In recent weeks, traditional and social media have been awash with news about new local government executives displaying political will in reforming their respective areas.
First to come to mind is the 44-year-old mayor of Manila, Francisco Domagoso—known also as Isko Moreno, his name from his show business days. In less than a month, Domagoso appears to have succeeded where his supposedly veteran predecessors have all failed: Cleaning up sidewalks, making heritage parks a priority, and doing away with the blight that has accumulated over years of neglect and corruption.
Domagoso’s latest achievement is meeting with the country’s top tycoons and encouraging them to invest in the city’s formerly glorious business district, Escolta. Investments will provide jobs to residents and help curb street crime.
Escolta was Manila’s premier attraction decades ago but has decayed into its current state.
This is just the latest of Domagoso ’s wins. He either has a good public relations team, is remarkably getting things done, or both. This early, there is talk about him being a feasible presidential candidate in 2022. He is regarded well by many quarters: One can have a visual proof of his early achievements, he hails from the ranks of the poor and downtrodden, conducts himself in an intelligent, respectable manner and has also professed respect for the rule of law and for human rights. Domagoso seems to have his priorities straight—good for him and the city.
This early, however, people should get hold of themselves. No, this is not a Messiah in the making.
This habit of pinning our hopes on a single person to deliver us out of poverty, corruption or any other ill has brought upon decades of misery and frustration among Filipinos. The pattern is almost always the same—we are unhappy with our current state, a politician who seems to be a game-changer appears in the horizon, and we tell ourselves this person might be “it.” Whether it’s political pedigree, charisma, good looks, a folksy style or affectations of compassion, Filipinos are quick to latch on to the idea that one person can magically make our troubles disappear. We accord that person, not respect or deference, but adulation.
Soon, however, when that individual has been installed in power, we find he or she has feet of clay, and is not as fit for the office as advertised. And then we think we made a mistake and begin looking for alternatives.
This is also the thinking that has fed the megalomania of not a few politicians who themselves genuinely believe they are God’s gift to their fellowmen.
Public office is a high-profile, consequential, difficult job. At the end of the day, however, it's a set of expectations and deliverables that are best carried out by someone who has the right qualifications, values and attitudes, and who very clearly recognizes he or she has a finite amount of time to deliver results.
It’s heartening to hear about promising stories of Domagoso and many others like him. We hope they can sustain the good work they are beginning.
We hope, most of all, that voters would know that the business of governance is best carried out by those who have good hearts and minds, and who do the work decisively, consistently, and in good faith. Anything else is for show.