Need for Continuity
Councilor Danny Dayanghirang added that, “… it is incumbent that the great majority prefer another Duterte to take over the political leadership of this country. While PRRD possesses a warrior characteristic, all candid, frank and vulgar of what he thinks is right, CMI benchmarks on her motherly trait and like a home she banks on having one Philippines regardless of color and sees survival as primordial weapon in this time of crisis.”
There are similarities of awards and achievements garnered by the elder Duterte and his daughter as mayors of Davao. Then Mayor Digong and CMI achieved similar awards as a result of sharing similar dreams, including: Seal of Good Local Governance, Asean Clean Tourist City Standard Award; 4th Most Competitive City in terms of Infrastructure and; 4th safest in Southeast Asia; One of the Ten Most Peaceful and Safest Cities in Southeast Asia. These citations have been achieved by Mayor Digong, and excellently continued by Mayor Inday Sara.
In addition, both PRRD and CMI share traits and qualities of a good leader. Both are fierce, fearless, and possess very strong political will – the characteristics of a Duterte leadership. We need this type of leadership to be sustained.
They also share almost the same comprehensive program on peace and order. CMI continued the campaign against communism, anchoring on the gains of then Mayor Digong in dismantling the communist apparatus. She pursued peace and order through PEACE 911 – the city government’s comprehensive peace-building and development initiative. Its main thrusts include good governance, putting importance on programs that are sustainable, inclusive, and felt by the people.
Continuing the Legacy
I was fortunate to meet City Mayor Inday a few times in Davao and Manila, which was arranged by Davao Girls (DG) Jocelyn Tapic, April Marie Dayap, Merjade Buddy Calvo, Amadea Aquino and Annette Maligad as an adopted DG. It is definitely an experience meeting the Mayor. City Mayor Inday greets everyone with a warm and hospitable smile. She inspires with her plans for the future, especially on the need for discipline towards achieving good governance. She is equally fierce, and her strong personality shows on the subject of illegal drugs, crime, and corruption. Quoting former Usec Pete Lavina in the recent statements from PDP,” …she exhibited her independence of mind and action, shown her firmness and fortitude”; the qualities of a strong leader.
Looking forward, some of the Presidential Legislative agenda are set in place to provide continuity of a comfortable life, such as Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises, Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer Act, Creation of Department of Overseas Filipinos, Proposed Philippine Virology Institute Act and a lot more. These legislative agenda being set in place in Congress will definitely lead to a better and comfortable life for the Filipinos.
Moving Forward
No one has a monopoly on the desire for good governance. Every Filipino wants and deserves good governance. President Duterte has been clear from the start of his “whiff of corruption” policy, and towards the end of his term admitted that “corruption is endemic.” In my opinion, the unfinished promises of President Duterte will be done by City Mayor Inday with her idealism, tenacity, and courage. Unlike PRRD’s style of insulting his enemies as a strategy, CMI does not reveal her plans; she is deliberate in her actions and only speaks when necessary. Difference in style but equally effective as a leader.
We all have dreams and as individuals we need dreams to give us a sense of direction, a goal, a vision to aspire for. We want our dreams to succeed in order to build our families, provide for their needs and make our families comfortable. But as Filipinos, the Philippines is our bigger family. The Filipinos are our brothers and sisters. We need to succeed together and treasure this generational moment to build our country together. We need to dream and believe that together we can build a better Philippines and provide a comfortable life for our Filipino brothers and sisters. Together, we should act as planners and work together to ensure the continuity of a leadership that will allow our country to achieve our dream of a better Philippines for our children. As Walt Disney said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
All Filipinos look forward to having a comfortable life. Let us continue our work as succession planners, believe and share this dream to our friends and family and do our share to make reality the dream which our President has started. My family, Atty. John Anthony “Jet” Lim, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Uy, our friends and families believe and share this dream. Help us share the dream. We are all in the same boat. God bless the Philippines.
Dr. Paul Chua is an advocate of continuous learning both local and foreign. He finished “Essentials of Policy Development” at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore; “Strategic Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies” at the Harvard Kennedy School; and “Leadership and Management for Integrity” at the Central European University.
Originally published by The Manila Times on September 16, 2021.
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