SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
MANILA, Philippines – The country’s next president should be someone who makes Filipinos feel good about the future, said the chairman and CEO of Ayala Corporation, the largest and oldest conglomerate in the Philippines.
“Ultimately, the leader of the country has to make people hope. The leader has to make people feel good about the future,” Ayala Chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala told the audience of the Rappler-Globe #PHVote partnership launch in Taguig City.
With contenders in the 2016 presidential elections formally throwing their hats in the ring, businessmen have begun weighing in on what Filipinos should look for when electing the successor of President Benigno Aquino III.
The latest among them is Zobel de Ayala, who said “leadership is more psychological than managerial.”
“It is a psychological issue. It is leadership using non-managerial skills. It is about hope. It is about charisma. It is a sense of taking you and the country on a whole new level,” the Ayala chief said.
Top 5 contenders have thus far officially announced their presidential bids in 2016: administration standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II, Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Grace Poe, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, and Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.
Binay won over Roxas in the 2010 vice presidential elections. He was the early front runner in presidential preference polls but steadily lost his edge due to corruption charges for acts allegedly committed when he was still Makati mayor. He named his vice presidential bet as Senator Gregorio Honasan II.
Roxas, who led the Department of Transportation and Communications and then the Department of the Interior and Local Government under Aquino, formally asked Camarines Sur Third District Representative Leni Robredo to be his running mate.
Poe, the poll front runner, is running alongside Senator Francis Escudero.
Duterte, who has been praised for the current state of Davao City and criticized for supposed extra-judicial killings, has chosen Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as his running mate.
Santiago, meanwhile, is running alongside Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Before Filipinos choose their presidential bet, Zobel de Ayala said they should ask themselves: “Does that person make you feel good about the future?”
“I am not a great believer that any leadership style is better than the other. Leadership is about character, what a person has, and how they inspire,” the Ayala chief said.
What could harm the country’s stable economic growth is a leader who cannot inspire our countrymen to do something, Zobel de Ayala said.
“I’m very proud where the Philippines is going….We are not a poor country. The Philippines is just like start-ups. Start-ups are not poor, they are companies with ideas, character, and action. All they just need is to be able to access balance sheet and funding. That is how we can move on from where we are,” Zobel de Ayala said.
“The issue that worries us today is the leadership that can galvanize the intelligence, drive, and youthfulness the country has slated,” he said. – Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.