Our “FVR Sermons, Volume IV” was launched by the Manila Bulletin and RPDEV last November 25, at the Manila Hotel. As with the first three Volumes of Sunday columns (“Raising the National Spirit,” Volume I, March, 2007; “Empowering the People,” Volume II, February, 2008; “Unity, Solidarity, Teamwork,” Volume III, February, 2009), our fourth Volume “On Board the Philippine Ship” (Filipinos Together) has to do with what ordinary Filipinos, Presidentiables, and elected leaders must do collectively to achieve a brighter, sustainable national future. Filipinos must insure our one and only ship, on which all are onboard, moves more effectively and faster.

Raising the people’s morale is all-important. Its clear, however, that developing the national will to compete, excel, and prevail is mainly the accountable duty of the Philippine President, lawmakers, and LGU officials as manifested by their performance and lifestyles.

The late “Mang Ben” Rodriguez, long-time Manila Bulletin Editor-in-Chief and icon of Philippine journalists who “wrote 30” last November 13 at age 86 – in typically no-nonsense manner – prefaced “Sermons,” thus:

“Today, FVR is as active as ever, counseling the nation’s leaders with occasional impatience on what’s wrong with this country and what they can do about it... Sometimes, his columns are as blunt as when he spells out his principle of leadership in his column ‘Crisis and Sacrifice’ on October 23, 2005, thus: ‘As the leader mandated to set the example and to pave the way, PGMA must herself reform... If I have been supportive, thus far, of her as president, that support is only secondary and incidental to the protection of the national interest – in the absence of a better alternative.’”

Mang Ben simply meant PGMA must skipper our ship “Republic of the Philippines” capably and selflessly – and her crew likewise – so that the Filipino people can achieve, compete and benefit throughout multi-generational periods.

Chapter 3 of Volume IV continues:

Boao: Venue for G20 Follow-Up. BFA’s 2009 Annual Conference in April tackled today’s No. 1 challenge: survive and recover from the global economic crisis. Emerging markets like China, India, and ASEAN-10, including the Philippines, have crucial interests and doable opportunities that must be captured/exploited.

Geographic Tools to “Prosper Thy Neighbor.” The recent World Bank study “Reshaping Economic Geography” on integrating geographically connectable and synergistic components across national boundaries carries this main message: “Economic growth will be unbalanced. But, development can still be inclusive through economic integration.”

To the archipelagic Philippines, these findings on geographic synergy are particularly relevant. Therein lie real opportunities for Skipper PGMA and the presidentiables to improve the nation’s economy, alleviating poverty included. At Boao, Chairman FVR asserted: “Emerging economies could provide the power to push global recovery. So, don’t let your neighbor collapse. The Asian ethic to ‘Prosper Thy Neighbor’ is imperative!”

Chapter IV – Leadership and Heroism

The Philippine National Prayer Breakfast. The Philippine National Prayer Breakfast Foundation promotes interfaith understanding by gathering officials, the religious, veterans, scholars, businesspeople, and other sectoral leaders together in prayer to shape lives according to God’s sovereign will. As NPB keynote speaker (December, 2008), FVR implored:

“O Great Navigator, we pray most of all for those elected to lead us because it is they who must show the way and guide our people to the better future to which we all aspire… We need leaders who can put the interests of the many above those of the few. We need leaders to restore hope – especially to the youth and those mired in poverty – because instilling hope is a critical leadership quality.”

Obama’s Prayer: The Golden Rule. In Washington, DC, the NPB is an important international event every February. This year, President Obama focused on modern-day Golden Rule applications: “Whatever our differences, there is one law that binds all great religions together... the Golden Rule – to love and understand one another; treat with dignity and respect those with whom we share brief moments on Earth… It requires us not only to believe, but to give something of ourselves for others’ benefit and world betterment.”

The Nobility of Filipinos and EDSA. During the run-up to our Philippine Independence Centennial on June 12, 1998, FVR prayed that leaders act positively:

“There is a vestige of nobility that runs deep within Filipinos, a gentility inherited from our forefathers: love of God, country, and family; respect for the elderly; hospitality; creativity; innovativeness; and the pursuit of higher learning.”

