To whom will you entrust your children’s future?
In my previous column “Entrusting our Future,” I mentioned the things we need to consider in choosing the right candidate to vote for. We should not just give our vote to someone we think is popular or “trending,” but one who we think has the capability and character to lead our country. One should believe in what the candidate has to offer and what he or she stands for. After all, we are giving that candidate the power to decide on the future of our nation.
Before we cast our votes on election day, let us take time to think who among the aspiring candidates should lead our nation towards inclusive progress. And we negosyantes should root for a candidate who believes in our advocacy and supports entrepreneurship development.
I asked some of the women entrepreneurs in the Go Negosyo community who among the aspiring presidential candidates they would entrust their children to “should they need to travel abroad for an indefinite period of time.” This is not meant to survey or represent a trend or quantitative result. It is more of finding out why one is selecting that candidate over the other.
Let me share the insights of these women entrepreneurs.
Rosalind Wee: I will vote for Grace Poe. I was the one who interviewed her during the Go Negosyo Presidentiables events. I found her very well informed, very humble (she stood up every time she answered a question), not a traditional politician, no record of corruption. She is a fighter, defying all laws denying her being Filipino citizen. I’m proud of our judiciary system (SC) for adhering to the principle of a government for the people, by the people and of the people. I’m confident the voice of the people will definitely make Grace Poe a good president.
Annabella Wisniewski: I choose Grace Poe. Perhaps we can give young, fresh blood a chance. Important thing is she is not corrupt and she seems to be smart and hardworking, determined to do a good job. Let’s just hope she is not beholden to anyone or easily influenced by greedy or self-serving individuals.
Jean Uvero: I will choose Grace Poe; she is a wife and mother. She believes in equality but most importantly, she is intelligent but also has a big heart to run a country. I would feel safe and secure if my children would be under her care; I know that my children will be respected, listened to and valued.
Rowie Matti: I would leave my kids with Grace Poe. First is because she is a mother. A mother is loving, caring and compassionate. After listening to her interviews and debates she seems responsible, smart and the right values.
Bing Limjoco: I choose Mar Roxas. As a businesswoman it is important that our investors will come in if the “tuwid na daan” will be continued. He is the most qualified of the four presidentiables.
Chiqui Escareal-Go: Taking care of the country’s future is a topic we always have at the dinner table. As we know, we need to do our share to ensure a bright future for our country. I want my children to continue these conversations with the leaders of our country so they can make informed decisions on their own future. As a parent, moral integrity is non-negotiable for me — I want my children to be guided with clear lines of truth and justice, decency and humility, kindness and charity, pretty much the way my own parents raised me. Among the presidential candidates, I only see this in Mar Roxas.
Patsy Paterno: I have decided to vote for Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo. I thought long and hard about this, and prayed hard, too. We need leaders who will continue the work that has been started. “Daang Matuwid” will continue to bring in investors, give jobs to our people. It will encourage more people to get into business. If more and more people have jobs, there will be less crime in our streets. I believe he is hardworking, and he has done much good for our country. He has worked hard to provide thousands of jobs and access to education, cheaper medicine and even no taxes for minimum-wage workers.
Donna Jiao: I would choose Grace Poe. She is a woman, a mother like me. I believe that she has the youth, the strength, the capacity, and the intelligence. Grace Poe has the heart of a woman that can take care of and nurture my children and also the aggressiveness to implement proper discipline and the intelligence to lead and guide my children so that when they grow up, they, in turn, will make me a proud parent because they are responsible citizens of this country.
Stella Sy: I will choose Rodrigo Duterte. He is different and we need change. He is not idealistic. He is very practical and full of common sense.
Vivian Sarabia: As a mother, my children are my life. I would entrust the future of my children with Mar Roxas — he has the experience. In working with different agencies of the government with untarnished records on graft and corruption, he is the only one with a solid platform and roadmap on what he intends to do in the next six years. The platform of government he presented is well-studied, doable and realistic. I want a president that is God-fearing, with a good, solid family background, good character, brilliant and a really decent man with integrity.
Patty Chilip: As a parent, I would probably entrust my children to Grace Poe. First, she is a mother, too, and as such knows the balance between discipline and leeway. Women also innately know the balance between graciousness and boundaries. This means “I am gentle but do not bully me.” This lesson applies in the playground and in dealing with other nations. What I expect in a presidential candidate is what I expect of a good steward: effectivity, honesty, genuine love and sacrifice in serving this frankly unruly nation.
Myrna Yao: I would choose Senator Grace Poe because I find her sincere and diligent in her performance when she was a senator. I also believe in her capabilities and strong determination as a woman.
Girlie Lorenzo: I will entrust my children to Mar Roxas because he is a man of integrity. All throughout his term as a public official, he could have succumbed to corrupt ways but to this day, his name is untainted. Roxas is a decent man and loyal, unlike other candidates. I know my child will feel safe and secure with Mar Roxas.
Zarah Juan: I would entrust my son to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Why? Because I want my kid to be protected from criminals and I want my son to be protected from drugs. I find these two elements are serious threats to the security of our children. As a private citizen and hardworking parent, we can strive on our own to provide shelter, the best education and a moral foundation; however, if criminals are aplenty and illegal drugs are not controlled, then our children do not stand a chance.
Michelle Fontelera: As a daughter of a former drug addict and drug dealer, I am for Rodrigo Duterte. I know the evil of drugs because it ruined my father, my family and my childhood. In this country we need discipline — strong discipline because criminals are no longer afraid. They commit crimes in crowded places in broad daylight. I would vote for a vice president who can make the economy better like Bongbong (Marcos). Although I was leaning towards Leni Robredo, she is too softhearted for me.
Elizabeth Quirino-Lahoz: Mar Roxas. He will be able to best continue President Noynoy Aquino’s legacy of a good economy and a better life for Filipinos. He is not a traditional politician; he promises only what is doable and best for the country.
Evelyn Yap: What I like about Leni Robredo is I believe she knows the real meaning of service. I heard her speak during the last Go Negosyo event. Her background is she studied law when she already had children, and that took a lot of discipline. She has a good academic background, has served people in private and in public duty. Simple. Not arrogant. She fared quite well in the first VP debate. Has composure and intellect. Thinks before she speaks.
