Think about it
What makes a leader?
By Jun Velasco
“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry,” Psalm 34:15
VIRTUAL center of attack these days is, pity him, Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes.
But if you ask us, he is doing a heroic job.
After all these years of a whachamacallit electoral system mired in you-already-know what kind of elections we have, can we expect anything?
Looks like we can, but give Sixto a fair shake.
He is not God. He is as human as our President Pnoy, well-known nemesis of graft and corruption, but corrupt guys and gals still surround him.
In Chairman Sixto’s case, we hark on what the old people say, “there’s a ray of hope and it’s best to light a candle than curse the darkness.”
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As captain ball of the electoral process, Mr. Brillantes should focus on leveling the playing field. Put his foot down on the lame excuse justifying certain practices because there are no specific laws on the anti dynasty issue. Ditto with allowing popular senate bets Loren Legarda, Chiz Escudero and Grace Poe Llamanzares to be guest candidates of UNA.
Ano sila sinesuerte? Or we rally the voters against them?
Let’s give the voters a break from their extended hopelessness under an undemocratic or over democratic electoral idiocy!
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At a forum on the subject “What makes a leader?,” we were asked what career or profession one should pursue to become a successful politician.
Offhand, we thought “Law.” Many politicians are liars, and lawyers are often mistaken for liars. As things are, that seems to be how the game is played with success.
Joking aside, we thought most successful politicians are lawyers. Ferdinand Marcos, Juan Ponce Enrile, Jovito Salonga, Cipriano Primicias Sr. and Jr., Aguedo Agbayani, Vicente Millora, Ager Rosario, many.
Or military career? There’s FVR, and don’t forget that our first president was General Emilio Aguinaldo.
We have Senator Ping Lacson, Governors Amado Espino and Jun Ebdane, Congressman Pol Bataoil…
Journalism? We have national hero Ninoy Aquino, former Speaker Joe de Venecia Raul Manglapuz…
Showbiz. Here, we exclude Ronald Reagan who, though a movie star, was a syndicated columnist. We include here Erap, Rogelio dela Rosa, Bong Revilla, Lito Lapid and Tito Sotto and Vilma Santos.
We think it’s not in one’s career or profession that he is guided to leadership opportunities. It’s in his stars or what goes on in his heart; his exposure to situations he desires a lot, his dreams, hopes, illusions, ambitions, convictions.
Lucky is the nation with a leader who has a good and clean heart, is not corrupt, and who reflects the highest good or summom bonum.
There were great leaders who mesmerized us with their commanding persona, like Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler who combined charisma with greed.
We doubt if they are now in God’s country.
We’d rather go for Abraham Lincoln, Jose Rizal, Thomas Jefferson, Mahatma Gandhi, and above all, Jesus Christ. They genuinely worked for the poor with very little or nothing for the self.
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NOTE: In his speech, former vice mayor Ferdinand Galang who comes from Truth-Honor (Vera-Galang) team said: “Calasiao of our dreams. It is a town rapidly shedding its parochial character. The town is gifted with energetic souls and well-meaning incoming leaders. It will not be long when it can match if not overtake neighbor Dagupan City which is stranded by “business politics.”
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