By Al S. Mendoza

 

WHY do people run for President?

What’s with it?

Isn’t the position a pain in the ass?

You serve at least 110 million people to begin with.

What a load of responsibility. It’s like scaling Mt. Everest 10 times over.

To lead 12 persons alone offers a stiff challenge.  It could even cost you your life.

Didn’t Jesus Christ die leading his 12 disciples?

And look at the cost of running your presidential campaign:  At least P5 billion.

If I have that much, why will I use it to win a position that offers more headache than happiness?

If I have that much, why would I take the risk of spending it for a post that I’m not sure of winning in the first place?

Only the crazy, indeed, will do that, like someone drunk with power and with an ego as big as planet Jupiter.

But then, if you have P5 billion to spare, you must also have that much—or even more—that you could lean on if you should lose.

You are not that crazy as to unload a fortune, only to end up rat poor after losing the battle.

But on second thought, look what’s ahead of you once you win.

With victory comes the enormity of handsome possibilities at the flick of your finger.

As President, you live like a king.

Instant wealth is a breath away?

The future is a bed of roses, a life of grandeur?

Still, with a Palace life guarded 24/7, aren’t you a piteous prisoner to the nation’s beat?

You can’t move around anymore as freely as before—not as free as a bird.

Your every step has to pass through protocols.  You become, almost literally, a robot.

Gone would be the excitement of a life of thrill, with you alone deciding what you are going to do the next morning.

Night life thrown out the window.

Drinks with your friends controlled.

Even one little mischief gets overruled by a boring bodyguard.

So straightjacketed would your itinerary be that you would quickly lose your identity.

If you get accused of being a masochist, accept it without question.

For that’d be you the minute you get to Malacanang.

Serve the people is the favorite battle cry of every presidential wannabe.

He/she is running for the country’s highest position because he/she cares for the poor.

He/she loves serving the needy, the marginalized, those crying for justice.

The people buy your script—sadly.

They vote for you because they are as gullible as boxing buffs.

Aren’t suckers born every minute?

Democracy has got something to do with it, too.

The system lies through its teeth:  Politicians are free to fool the people.

And since they don’t get punished for lying, they also go scot-free when they raid the nation’s coffers.

Thus, in the end, it pays to run for President.  But only if you win.

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