Big city mayors as president

Some years ago, my brother Jonathan and I pondered on the essential traits of an effective national leader when we wrote the book “… So Help Us God: The Presidents of the Philippines and their Inaugural Addresses.” We stated that the success (or failure) of a presidency is largely determined by ‘the quality of leadership the person brings to the office – the competence, statesmanship, political skills, work ethic, idealism, empathy and personal character that give rise to thoughtful decision-making and effective leadership.” We added that “it also depends upon the times –– the unique challenges and opportunities the administration faces and its response to them.”

The foregoing framework seems to have been upended by the election of Rodrigo Roa Duterte as President. He is an “outlier” after all, says incoming Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, with a nod to Malcolm Gladwell’s writings.

Despite the ample electoral mandate he received, many still wonder whether he has what it takes to be an effective president, and whether his long stint as Davao City Mayor is enough to equip him to tackle the country’s most difficult job.

Benjamin Barber, a research scholar at the City University of New York, studied this subject and came to the conclusion that big city mayors are more suited to be president or prime minister than most politicians and technocrats, citing New York’s Michael Bloomberg, London’s Boris Johnson, Bogota’s Antanas Mockus, New Delhi’s Sheila Dikshit and many others.

Innovative, pragmatic cities. In his 2013 book “If Mayors Ruled the World: Dysfunctional Nations, Rising Cities,” Barber noted that big cities worldwide share unique qualities – “pragmatism, civic trust, participation, indifference to borders and sovereignty, and a democratic penchant for networking, creativity, innovation, and cooperation. City mayors, singly and jointly, are responding to transnational problems more effectively than nation-states which are often mired in ideological infighting and sovereign rivalries.”

Take for instance Mayor Boris Johnson. He led London’s successful hosting of the 2012 Summer Olympics and implemented a number of innovative programs. He took 10,000 knives and guns off the streets, and did it by also allowing the police to conduct controversial stop-and-search tactics. He imposed traffic congestion fees and other interventionist policies when they improved the quality of life for his constituents. He reinstated the hop-on/hop-off buses (loved by Londoners) that were sidelined in the name of safety, and he got rid of the efficient two-car “bendy-buses” (hated by Londoners) that often tied up traffic. He has critics (who hasn’t?), but as with so many mayors and despite his Conservative party affiliation, fixing things is more important than upholding abstract ideological ideals.

At the same time, Barber narrated, Mayor Johnson seems to make a joke of everything. He once told a reporter that in order to build the new airport London would need to become Europe’s gateway, he himself would have to “assume supreme power in England.” Pause. “For God’s sake, don’t quote me saying that,” the Mayor quickly added.

Notice the pragmatic, results-oriented approach to governance, the informality he has about his office, and the familiarity (and tussles) with reporters. Just like Duterte.

The relative success of mayors of modern big cities in problem solving and uplifting their constituents’ well-being is due largely to the fact that they reside in the communities, have to be attuned to their needs, and need to come up with measures that work, otherwise they will hear right away from neighbors and constituents.

Local to National. We have had presidents with local government experience, with one who went from the mayorship to the presidency –– Emilio Aguinaldo. He was Capitan Municipal of Kawit before he joined the Katipunan, fought the Spanish colonial administration and laid the foundations of the First Philippine Republic.

Others also held local government offices before taking on positions at the national level, either as member of Congress, the Senate or the cabinet, such as Manuel L. Quezon, who was Provincial Fiscal of Mindoro and then Tayabas (now Quezon), Municipal Councilor of Tayabas and Governor of Tayabas; Manuel A. Roxas – Municipal Councilor of Capiz and later Governor of Capiz; Carlos P. Garcia – elected Governor of Bohol for three terms; and Joseph Ejercito Estrada, long-time Mayor of San Juan. Quezon shares the distinction with Duterte of having been a prosecutor who went after crooks and criminals.

The appeal to the electorate of the President-elect’s “strongman” persona may go beyond his record as a no-nonsense mayor who gets it and get things done, notably having restored peace and tranquility and rejuvenated businesses in Davao. It is also perhaps because we know and are familiar with this brand of leadership – authoritative and not necessarily authoritarian, and paternalistic. It is akin to “orang besar,” a term familiar to most Mindanaoans as well as in neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia, meaning a strong leader who takes care of his community.

What about the colorful language and off-the-cuff remarks that have ruffled the sensitivities of others?

Well, he may have to pinch himself every now and then, as reality check that he is no longer in the familiar confines of city hall and will be in the constant glare of the national spotlight.