The 051010 Choice, Part 3

Ok, I AM fickle minded.

I voted for Gibo. I changed my mind last night, after a conversation with a Gibo supporter/high school friend of mine. The thing is, I like Gordon's accomplishments, but I just don't like him. And I don't mean "like" in the way that I like musicians or actors or tennis players. No, it's not about likability or personality. I like his stand on education, but I most probably won't like how he'll implement it. I like his platform but I don't like his views about the Filipino psyche. And that's exactly where he lost me.

With Gibo, I like his platform, and his views, and his leadership style and the way he ran his campaign. And I like his potential as a leader.

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In terms of the actual voting, I want to put it on record that I liked the automated elections. Some friends had nightmare stories of waiting in line for 3-6 hours (under the hot Manila summer sun), but mine was more like a 20 minute stroll to the classroom. The quick turnaround on the (unofficial) results was also a great relief from the slow crawl of previous elections' manual counting, complete with chalkboards and candle-light vigils and people sitting on the yellow ballot boxes to avoid vote-switching and petty election fraud techniques. And yes, it is pretty neat that I get to say that I voted during the first ever automated Philippine National elections.

The 051010 Choice, Part 2

Ok, call me fickle minded.

But the pull for voting for someone who has proven his ability to lead and to create changes successfully, and continues to submit fresh, innovative ideas, and who is willing to rally the people's minds AND hearts to lift us from our current situation, and espouses positive transformation in various aspects of his vision? Is much stronger than the hope that I'm projecting towards a Gibo leadership.

They both have their strengths and they both have their weaknesses. The positives qualities that each of them possess are very admirable, and fits to what I'm looking for in a president. Gibo's stand on improving infrastructure and economy, and Gordon's stand on education. In my eyes, if I was looking at their strengths exclusively, choosing between them is like flipping a coin.

What I realize now is that I can bear with Gordon's weaknesses more than Gibo's, because he has shown that his strengths supplement his weaknesses, which is something I can't say for Gibo just yet. With Gordon, there's the fact that people think he brings a lot of hubris to his talk. And there's the fact that his ideas are wild and grand and also sometimes almost quixotic. With Gibo, there's the doubt about accountability, that their might be slack in getting it, in as far as his actions as DND Secretary and NDCC chief showed. And there's the doubt on his position regarding issues that directly affect his alliances, that his alliance with GMfuckingA and trapo-filled party will cloud his positions on issues such as corruption and human rights.

With Gordon, I know what I'm getting, and I know that his positive qualities can override his perceived negatives. And I trust his sincerity and integrity and his desire to get Filipinos not just to change, but to move forward.

And yes, his fresh energy.

The 051010 Choice

At the beginning of this week, I was still torn between voting for Gibo and voting for Gordon.

On the one hand, Gibo is incredibly intelligent, and hearing him answer questions during the different presidential forum is enough for even doubters to be convinced of his ability, his intelligence, his competence (or at least, his eloquence.) When he talks, he shows his understanding of issues, and provides specific, implementable ideas that align to his clear vision. He talks to the point, and more importantly, with a specific, strong point, which is a breath of fresh air in Philippine politics. The big thorn on his side is of course, he's coming from the same political party as GMfuckingA.

On the other hand, here's Gordon and his long list of achievements. He has proven in his track record that he can do many things well. More to the point: he can lead well because he has shown that he understands what good leadership is all about. He also has a lot of ideas. Big ideas. He is also thought of as bringing a lot of bark to his big bite.

Gibo and Gordon have their individual strengths: one can boast of a clear, well-thoughtout vision and platform and the other, a clear, headstrong leadership skill. Gibo is showing to be concensus-builder, while Gordon has shown himself to be a steadfast doer. At the same time, they share the same positions on various different issues, which is why it's proving a challenge to discern between the two who exactly is a better fit for the highest position in the land.

That's when a thought came to me: imagine what a leader like Gordon would've done had he been president of the country at his vital, peak years, carrying all that fresh energy and can-do way of thinking that he applied to transforming Subic and the Department of Tourism. A leader like him, in a fresh package full of dynamism and positivity, would probably have a great run as the President of the Philippines. Makes you think.

And that's why I'm voting for Gibo.