Lessons from the Philippines
Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was the President of the Republic of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. During his reign, he was reputed to be a kleptomaniac, as it is estimated that he embezzled about 10 Billion US Dollars of the country’s funds. Marcos Sr. is also described as a dictator, as during his reign more than 60,000 people were detained arbitrarily, another 30,000 tortured and an estimated 3,000 killed. His wife Imelda Marcos also held lucrative government positions, for instance, she was the Minister of Human Settlements and Ecology from 1979 to 1986. President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was forced to flee the country in 1986, as a result of the rising unpopularity of his government because of corruption and economic stagnation, and he was discredited by both domestic and the international community when he claimed victory in an election that was marred with fraud. He was given asylum in Hawaii, USA; he remained there until his death in 1989.
More than three decades later, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., son of the disgraced dictator won the presidential election in the Philippines by a landslide victory. This victory was not achieved overnight, as after the death of his father, the family returned to the Philippines, and he has been in public service for more than 25 years, where he first served as a Congress man in 1992 to 1995. As a Congress man, his most notable achievement was the championing of a law creating the Philippines Youth Commission. He also played a major role in advancing the cause of cooperatives, in this respect, he allocated most of his Countryside Development Fund (CDF) to organizing cooperatives of teachers and farmers in his constituency.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was also elected as a Governor of his Province (Ilocos Norte) which he served for three consecutive terms from 1998 to 2007. He is credited with transforming the Province into one of the best in the country, as he turned it into a hub of wind power technology, which it currently not only serves as an alternative source of energy in the Province, but also the northern part of the country as well. In 2007, he again returned to Congress and in 2010 moved to the Senate, in 2016, he unsuccessfully ran for the seat of the Vice President. However, in 2022, despite being the son of a reviled dictator, he has clinched the Presidency, and appeared to have done so relying on his good track record of public service.
Are there lessons for Nigerians to learn from the ascension of “Bongbong” into the Presidency of the Philippines? Indeed, there are. First of all, we should choose our leaders based on their capacity to govern, as in the case of the Philippines, despite the atrocities committed by the father of the current President, he was able to distinguish himself, and showed evidence of being able to deliver. While in our case, most candidates are elected on the basis of their huge financial war chest or where they come from, hence most times once in office they are mostly concerned with what they can gain and not what they can deliver to the people. Also, voting in candidates on party lines has contributed to our woes, for instance, in 2015, in some states, especially the far North, the candidates of the APC were voted into office without consideration if they had the competence or experience to hold office. The rest as they say is now history.
As we march towards the 2023 general elections, there is the need for people to shine their eyes, let us vote in people with proven track records, we need to be party blind and be selective. Let’s vote in competent people for a better Nigeria.
Aliyu Ibrahim, Ph.D, aliyudanmusa@gmail.com
