By Hern. P. Zenarosa
WELL, it’s good the President is limiting her activities in Malacañang, according to doctor’s advice.
She has been over-exposed in the open field, leaving the Palace bereft of life in her absence, and left indulgently to her presidential alter egos who have all become eager spokesmen.
First to be affected by the doctor’s order was the inauguration of a big store chain that had to be content with Vice President Noli de Castro as a surrogate.
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But why, in the first place, should the President of a country leave her office work to attend and grace the opening of a retail store, however, expansive it may be?
But then, again, why not?
After all, President Arroyo travels to the ends of the countryside to cut ceremonial ribbons and, of course, to show presidential concern to the needs of the communities.
That is one of the qualities that makes a President likable, although not necessarily great.
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A Malacañang statement issued by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the Cabinet would ensure to reduce the President’s schedule until she fully recovers from her ailment.
This sounds strange because a President’s work schedule should not be dependent on the Cabinet.
"We will try to keep the President’s workload light to avoid stress, possibly cancel her provincial trips so she will not get exhausted," Ermita was quoted as saying.
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Another announcement, this time from the Presidential Management Staff headed by Arthur Yap, let it be known that the President has delegated to Cabinet members overseeing priority development programs in the four mega regions that she launched in her State-of-the-Nation Address.
All this is meant to lighten the President’s workload, Yap stressed.
I think that by now the people are convinced President Gloria Arroyo is a workaholic, but the impression that all these Malacañang statements give is that Cabinet members are not, and that they needed still to be given assignments and prodded to begin to move.
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Is that the reason President Arroyo is overworked and getting exhausted?
In the first place, why should there be need of "delegation of assignments to Cabinet members to lighten the workload of the President" when that is the very essence of their appointment to the Cabinet?
Now they are talking about "Cabinet champions" to oversee development programs.
Maybe there is something decidedly wrong in President Arroyo’s style of governance and that could be her obsession to be at the top of everything to make all the President’s men dependent on her and at her command.
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In the study of personality inclinations of some Presidents of the United States it was purported that the great ones were rated to have been more achievement oriented, more assertive in their attitude, and were not necessarily positive in all respects.
And they were not entirely honest with the people and their subordinates, and were often stubborn and disagreeable.
Historically, it is said that great Presidents were low on straightforwardness, vulnerability, and order.
There should be a more serious study on Philippine Presidents’ personality traits.
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