if you do a macho dancing stunt wearing only a thong (t-back) I might actually reconsider some of my statements…
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