Why Gibo?
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a 28 year old middle class male who was born outside the country (Bangkok, to be precise), does relatively well off as a freelance game artist, and has never wanted for food or shelter. Hinde pa ko nakalangoy sa dagat ng basura, but I came pretty damn close helping out with relief operations in Ondoy. In short, I understand full well that I am not representative of the majority of Filipinos, and that these views apply only to myself. That said, why Gibo?
While I certainly hope that people will read this and it will change their minds I am well aware that the scope of my influence is tiny, so I am writing this mostly for my own personal edification. I first noticed Gibo when he was making his speech to the Lakas-CMD after being chosen their standard bearer. He said something that struck me, something along the lines of ”it is time for us to grasp our destiny”. It seems like such a simple, trivial sentence, yet behind those words lay all the frustrations that I’ve had for so many years; I’m tired of the world (ourselves included) looking down on the Philippines. I believe we can be better, and so does he. Almost every other candidate simply trotted out variations of the same themes that got other presidents elected, namely that they will do their darndest to help the poor. Villar says he got out of poverty and he’ll help others do the same. Noynoy says that corruption is the root of poverty and he plans to stamp it out. Erap? Well, Erap’s Erap. Gordon perhaps comes closest with his “action man” stance, but I still have issues with the way he delivers his message. But to grasp our “destiny”? I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to hear a Filipino presidential candidate say that.
I spent an afternoon devouring Gibo’s videos and with each video I have come away with even more respect for him. He is to my mind the smartest man in the race. And yet when he answers questions, even the difficult ones, he always first thanks the person asking the question, then attempts to educate them on the problem. He teaches, and encourages people to find out more on their own instead of giving pithy answers. He is a man that realizes that as attractive as simple answers are to difficult problems, they’re a lie. Yes, lessening corruption is a good and necessary thing to pursue, but it doesn’t solve all of a nation’s ills. Yes, making people more productive is good, but the means of giving them opportunities and guiding them towards those opportunities must also be addressed. I had initially intended for this to be a mammoth blog post, but in consideration of the fact that I may not finish it on time for the elections and the tl:dr (too long:didn’t read) tendency of people on the internet, I thought it might be safer to break down my arguments into blog posts.
Comments will be moderated because unlike Gibo I don’t have the time or patience to listen to or read uneducated opinions. If you can come up with a respectable argument or discussion point I will allow the comment. If you want to spew your baseless, undying support for a candidate there are other places for you to do that.
I will be posting the topics here as I finish writing about them (initially 4 topics, but more will be added as time permits):
It was only during the Ondoy tragedy that I discovered about the existence of Gibo. There were hints that time that he might be the standard-bearer for the administration. It was how he answered the accusations regarding the unpreparedness and lack of contingency by the government during the Ondoy tragedy that struck me. He never for a moment put a finger on anybody or anything because of the poor response by the DND. He never even bragged nor belittled an agency or a previous leader for the lack we are experiencing. He simply evaded those issues and gave concrete measures on how to solve the situation. I have friends who were stranded for days during Ondoy and never received help. I was trapped on the road myself. They were blaming Gibo for his incompetence and lack of resources. But then again, no one nor any country for that matter can be prepared for such unusual natural phenomenon. It was a record breaking natural occurrence. The government cannot save everybody. In fact, we are the nation and it is imperative for each one of us to contribute to help our fellowmen in times of tragedy. If we will just sit down and blame the government for any misfortune we have, then I think we are acting as brats and live up to the name of “Juan Tamad”. The United States was not even spared when Hurricane Katrina hit them. More so when they were attacked during 9-11 terrorism. Does that mean that their government leaders are incompetent? They responded in a concerted effort to help their countrymen with no finger pointing.
It is so plain to see how other presidential candidates run their campaign. It is motivated by vengeance and fault-finding. Some are disillusioned that they are sent by God and that they carry with them the same spirit as their kin. As if I’m watching a circus. Some are even emphatic and teary eyed that they will do whatever it takes to raise the quality of life of certain sectors, but looking at a bigger picture, it isn’t sustainable. Probably because that candidate is only used to managing a small town and a sector of society. Some would even project a spirit of empathy towards the poor but that doesn’t make you a good leader. You don’t need to get sick in order to become a good doctor.
Thanks for posting Chris. We really do need a balance in the way we deal with our government. I’m afraid the wounds of the Marcos era were far deeper than any of us anticipated, so much so that we’re almost all born with an inherent distrust of our government. Of course in some cases this is healthy, but I find that any ideal taken to the extreme never results in anything good.