Misappreciation of the presidency

I refuse to let go of the Mar Roxas motorcycle accident incident for the simple reason that it has taken a life of its own that is based on the wrong premises, fueled in large part by the wrong assumptions of Roxas himself. To recall, Roxas positioned himself in Borongan, Eastern Samar to await the landfall of typhoon Ruby. When Ruby struck somewhere else, in Dolores, Eastern Samar, Roxas decided to motor there, wanting to be, as he said, on ground zero to do his job.

Now, whoa whoa there, Mar. Whoever said you had to be on ground zero to do your job within 24 hours after the typhoon struck. Nowhere in the job description of the Interior and Local Government secretary does it say he or any secretary for that matter should be there on ground zero 24 hours after any storm struck. Such a job is for first responders to do -- you know, the emergency medical personnel, the engineers, the security forces, etc.

The job of Roxas deals with policy and decision making, which can be done even if he is not on ground zero within 24 hours after a typhoon strikes. And even if Roxas, as a matter of personal preference, needed to play hero by being a first responder on ground zero 24 hours after a typhoon strikes, what meaningful, relevant and beneficial contribution does he hope to make with his presence? Does he know CPR? Can he operate a chainsaw? Maybe he can carry a sack, but two?

What is not being said, probably as a matter of courtesy to him, is that he will only get in the way of the professionals who know what to do on ground zero 24 hours after a typhoon strikes. Roxas is a son of privilege, educated to become an economist, served as congressman, senator and Cabinet member. None of these fields of expertise qualify him to be on ground zero 24 hours after a typhoon strikes.

If Roxas has to contribute anything at all on ground zero 24 hours after a typhoon strikes, it is only to become a hindrance to the professional work being done by the first responders. He will only be getting in the way. Instead of saving lives, he may only be putting lives in harm's way by being an obstacle to the swift action and unhampered space needed by the emergency crews.

 But why does Roxas feel it necessary for him to be on ground zero 24 hours after a typhoon strikes? This is getting to be a ridiculous habit, having already done this before with Yolanda, where the only thing he succeeded in doing was get into a quarrel with local officials and produce a most memorable quote that not only got him into trouble but his friend Noynoy Aquino as well.

Ah, maybe it has something to do with his ambition to become president. He needed to be written about in glowing terms. He needed tales to be spun about how, against all dangers and difficulties, and at great personal risk to himself, he was there on ground zero 24 hours after a typhoon strikes to be with his future constituents in their time of great distress.

I say this has got something to do with his presidential ambition because Roxas was never known to want to be on ground zero 24 hours after a typhoon strikes while still serving government in those other capacities I mentioned earlier. In fact, even after he started coveting the presidency before 2010 when he had to give way to Noynoy, Roxas was not this obsessive about being on ground zero 24 hours after a typhoon strikes.

Roxas only started obsessing about being on ground zero 24 hours after a typhoon strikes when he finally acknowledged that his numbers were not anywhere near where he hoped they should be. His numbers have stagnated. They have remained dead in the water. If his numbers had anything to do with the weather, they dissipated even before they developed. They were still-born low pressure areas, points of low barometric pressure that, on second look by weathermen, were no longer there.

But there is nothing anyone can do to stop Roxas from doing what he thinks will further his presidential chances. So, since he is that dead set to run for the presidency, perhaps the best thing his supporters can do is dissuade him from pulling stunts that can only put his life in danger. If for Roxas there is no tomorrow without the presidency, then he should make sure he is healthy and safe to become president.

He should avoid strenuous activities like pedaling tricycles full of people, carrying sacks of rice, and motoring off in unfamiliar, muddy, and debris-strewn country roads. These are activities that a president is not required to do. The proficiency and adeptness of anyone in performing these activities do not necessarily prove anyone will be a good president.

A good president will still be a good president even if he does not go to ground zero 24 hours after a typhoon strikes. For as long as a president formulates the right policies and makes the right decisions that ensure anything that is humanly possible is done before and after a typhoon strikes, that president does not have to go tempting fate by riding off to ground zero 24 hours after a typhoon strikes.

In fact, that president can stay all the time in the safety and comfort of his office for as long as the threat of bad weather remains, so long as everything that is needed to be done is done. The president of a country needs to stay healthy and safe for all his people, not just those affected by typhoons. They need him to lead, not get injured or killed in some reckless misadventure that proves nothing at all.