#PHVote: May 12 forum to define ‘The Leader I Want’

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATED) Do we really deserve the leaders we elect? 

This is an often cited rhetorical question raised during an election cycle to frame electoral democracy at its best or at its worst. The answer is subjective and mainly depends on who wins and who loses. 

But what if we define first the qualities of the leaders we want? Does that change the meaning of the question or its subsequent answer? 

On May 12, 2015, Rappler, together with top Philippine academic universities, is organizing a forum on leadership that aims to define the qualities of leadership critical for the country’s next generation of leaders.

The forum, #PHVote: The Leader I Want, is co-organized by the Building an Inclusive Democracy (BID) consortium which includes the College of Liberal Arts of De La Salle University, the Ateneo School of Government, the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) RSN Policy Center for Competitiveness, and the University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG). De La Salle University is the forum’s host while the Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA) is a co-presenter.

The forum will serve as a venue for members of the academe, student leaders, civil society organizations, the private sector, policy-makers and other interest groups to identify not only issues that Filipinos should consider in choosing their leaders, but also the qualities of an ideal leader who can address the country’s current issues.

#PHVote: The Leader I Want will be held on May 12, 2015 from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the Natividad Fajardo-Rosario Gonzalez Auditorium, De La Salle University, Taft Avenue, Manila. It is open to the public but prior registration is necessary as seats are limited. 

Active discussion

Notable invited panelists include former Akbayan Party-list Representative Walden Bello, former National Treasurer and professor emeritus Leonor Briones, Kaya Natin convenor Harvey Keh, Professor Winnie Monsod of the UP School of Economics, and Cleo Calimbahin of Transparency International.

Deans and directors frm the College of Liberal Arts of De La Salle University, the Ateneo de Manila School of Government, the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) RSN Policy Center for Competitiveness, and the University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG) will provide their perspective and present findings from an ongoing book project on Inclusive Democracy.  

The forum will be moderated by Maria Ressa, CEO and executive editor of Rappler. 

The forum will also be livestreamed on Rappler. An online conversation will take place parallel to the forum for viewers to join in on the discussion.

We will also hold a discussion on FireChat: http://firech.at/PHVote 

The forum’s moderators are veteran journalist Cheche Lazaro and Rappler’s Patricia Evangelista. 

For more information, email move.ph+phvote@rappler.com. – Rappler.com