A National Agenda for a New President (2010)

7/25/2019 A National Agenda for a New President (2010)

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Copyright 2009 SRi Stratbase Research Institute. All rights reserved.

National Agenda For A New PresidentAmb. Albert F. del Rosario


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National Agenda For A New

PresidentAmb. Albert F. del Rosario

As we approach a presidential election year, there is always a

temptation to xate on personalities and to attach inordinate hope in

potential leaders. What we should be reminding ourselves is that

focusing on the national agenda, which any president must manage, is

equally important as electing the national leadership.

The Philippines faces so many problems that it may be impossible to get

two Filipinos in one room to agree on where to start xing them. In this

regard, we endeavor to simplify the new presidents agenda by

focusing on the three key Cs.

The rst C must undoubtedly be corruption. Plainly, corruption is theft.

Corruption stymies development, strangles growth and steals from

the people. With anti-corruption laws and institutional

mechanisms in place, what the new president must ensure is

that these be made to function efciently.

We are not suggesting that the extent of our national corruption can be

resolved during a single administration. Our purpose is to stress that we

begin the process of containing corruption as the rst step in its

eradication. The embarrassing revelations of the World Bank, the extent

of the rot in major infrastructure projects, persistent suspicions regardingmassive misuse of government funds and the continued low regard for

the Philippines in such anti-corruption monitor s as Transparency

International constitute an appalling state of our nation.

The country simply cannot sink any lower and must create a tolerable

climate, not just to attract investment, but to mobilize the full energies of


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a population that is deeply but hopefully not terminally

disenchanted with the present dispensation.

The people must see results in terms of greater cred-

ibility in government institut ions, especially the Ofce of

the Ombudsman, and in the operation of law to secure

convictions. Corruption is so entrenched and so

pervasive in the Philippines that ghting a culture of

impunity effectively requires enormous political will. Only

a new president, with a

clear mandate and who leads by example, could hope to

surmount this challenge.

The second C is competitiveness. If our national

health calls for us to combat corruption, then our hopes

for national progress depend on strengthening our ability

to compete in the global marketplace. The current global

nancial crisis has brought forth a torrent of criticism oftrade and market-based development.

Much of this criticism is valid, but we must not

throw the baby out with the bath water. Even as

countries clean up their act, recovery will be much

slower and the pain much greater if global trade,

investment, technology and labor ows cannot soon be

brought back up to acceptable levels.

In this context, the Philippines must undertake two

unavoidable tasks. Given that trade is a rising tide that

can lift all boats, it must rstly join others in resisting

protectionism and work with ASEAN and other East

Asian partners to expand regional trade and investment.

It must, secondly, enhance national competitiveness. This

means the continuation of difcult reforms and the dedi-

cation of more resources to modernize infrastructure

and to augment education and skills to increase produc-

tivity in services, industry and agriculture. Effective tourism

programs should moreover be fully supported. Above

all, we must reinforce the rule of law, without which the

predictability and fairness of the

system cannot be ensured.

These are formidable tasks. The current economic con-

straints generate a tendency to adopt protectionism at

home and abroad. The economic adjustments needed to

survive in an increasingly competitive world are almost

always unpopular. We cannot, however, de-emphasize

trade and investment. True, we must nd better ways to

harness domestic savings, to build domestic demand and

to tap remittances for development. But for a develop-

ing Philippines, these will never be enough to match our

population growth.

Leadership of the highest order and the expenditure of

huge political capital will, therefore, be needed to

accomplish these difcult objectives. The new president

will have to keep our country together as he or she calls

for short-term pain in exchange for long-term develop-

mental gains. What is nationally important cannot be

sacriced for the sake of the mass popularity. That will be

the essence of duty if any strong and benevolent

president could hope to effectively lead the country amid

global economic uncertainty.

The nal C is compassion. More than the ght against

corruption and the promotion of competitiveness, our

national commitment to foster a compassionate society

speaks of the heart of our country. If we do not try to

include all of our compatriots in the noble task of national

development, motivated as we should be by a sense of

social justice, we will be unable to pursue a type and

The country simply

cannot sink any lower andmust create a tolerable

climate,

not just to attract investment,

but to mobilize thefull energies of a population

that is deeply but

hopefully not terminally

disenchanted with thepresent dispensation.


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measure of growth that is truly advantageous

for our entire commonwealth.

To be sure , some sectors will gain more than

others on the road toward higher develop-

ment. What is impor tant is that the Philippines,

as a whole, and the Filipino people, in general,

will be beneted over time.

As has been shown with painful clarity in other

countries, the blind quest for breakneck growth

has come at the expense of the environment,

of health, of communities and even of the qual-

ity of life.

Tragic marginalization can worsen. To avoid

these sad outcomes, the elected leadership

must rmly hold the line against vested inter-ests and political machineries that are poised

to advance their position to the grave detri-

ment of the majority.

Compassion means doing what is right for

our people. To do what is right at all times will

come naturally if the new president is one who

truly loves our country.

About the Author:

Albert del Rosario is the Chairman of the Board ofStratbase. He also holds various chairmanships,

presidencies and memberships in several private frms.He was the former Philippine Ambassador tothe United States of America.

A National Agenda for a New President (2010)

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