An open letter to the Filipino people
Watching the news when Poe announced his intention to run, I panicked when I
saw him mumble when he was asked about his economic policies and he said...
what did he say? Nothing, that's what. You'd think if you were going to
announce your presidential ambitions you would have at least prepared
something -- anything -- on how you were going to lead the country aside
from the overused line about being the savior the masses need.
The biggest bias against Poe is not that he is an actor, but that he may
lack the skills, temperament, and attitude to become a leader. People say he
has such a kind heart, unquestionable sincerity and that he has helped a lot
of people through the years -- shouldn't this be enough? No, it's not.
I need my president -- whoever he or she is -- to be better than the average Juan.
I want him to know history and poetry as well as economics, to be able to
quote Shakespeare and argue with Allan Greenspan, to stand
shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's most powerful leaders, to make me
proud -- not to make me laugh when I see him on TV.
I want to love my president and I want to respect him.
I want a president who doesn't have to surround himself with
economists to
know how to run the country. I want him to know these things on his own and
listen to advice but not be influenced by people who have a different agenda.
I want to talk about my president to foreigners without being
embarrassed,
without shaking my head and saying, "Well, Filipinos aren't the most mature electorate in the universe."
I don't want to hear that Filipino doctors are now studying to become nurses
just to apply for jobs abroad or college students choosing their courses
based on what the most popular jobs are in other countries.
Sincerity is a beautiful thing, but it's not the only thing that makes a
president great. In 1998, when Estrada was elected, I was hoping he would
succeed, that since he was wildly popular and beloved, he was going to do
good. But look what he did. He surrounded himself with advisers and friends,
he drank and he womanized -- oh how he womanized and how they built their
mansions. Does anybody remember any of this?
It was as if he was chipping away at the stature of the presidency and the
country piece by piece. He said the most god- awful embarrassing things at
the most unfortunate moments. The things that saw print, they weren't even
close to what editors wouldn't print because they were just so stupid and
depressing. He didn't inspire the poor to do better he just fueled their
anger and pointed it to the wrong direction. You don't have a house?
You
don't have a job? Blame the past presidents, blame the rich, blame the
middle class. He never said, well, why don't you get off your asses and look for work?
He didn't encourage people to work harder because he didn't improve the
economy. He blamed the rich, played to the poor and completely forgot about
the middle class who didn't cheat on their taxes or steal other people's
land. Like Estrada, Poe polarizes people. It's the kind that creates so much
anger and distrust on both sides. This early, the people surrounding him are
far from reassuring. Tito Sotto? After showing his fantastic grasp of
economics, of what drives foreign exchange? Hello? This is not the TV
variety show "Eat Bulaga," sir. Nobody is laughing. Somebody should pinch
Poe and tell him this is not the movies. That he cannot fight off our Asian
neighbors for measly investment with his magic sword. Estrada and now "Ang
Panday" [Poe's movie character]. It's so depressing I want to cry.
A friend warned me about pissing off Poe. She said, "Be careful what you
write about him, he may be your next president."
What's he gonna do, drop an anvil on my head?
(Written by S. Almagro, forwarded to the CITAA Las Vegas
International forum by Ben Almagro.)
Kindly pass this on as our help to enlighten our people.
APRIL ROBIN X. MOBO, 3044 Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn, New York (via e-mail)
Watching the news when Poe announced his intention to run, I panicked when I
saw him mumble when he was asked about his economic policies and he said...
what did he say? Nothing, that's what. You'd think if you were going to
announce your presidential ambitions you would have at least prepared
something -- anything -- on how you were going to lead the country aside
from the overused line about being the savior the masses need.
The biggest bias against Poe is not that he is an actor, but that he may
lack the skills, temperament, and attitude to become a leader. People say he
has such a kind heart, unquestionable sincerity and that he has helped a lot
of people through the years -- shouldn't this be enough? No, it's not.
I need my president -- whoever he or she is -- to be better than the average Juan.
I want him to know history and poetry as well as economics, to be able to
quote Shakespeare and argue with Allan Greenspan, to stand
shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's most powerful leaders, to make me
proud -- not to make me laugh when I see him on TV.
I want to love my president and I want to respect him.
I want a president who doesn't have to surround himself with
economists to
know how to run the country. I want him to know these things on his own and
listen to advice but not be influenced by people who have a different agenda.
I want to talk about my president to foreigners without being
embarrassed,
without shaking my head and saying, "Well, Filipinos aren't the most mature electorate in the universe."
I don't want to hear that Filipino doctors are now studying to become nurses
just to apply for jobs abroad or college students choosing their courses
based on what the most popular jobs are in other countries.
Sincerity is a beautiful thing, but it's not the only thing that makes a
president great. In 1998, when Estrada was elected, I was hoping he would
succeed, that since he was wildly popular and beloved, he was going to do
good. But look what he did. He surrounded himself with advisers and friends,
he drank and he womanized -- oh how he womanized and how they built their
mansions. Does anybody remember any of this?
It was as if he was chipping away at the stature of the presidency and the
country piece by piece. He said the most god- awful embarrassing things at
the most unfortunate moments. The things that saw print, they weren't even
close to what editors wouldn't print because they were just so stupid and
depressing. He didn't inspire the poor to do better he just fueled their
anger and pointed it to the wrong direction. You don't have a house?
You
don't have a job? Blame the past presidents, blame the rich, blame the
middle class. He never said, well, why don't you get off your asses and look for work?
He didn't encourage people to work harder because he didn't improve the
economy. He blamed the rich, played to the poor and completely forgot about
the middle class who didn't cheat on their taxes or steal other people's
land. Like Estrada, Poe polarizes people. It's the kind that creates so much
anger and distrust on both sides. This early, the people surrounding him are
far from reassuring. Tito Sotto? After showing his fantastic grasp of
economics, of what drives foreign exchange? Hello? This is not the TV
variety show "Eat Bulaga," sir. Nobody is laughing. Somebody should pinch
Poe and tell him this is not the movies. That he cannot fight off our Asian
neighbors for measly investment with his magic sword. Estrada and now "Ang
Panday" [Poe's movie character]. It's so depressing I want to cry.
A friend warned me about pissing off Poe. She said, "Be careful what you
write about him, he may be your next president."
What's he gonna do, drop an anvil on my head?
(Written by S. Almagro, forwarded to the CITAA Las Vegas
International forum by Ben Almagro.)
Kindly pass this on as our help to enlighten our people.
APRIL ROBIN X. MOBO, 3044 Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn, New York (via e-mail)
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