If I were the President of the Philippines...

It is for a fact that our country today is experiencing a lot of problems. The main problem is that those issues which should be addressed and which create a large impact on the people are usually disregarded. And those small scale problems such as the president’s personal life is the center of news today. Media generally has a strong influence on what goes on in our country and if I were to become the leader of the Philippines, I will impose a limit on what the media propagates. Media has a tendency to exaggerate and sensationalize a story, which can ruin a person’s reputation and worse, one’s career. I have been in the audience’s perspective and the true story and the publicized ones are more often than not completely different.

Whenever we watch news about the lifestyle of government officials specifically the president broadcasted on television, we would always assume that they are living the life of a king. It may seem that way because they have bodyguards protecting them and not to mention the bulletproof car. However, if you put yourself in their shoes, you will realize how difficult their life is. Presidency is not an easy task. I was the president of my class during elementary and it was very difficult. Not everyone will listen to you all the time and leading a group of people entails sacrifice and patience. The logic behind leading a group of people will always be the same regardless of age, whether you are leading your class in school or an entire student body, because they are still people and they are the ones who got you to your position in the first place. Hence, this just proves their trust in you and your dependability. Furthermore, you are also seen as someone who is responsible enough to endure difficult and challenging problems.

As quoted from the Bible from the book of Mark 10:44-45, “And whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”. These 2 verses show us that the idea that “for one to be a good leader, one must also be a good follower” has been around time immemorial. We must learn how to listen to others’ opinion. The quote “no man is an island” can be applied here. Each and every one of us depends on one another because every person is endowed with unique talents and skills, which is to be shared. Furthermore, we are imperfect beings meant to learn and improve ourselves as we grow which gives emphasis to the idea of having advisers. It is also said that “two minds are better than one” because 2 people contributing and collaborating will definitely produce a better outcome than 1 person who cannot discuss his ideas with someone else. Leading a country of almost 100 million people is a big deal because these are lives of living human beings we are talking about.

Being a president also requires me to have an objective point of view on a lot of things, such as deciding whether a certain law will benefit or hurt the majority. I would have to sacrifice my desires and think about the people. Serving my countrymen will be my priority. Making sure that these laws passed have no loopholes where people, usually criminals and corrupt government officials, can slip. Moreover, I will impose that no government officials including myself will be exempted from the law. Everyone is equal and I, as well as the rest of the government officials, should serve as a role model to the Filipinos. We are responsible for passing and approving these laws so we should follow them as well.

The Philippines is a third world country, we all have to accept that. This means that our country is not as rich as the United States of America or China so why do we always compare our economy to theirs? Why do we always try to copy their laws? Is it because we think applying their laws here in the Philippines will immediately make us like them? Of course not. We have to be smarter than that. If laws are just passed without the proper implementation, then what kind of results do we expect? Nothing. People will not be updated and knowledgeable about the law. Aside from this, we must think whether our country is in need of instant improvement for us to grow or do we have to achieve stability first before anything else.

I believe that our country should achieve stability and aim for sustainability before any improvements are made. How can our country move on to the next level of growth if we can’t even maintain our status now? Just like a child learning how to walk. If he is not able to stand up and walk with balance, how do you expect him to start running? These 2 ideas are very similar. Also, slow development will probably be the best for our country since zooming up to the top will only signify a sudden drop as well. Based on the study of Economics, there will always be a graph signifying stability or “equilibrium” where the price and quantity of commodities can be sustained. Whenever the point on the graph goes beyond or below the “equilibrium point”, it will only stay that way for a short period of time and will eventually move towards that “equilibrium point”. There will always be that limit or boundary to the resources we have, such as manpower and money. We are already having a difficult time reaching that “equilibrium point” so how do we expect to focus on improvements if we can’t even sustain ourselves well? A big percentage of our population is still under the poverty line. We should focus on improving and alleviating them from poverty before proposing development in our country.  