Can the 2010 presidentiables hack it? Maybe, if they perform as they pray, and pray as they perform – as most did at EDSA.

Leadership: Obama on Effecting Positive Change. Filipinos should welcome President Obama’s exhortations, given his liberal, pro-poor attitudes and immersion in a diversity of cultures.

Leadership is what Barack prepared for. A deep social conscience motivated him to organize poor people to help themselves and those in worse circumstances.

Lessons for Our Leaders and Public Servants from Young Obama. How many Filipino leaders aspiring for high office have the “fire in the belly” (like Obama) to reform themselves to be of better service to disadvantaged people? Not many.

Valuable traits for presidentiables and “wannabes” are exemplified by Baracko ‘Bama: humility, honesty, industry, and his caring, sharing and daring for others. His book, “The Audacity of Hope,” provides leadership guides for 21st century leaders.

Today’s aspirants for public office would find it rewarding to study what Obama is and how he gets things done. He is not just a mobile gladiator with sharp intellectual skills and charming political savvy but also a cool, unflappable character. Moreover, he is a tough competitor with the admirable fitness of champion Kenyan marathoners – born of austere lifestyles and stability under pressure.

At this late date, PGMA can still leave an achievement record to make up for what most Filipinos consider a generally mismanaged Administration that is going one step forward and two steps backward.

What President Obama Faces. Obama faces major problems. He must undertake what all other Presidents/PMs generally do – to win acceptance of their initiatives. In effect, Obama must constantly forge people’s support and enhance America’s posture as superpower/peacemaker.

The Philippine President as Juggler. From FVR’s experience, the President is like a juggler, balancing and keeping aloft at least ten balls (national problems). But, as Chief Executive and AFP/PNP Commander-in-Chief, she/he must perform with greater skill than ordinary circus jugglers on a highwire 100 meters up, by catching and managing the balls in a calm, harmonious manner without dropping any. More importantly, the President must not fall off from uncoordinated movements, panic, or lack of focus – because the whole nation will also crash.

Nation-Building an Upward Process: Highwire of the Presidency. From our people’s perspective, the highwire represents their aspirations for a higher quality of life. It is inclined upward, whose more elevated finishline marks the end of the six-year presidential term when the “legacy” is transferred to the incoming President.

Challenging, isn’t it? Of course, it is. Imperative it is therefore that “wannabes” articulate, communicate, influence, and perform effectively – without falling off the highwire – to gain momentum towards victory in 2010.
Celebrating People Power; Strengthening Philippine Democracy. Our democracy still is weakened by socio-economic problems, not the least being the greed of oligarchies who bend public policy to suit their private interests.

Filipinos may be depending too often on “People Power” as a political option that should really be the last resort. We cannot have a citizens’ revolution, however peaceful, every 15 years. For us to attain modernization, our country needs at least one generation of political stability and sustained economic growth. Filipinos must not allow their political processes, institutions, and leadership to fail again, and should finally end the periodic crises that corruption, extravagance, cronyism, and incompetence inflict on national society.

Parting Words: Don’t Sink Our Ship! Filipinos are certainly justified in celebrating “People Power” but that cannot substitute for strong democratic institutions. Upon President Estrada’s removal from office, our people were given a second chance to do better. But, have we really improved since? Certainly not, because too many leaders are falling/have fallen off the highwire of nation-building!

On the eve of 2010, as we pick up the pieces and try again from the devastation of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, leaders – incumbents and wannabes alike – should not waste future chances because that would sink our one and only ship “Republic of the Philippines,” on which we are all onboard.

Can Filipinos work together to advance faster, stronger and higher? Yes, we can, kaya natin ito!

“Sermons Volume IV” (and also I, II, III) contain unsolicited advice that could be helpful.

Please send any comments to fvr@rpdev.org. Copies of articles are available at www.rpdev.org.