The next President of the Philippines must have a deep faith in the innate decency and outstanding abilities of the Filipino. He must be one who can make his countrymen rediscover their true worth and inspire them to attain their highest potential, and in the process achieve a revival of pride in being Filipino and drive socio-economic advancement for the country.
In the last several decades, the Filipino people have been weighed down by a poor self-image as a nation.
A poor opinion of ourselves, of course, reinforces other nations' already shoddy, albeit misinformed and unfair, impression of our national character, and undermines our efforts toward enhanced competitiveness and development. Many among the last three generations at least have come to regard the Filipino as being a cheat, a slacker, and an ungovernable juvenile.
But this is, of course, not true. And this has not always been the Filipino's image of himself. Ask your grandparents and great grandparents.
There was a time when we as a nation held close to our hearts the sterling values of hardwork and perseverance, of honesty and being true to one's word, of social responsibility and caring for the common weal. This unsavory self-image is a fairly recent phenomenon, a product of recent twists and turns in our national history and of our tendency toward self-deprecation and self-criticism. But even if we have already witnessed many cases in the recent past that seem to confirm that this self-image is aligned with reality, I would say that these cases do not represent the great majority of basically decent, hardworking, and God-fearing Filipinos.
How else can we explain the tremendous demand for Filipino workers, if Filipinos are not considered globally as hardworking, efficient, and honest?
Among those who are now aspiring to become the country's next President, no one more fittingly embodies the aforementioned values, and no one else has more closely lived by them, than Manny Villar. He is a living example of what the Filipino is capable of and can become.
I knew Manny even before he became a politician. He was a client of the bank I headed when he was still on his way to full success as a businessman. He was a valued client, with extraordinary entrepreneurial abilities, and more importantly, good character. He evidently was not just after short-term profits in his businesses but had a long-term vision and cares for the value and benefits that they create. His businesses created substantial employment, and as I observed that many of his employees were very loyal to him, most of them staying on with him since the start of his business, I thought that he must really be a good and caring employer. Also, he seemed to take pride that his main line of business was enabling Filipino families, particularly those in the lower income classes, to enjoy affordable but decent housing, thus helping boost their self-esteem. As a businessman, although he was armed with high credentials as a management professional (an MBA graduate from UP), he relied more on his pragmatism and innovative abilities.
In 1991, when I was President of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association, we conferred on Manny the Most Outstanding UPAA Professional Award. We felt that he deserved this highest honor that the University can give its alumni, not only because of his great success in his chosen field but above all because of his exemplary service to Philippine society.
Perhaps, it was providential that it was after being given that recognition that he decided to re-invent himself and try full-time public service as his second career. In 1992, he ran for a congressional seat and won more than convincingly. From then on, I was able to follow his political career. I was convinced even from that early stage that here was a man with vision, who might one day lead the country.
Nine months ago, just after I left government service (then as Ambassador to the United Kingdom), Senator Villar and I had a meeting to discuss his political plans. I informed him though that at that early stage in the run up to the forthcoming elections, my commitment of support was still for Vice President Noli de Castro, if he decided to run for President. But should the VP decide not to run, my support would definitely go to him.
When VP Noli did decide not to run, Senator Villar and I met again and, as I promised, I gave him my pledge of firm and unequivocal support.
This support is also based on a platform of government we discussed earlier on that will involve wide-ranging structural reforms in the government and on a counter-pledge he made that he would not team up or be aligned with GMA and her family.
On a third meeting, in the course of the Senator's preparations for his bid for the presidency, I presented to him a program of governance that we commissioned during my time as Secretary of Finance (but which, unfortunately, was ignored by the previous and the present administrations).
I reiterated my pledge of support when he expressed his commitment to introduce these reforms should he win the presidency, and also to avoid being linked with GMA and the current administration.
Indeed, this is a crucial time in the country's history, when resolute action is required. Maybe what we really need at this time when our countrymen's self-esteem is so low and still ebbing, when there is very little encouraging news and little hope that things will improve, is someone who represents success that is based on traditional ideals. There is no question that Manny Villar is himself a success story. He overcame the many challenges in his life, particularly the challenge of poverty and later of extremely tough and daunting business conditions.
He must be someone who knows the true keys to success and who can impart these to others, and who can provide the inspiration and the support to enable them to achieve their best potential. We need someone who has the "can do" spirit in full measure, someone who believes that we have inside us the basic ingredients of success, as individuals and as a nation. All that we need is to unleash them, and Manny Villar may just be the right person to help us do this.
