It is my pleasure to know two men who have stripped themselves of power, position or alliances because their self-respect and respect for truth and fairness are far more valuable than party loyalty, ambition and greed.
It is an honor to know two men, who in spite of their support for President Noynoy Aquino, will not allow themselves to betray public trust over party interest. It gives me great pride to know these two men who will stare down threat and intimidation rather than act like sulking cowards claiming to have had no choice or were forced to be politically practical rather than review and process an impeachment complaint properly and fairly.
I rejoice to know that two men can stand up against 188 and show us that no matter what our alliances, no matter what our politics, we must first know the facts, before we make an accusation or join in accusing someone. Before we make the charge, we must out of fairness be truthful in our actions. And before we appropriate or demand the title of “HONORABLE”, it must reflect our conduct and our cause.
These two men are none other than the Hon. Congressman Toby Tiangco and the Hon. Congressman Hermilando Mandanas.
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After listening to many debates on the matter of impeachment, I have listed down lessons that politicians, businessmen and young leaders might want to consider before undertaking plans and actions that can be controversial or disruptive:
Don’t just have an agenda, also have a plan and share it with others.
From the very beginning, President Noynoy made it clear that he had an agenda to stop corruption. The problem with that agenda was it focused so much on Gloria Arroyo that people got the impression that his agenda was a vendetta against the Arroyo administration.
Except for his bawal ang wang wang campaign and the BIR hunt for tax evaders, P-Noy and his administration never really promoted an actual plan and campaign on how or what they will be doing and why they will be doing things. In the “before and after” of things, P-Noy’s people failed to fill in the gaps to inform the public.
Unfortunately by creating or leaving that vacuum of information, P-Noy’s critics found opportunity to present their case, create confusion or appeal to emotions and cultural values. People, even media, need to be reminded who the bad guys are.
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Prove your point before you point your finger.
However popular or convinced you are of your beliefs, it is always wise to prove your point before presuming public support. P-Noy overlooked the fact that no matter how just his cause, many Filipinos are not openly receptive to public confrontations and accusations. He also overlooked that certain sectors are careful about destabilizing or destructive actions on our institutions.
Even US President Barack Obama knew this and took his causes to the American people. P-Noy should have asked his “Bosses” first.
Whatever your vision, don’t forget the mission.
There is no doubt that most Filipinos support President Noynoy’s anti-corruption and admire his vision. But many Filipinos also voted him into office for other reasons. Vision must run alongside the mission of running government, providing services and creating an atmosphere that will insure the continued growth of the country and its people.
Your vision maybe to remove corruption in government and society, but if government falls apart or society dives into poverty, you will most assuredly have more corruption than before.
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You reap what you sow.
Pride comes before the fall, and there is only so much disrespect you can throw at someone before you end up dirtying yourself. Many people already commented on the unnecessary disrespect of the P-Noy administration towards its enemies, but they failed to understand that it was a reaction-based “cultural values” and not political views or alliances.
In a population of 90 million those who silently don’t agree with you will eventually bite back if you keep kicking them.
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The poster boy can also become the bullseye.
I once suggested that President Noynoy is his best spokesman. I stand corrected. P-Noy and any leader or manager will always be the best spokesman for their vision, mission hopes and goals. It’s especially very good to do the talking about good news and accomplishments.
From time to time it is also good to stand your ground to address urgent or serious concerns. But it is lethal to be the self-appointed critic, motor mouth of accusations or be the one with the “better than thou” posture.
To be specific, you have Atty. Edwin Lacierda suggesting to the Chief Justice to go on leave. Spokesperson and an officer of the court is in no position to be telling that to the Chief Justice. Justice Secretary Leila De Lima used up so much “media time” acting like a litigation lawyer and overlooking the fact that she is head over the entire justice system.
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Don’t use your enemy’s conduct as your excuse.
The saddest comment I heard of all was when P-Noy’s people started saying that they were merely using an Arroyo EO. That Secretary De Lima was simply speaking out the same way Arroyo’s DOJ secretary Raul Gonzales acted, and that they were playing the same numbers game that Arroyo played.
What then is the difference when we behave just like our enemies? You lose when you become just like them.
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Email: Utalk2ctalk@gmail.com