Continuity of leadership

In our country the President is the leader. The democracy gives him executive power and, in so many ways, he is the ultimate one in charge. The Vice President is his second-in-command but honestly doesn’t really hold a position unless the president gives them one such as a Cabinet post like Secretary of Department of Social Welfare and Development or any other similar posting or agency. Essentially the president is still the one that gives the vice president responsibilities and power.

Here is the Philippines the absence of responsibility given to Vice President Robredo is quite astounding. It makes it glaringly obvious that she and President Duterte don’t get along and are often at odds when it comes to decisions and ideas on how to achieve their common goal of making the Philippines better. In fact, since day 1 we have seen just how terribly they work together. Vice President Robredo has made it clear that she will do whatever task President Duterte asks workwise but that doesn’t mean she has to agree with everything he says or with the choices he makes.

In the end it kind of leaves her in a rough position where she may want to do good and get things done but she doesn’t have the authority or power to do so in this administration. It’s sad because initially I thought that the combined tough stance of Duterte tempered by the empathy of Robredo would make a really good mix for the Philippines. I guess not.

I wrote in previous columns that I did not agree with electing the president and vice president separately instead of on one ticket like they do in America. You would think that that would give us more freedom to elect the leaders we really want instead of getting stuck with whomever the presidential candidate we like has chosen to be his running mate. But, the reality is we normally get a president and vice president who have different agendas and may or may not get along. In this case the situation has never been more glaringly obvious.

Personally I think a president and vice president should be elected together. After all, they have to work together throughout the term. It would be worlds easier if they actually got along and if they actually shared the same ideologies and ideas for the country. That is the benefit of electing the whole ticket. The promises the president made during election season are better fulfilled when the vice president is on board from the very beginning. With the system that we currently have we, instead, get a president and vice president who can barely agree on anything. In the end, President Duterte is left basically icing Vice President Robredo out.

As I mentioned before it doesn’t help that they are from different political parties. In fact, the political parties don’t help much either to be honest. There are far too many. They have sprouted like mushrooms over the years and it seems that several politicians just flip flop through them until they find one that can give them the opportunities they seek and not just share the same ideologies with them. We desperately need to streamline and edit our political party system in the country. I think a lot would change for the better with lesser more streamlined choices.

In either case, I mention the relationship between the president and the vice president because in the current administration it really seems as if Vice President Robredo has no other post to fulfill with the exception of taking over if the President were to fall ill or in any way be incapacitated. This is important because rumors have been circulating wildly that President Duterte’s health being on the decline. A lot of people are jumping to conclusions simply because they haven’t seen the president in a while.

Personally, I think he is fine. He is entitled to rest a little in between the crazy rigors and schedules of his job. I feel like we shouldn’t spread any news (especially false news) until we have all the information. I believe that President Duterte will finish the remainder of his term and that right now he just really wants to be out of the spotlight.

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I’m glad that Senator Grace Poe and other members of the House opposed the plans of Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Danilo Lim for a 2-day coding scheme. It does not seem well thought out and I think that, in the long run, it will just be another failed attempt at controlling the traffic in Metro Manila.

Under Chairman Lim’s proposed plan cars will be coded on two days instead of one. So instead of not being able to use your car on just the one day there will be an additional day you can’t use your vehicle. While it might seem like a good idea when you first say it, you only have to dig a little deeper to realize why this scheme just won’t work and might, in fact, make things worse.

First of all, the majority of the people who need to use their car need to do so to go to work. If the MMDA is proposing to ban vehicles for two days how does it propose people get to their jobs? This might not be an issue if public transportation was thriving and working. But instead, the MRT, buses, taxis, and more are full to overflowing. Adding even more people to the mix will just exacerbate the situation.

What’s more, the proposed plan is quite anti-poor. After all, those who can afford to will simply buy another vehicle to use on the days when they can’t use their own car. So they will still be on the road, that part hasn’t changed. However the poor who can barely afford the car they have are stuck risking life and limb trying to use the trains or the buses.

We can’t abide by these scheme solutions any more. They aren’t going to work. It’s important to look at real solutions that will help both today and in the long run. This includes better infrastructure, revamping our public transportation, and focusing on stricter implementation of traffic laws.