One of the major problems in our country is unemployment. The unemployment rate has been rising big percentage points each year. I would like to implement a law reserving the facile work for the elderly or those who are not capable of doing laborious work. These will give them opportunities to earn a living and at the same time keep them productive. Every person who is unemployed means a waste or inefficiency because that person could’ve produced some product for the country. We have to maximize our labor force. The country of Singapore is truly admirable and worth emulating because it has already the disadvantage of not having natural resources but it has emerged as one of the top countries today. They have used their human capital properly and to the fullest. Our country is blessed with an abundance of natural resources and more than enough human capital. So why can’t we equal Singapore or even surpass them? There is definitely something wrong with the governance in our country. I believe that it may be due to self-centered government officials who do things just to benefit themselves.

We should start thinking about lessening the benefits or social services the people receive. I know these are the sources of people to buy food and all their basic needs, but these are also the reasons for their laziness. Since these social services provide retirees and everyone else with money, people tend to think that they don’t need to work anymore since they receive money regularly anyway. Some even go to the extent of quitting their jobs because they know that the social services can back them up.

In addition to those above, I want to implement stricter laws regarding the bus, jeepney, and taxi stops since most of street accidents are caused by them. These public utility vehicles load and unload passengers wherever they want which causes so much traffic. Some of the jeepneys just stop in the middle of the big roads and wait for their jeepney to fill up before they start moving. Most of these PUV’s have shattered or malfunctioning taillights and thus, many of the private cars behind them crash into them not knowing that they have already stopped. Passovers and bridges may be built for the pedestrians. The sidewalk and bridge system of Mandaluyong should be implemented in the entire country. Their system includes putting a fence around the perimeter of the sidewalks so people are forced to use the bridges and passovers. This will surely be a hassle and would cost more but lives of people will be protected.

Since corruption in the government cannot be avoided, I will make and organize an independent organization or body to control the monetary policies. This organization will see to it that our country will stay in the “equilibrium” level by either increasing interest rates to increase the money supply or otherwise. This will, hopefully, lessen corruption since those in charge will not be (and I will make sure) affiliated with any of the government officials. This organization should remain transparent at all times and to provide their financial and current accounts regularly. I sometimes ponder about how the United States of America and China are able to continue improving their economy and growing if there is also so much corruption in their government, if not more?

In my plan of action, my priority will be education. However, I will be following the idea of “quality over quantity” because no matter how much you study, if you aren’t serious with it, then surely nothing will happen. You will just be wasting your time and money. I don’t want to demand that schools follow the K plus 12 or the trifocal education system because both have their advantages and disadvantages. However, I will weigh the pros and cons of each and evaluate which will benefit the Filipinos more. If costs and money will be the problem, then the government will subsidize for those who can’t afford it and give partial scholarships. I know there are a lot more issues out there, which should be addressed but I believe that with the right education, these issues can be solved. Education gives the youth the basic knowledge they need to improve but the practical use of these in the real world depends on them. School will only give them so much but they have to learn to grab opportunities to practice their skills.

Investing in the proper capital such as infrastructure and modern technology is very important. We should focus on goods, which can be used by the public for their benefit. These goods are called “public goods”, which are non-rival and non-excludable. Non-rival means that everyone can have a fair share of that commodity without it running out. Non-excludable means that it is not exclusively for a certain group of people but it is available for all. However, we should keep in mind that these goods should help promote the Green Revolution. People should be aware of the growing effects of Global Warming. We should all work together to make a change because Global Warming does not only affect me, but it will affect everyone all over the world, no exceptions.

Regarding the problem of the black market wherein Marijuana is sold, I believe that the importing and selling of Marijuana should be approved. I know this is illegal but the more we punish people for importing these Marijuana, the more they would want to go against the law. That is just the nature of rebels. If we approve the importation of Marijuana, then we can now start putting a quota and tariff on these products for control purposes. Eventually, the black market for Marijuana will decrease and disappear.

To conclude, I know that these plans have been the plans of many presidents in our country. The true problem lies with the implementation – not strict enough. Also, the cabinet members I will appoint should be appointed for their merit and skills and not because of their connections. They are just fooling themselves and giving themselves a bad reputation with this act. However, if I were president, I would want to change that. I will do what is right and what will make our country greater. I cannot promise anything but I know I will do my best. As the saying goes “Rome is not built in a day”, I believe that changes can be made gradually. Stable improvements can make our country better because the people can slowly adapt their lifestyle to these changes. Hopefully, my successor can continue my work and make more improvements. (Word Count: 2102)