“A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don’t have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed.” –Nelson Mandela
The upcoming debates between candidates in the upcoming midterm elections intend to provide voters with an opportunity to carefully make their selections based on competence and qualification, sincerity, mental and emotional toughness, character, and spirituality. There are those who are as competent and qualified as Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, and John F. Kennedy but half-hearted, confused, and downright insincere; there are also those as sincere as Mother Theresa, Margaret Thatcher, Mahatma Gandhi, and Marcus Aurelius but afflicted with “poverty of reason” and common sense.
There also those gifted with the qualities of the aforementioned great men and women of history but possess bad manners and impaired by a dysfunctional character.
During the debate, the chaffs will be separated from the grains and the deranged, anarchists, ruffians, jokers, magicians, and circus players will be unmasked.
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It was sad to learn Hope Hervilla was no longer with the Department of Social Welfare and Development. An educator and mass organizer, Hervilla, a mainstay of Central Philippine University, would have been a big asset to the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte in the continued promotion of social issued and advancement of rights for the welfare of marginalized communities, especially those in far-flung areas.
Hervilla and her fellow undersecretaries, Mae Ancheta-Templa and former Gabriela Women’s Party Secretary-General Maria Lourdes Turalde-Jarabe, left the agency last November.
Other Ilonggo appointees have been either actively or coyly working for Duterte since 2016; with appointments varying from “confidential” to “liaison in nature.”
Those who work “silently” (meaning, nobody knows they are the “eyes and ears” of the president) and eschew public attention know a lot about certain individuals either directly or indirectly involved in politics and public service. Compared to his predecessors, Duterte is patently unite when it comes to hiring subordinates who are not required to physically report to Malacañan Palace.
Former Presidents Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and Benigno S. Aquino III all tapped individuals who had previously be exposed to the glamorous life while the incumbent has chosen lesser-known henchmen and women. These nameless workers have yet to disappoint their boss and have proven themselves worthy of the president’s trust and confidence.
Unlike the politically-inclined provincial underlings of past administrations, most Ilonggo appointees do not cultivate bloated egos due to a lack of political ambition. Even without appearing at the Iloilo Dinagyang Festival last week, Duterte’s minions in Iloilo City made sure the president’s favorite candidate, former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go, was with the right public officials, proper crowd, and suitable media exposure.
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The bombing of a Catholic Church that killed 27 in Jolo was an insult to all faithful regardless of religious denomination.
Pope Francis had all the reason to get angry as he encouraged Catholics all over the world to pray for the victims – the dead, the survivors, their families, as well as the culprits.
Since Mindanao is still under Martial Law, we expect the government to at least identify the group responsible for the carnage and put them behind bars without ifs and buts./WDJ