The Manila Times
I dare the senatoriables
by : Dr Carl E. Balita
I WAS there, and I had offered myself to the Filipinos. I did my assignment, and I did well in my preparations. I failed, but I dared to challenge.
My hope was anchored on the fact that, then in the post-pandemic era, there were three major crises โ education, health and economy โ and I happen to have the expertise in those areas. I was Isko Moreno’s choice as I was the only candidate (in fact, the first in history) who holds a professional license as a teacher, a doctor of education and doctor of humanities, and a learned educator. I am a dual licensed health professional โ nurse and midwife โ and a professor in health sciences. I come from the MSME sector โ as an internationally schooled entrepreneur, business professor, best-selling author, business leader and advocate. My numerous awards are testament to my achievement in these areas, which at the time were critical for the post-pandemic recovery.
My hope was anchored on the fact that, then in the post-pandemic era, there were three major crises โ education, health and economy โ and I happen to have the expertise in those areas. I was Isko Moreno’s choice as I was the only candidate (in fact, the first in history) who holds a professional license as a teacher, a doctor of education and doctor of humanities, and a learned educator. I am a dual licensed health professional โ nurse and midwife โ and a professor in health sciences. I come from the MSME sector โ as an internationally schooled entrepreneur, business professor, best-selling author, business leader and advocate. My numerous awards are testament to my achievement in these areas, which at the time were critical for the post-pandemic recovery.
I prepared myself to face every debate and forum. Expanded my understanding of other issues beyond my expertise and everything that matter to the Filipino people and the country. I got briefings from experts and plunged into research and endless public consultations immersed with what were relevant to being a legislator.
I prepared for the job โ to be a senator.
But I was wrong. Qualifications are not good enough. The 5 million votes were not sufficient enough to secure a Senate seat.
My message of solutions is drowned by the noisy political ads that come with costs equivalent to my family’s hard-earned fortune. My effort and my team’s capability were dwarfed by a well-oiled machinery that had been there from the grassroots up the echelons of power and influence. My credentials surrender to the popularity that was a more important ingredient of success, especially with a majority of the electorate not keen in reading through candidates’ credentials.
As hope is my currency, I hold on to it, not in the sphere of political battle but in advocacy.
Plataporma: A program that dares to ask
Instead of running again, I choose to take part in voters’ education. With The Manila Times, dzXL (RMN News Manila), Royale Care and PCCI-Quezon City, Plataporma (platform) was launched as a one-on-one conversation program with a senatorial aspirant. It runs, taped-as-live, for 30 minutes with direct-to-the-point questions centered on the platform and programs of the candidate. It is broadcast in the livestreaming platform of The Manila Times (Fridays, 5 p.m. in dzXL/RMN (Saturday, 5.30 p.m.) and in my massive social media assets, with more than a million followers and massive engagements in Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
Plataforma, to date, has recorded and confirmed the taping of around 20 senatorial aspirants.
The ‘SENATOR’ theme of Plataporma
The public, hopefully, will be enlightened by the program toward a choice using critical thinking. Critical thinking is about postponing judgment to enable the gathering of evidence and become objective, especially in selecting from alternatives. “Plataporma” is guided by this โ asking questions and being objective that seeks first to understand, then to be understood. It listens with the intention to understand. It has no intention to endorse a candidate and is not a sponsored program, hence has no bias.
We dare generate questions from these challenges, which I created using the acronym SENATOR:
Show us tangible proof that you love this country and the Filipinos. We need “receipt” of what a candidate has done for the Filipinos in the past. It must transcend beyond campaigns and promises. It must be measured for its impact that improves the lives of Filipinos. Most impressive are achievements in their private capacity with mark of personal sacrifice, in the spirit of service.
Engage us with your life story that confirms your values of integrity and demonstrates leadership. As a national leader, a senator should be able to walk-the-talk of values to serve as role model to the public, especially the young people who are expected to use the digital space in selecting and advocating for a candidate. Integrity is primordial among all values of leadership. Here is where spirituality matters and even family affairs are reflective of a candidate’s moral ascendancy to lead.
Narrate your vision for the Philippines shared with the Filipinos. It is biblical that “a nation without vision will perish.” There has to be clarity with the “ideal state of the future” for the Philippines which these candidates must share with the Filipinos. The candidate must be ready to resonate this during the campaign trail beyond the entertainment that campaign rallies bring.
Align your political agenda to the aspirations and realities of the lives of the Filipino people. Political agenda are motherhood statements that are advantageous for those who are linguistically gifted. But without data and evidence, these messages remain as opinions and empty salad of words of the fools. The ability to answer questions with authentic and updated data separates the intelligent candidates from the illusive fools.
Translate your political platforms and legislative agenda to programs that will bring change. A senatorial candidate should know the mandate of a senator โ the critical role in legislation and in international treaties and foreign relations. The Senate is neither the agency that promises and distributes “ayuda” (aid) nor a court for grandstanding to gain political mileage. It is a chamber of statesmen who can speak with highest eloquence and intelligence.
Organize what you stand for and what you are willing to die for in the service of the Filipinos. A good candidate should be able to share with us what he stands for on critical issues that affect the lives and future of the Filipinos. They should do their homework of being able to intelligently speak on climate emergency that requires urgent action, geopolitical tensions that can ignite war, human security in its broadest form, international relations in a globalized world, degradation of societal values, the “miseducation” in the Philippines, food insufficiency as an agricultural country, unstable macro and microeconomics, poverty, disruptive digital transformation and infantile state of cybersecurity, among others. They should be able to talk about these on their feet and not reading through what their staff prepared.
Reassure us that you can offer solutions to the problems of the Filipinos. With vast resources accessible to a senator and the influence they have in the society at large, they are duty-bound to provide innovative solutions. The Philippines, being left behind by our Asean neighbors, needs resuscitation through leadership that engages and inspires the entire society. Corruption, political dynasty, widening gap between the rich and the poor, among others, are realities in the political system. Improve the country by improving the lives of the Filipinos. Give the best government service to the Filipinos.
The Filipinos are tired of the state of life that relies on the false promises and inefficiencies of politicians, local and national. What matters most is what we benefit from beyond elections and what changes our collective choices make of the government we create.
We cannot always blame the politicians. We can just blame our choices and our failure to use our influence to guide right choices.
I prepared for the job โ to be a senator.
But I was wrong. Qualifications are not good enough. The 5 million votes were not sufficient enough to secure a Senate seat.
My message of solutions is drowned by the noisy political ads that come with costs equivalent to my family’s hard-earned fortune. My effort and my team’s capability were dwarfed by a well-oiled machinery that had been there from the grassroots up the echelons of power and influence. My credentials surrender to the popularity that was a more important ingredient of success, especially with a majority of the electorate not keen in reading through candidates’ credentials.
As hope is my currency, I hold on to it, not in the sphere of political battle but in advocacy.
Plataporma: A program that dares to ask
Instead of running again, I choose to take part in voters’ education. With The Manila Times, dzXL (RMN News Manila), Royale Care and PCCI-Quezon City, Plataporma (platform) was launched as a one-on-one conversation program with a senatorial aspirant. It runs, taped-as-live, for 30 minutes with direct-to-the-point questions centered on the platform and programs of the candidate. It is broadcast in the livestreaming platform of The Manila Times (Fridays, 5 p.m. in dzXL/RMN (Saturday, 5.30 p.m.) and in my massive social media assets, with more than a million followers and massive engagements in Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
Plataforma, to date, has recorded and confirmed the taping of around 20 senatorial aspirants.
The ‘SENATOR’ theme of Plataporma
The public, hopefully, will be enlightened by the program toward a choice using critical thinking. Critical thinking is about postponing judgment to enable the gathering of evidence and become objective, especially in selecting from alternatives. “Plataporma” is guided by this โ asking questions and being objective that seeks first to understand, then to be understood. It listens with the intention to understand. It has no intention to endorse a candidate and is not a sponsored program, hence has no bias.
We dare generate questions from these challenges, which I created using the acronym SENATOR:
Show us tangible proof that you love this country and the Filipinos. We need “receipt” of what a candidate has done for the Filipinos in the past. It must transcend beyond campaigns and promises. It must be measured for its impact that improves the lives of Filipinos. Most impressive are achievements in their private capacity with mark of personal sacrifice, in the spirit of service.
Engage us with your life story that confirms your values of integrity and demonstrates leadership. As a national leader, a senator should be able to walk-the-talk of values to serve as role model to the public, especially the young people who are expected to use the digital space in selecting and advocating for a candidate. Integrity is primordial among all values of leadership. Here is where spirituality matters and even family affairs are reflective of a candidate’s moral ascendancy to lead.
Narrate your vision for the Philippines shared with the Filipinos. It is biblical that “a nation without vision will perish.” There has to be clarity with the “ideal state of the future” for the Philippines which these candidates must share with the Filipinos. The candidate must be ready to resonate this during the campaign trail beyond the entertainment that campaign rallies bring.
Align your political agenda to the aspirations and realities of the lives of the Filipino people. Political agenda are motherhood statements that are advantageous for those who are linguistically gifted. But without data and evidence, these messages remain as opinions and empty salad of words of the fools. The ability to answer questions with authentic and updated data separates the intelligent candidates from the illusive fools.
Translate your political platforms and legislative agenda to programs that will bring change. A senatorial candidate should know the mandate of a senator โ the critical role in legislation and in international treaties and foreign relations. The Senate is neither the agency that promises and distributes “ayuda” (aid) nor a court for grandstanding to gain political mileage. It is a chamber of statesmen who can speak with highest eloquence and intelligence.
Organize what you stand for and what you are willing to die for in the service of the Filipinos. A good candidate should be able to share with us what he stands for on critical issues that affect the lives and future of the Filipinos. They should do their homework of being able to intelligently speak on climate emergency that requires urgent action, geopolitical tensions that can ignite war, human security in its broadest form, international relations in a globalized world, degradation of societal values, the “miseducation” in the Philippines, food insufficiency as an agricultural country, unstable macro and microeconomics, poverty, disruptive digital transformation and infantile state of cybersecurity, among others. They should be able to talk about these on their feet and not reading through what their staff prepared.
Reassure us that you can offer solutions to the problems of the Filipinos. With vast resources accessible to a senator and the influence they have in the society at large, they are duty-bound to provide innovative solutions. The Philippines, being left behind by our Asean neighbors, needs resuscitation through leadership that engages and inspires the entire society. Corruption, political dynasty, widening gap between the rich and the poor, among others, are realities in the political system. Improve the country by improving the lives of the Filipinos. Give the best government service to the Filipinos.
The Filipinos are tired of the state of life that relies on the false promises and inefficiencies of politicians, local and national. What matters most is what we benefit from beyond elections and what changes our collective choices make of the government we create.
We cannot always blame the politicians. We can just blame our choices and our failure to use our influence to guide right choices.
-END-