WE'RE glad that finally it was pointed out that the final draft of the Consultative Committee (Concom)'s proposed federal constitution explicitly blocks President Rodrigo R. Duterte from seeking another term in 2022.
Section 2, Article 22 of the draft federal charter provides: "The incumbent President is prohibited from running as President in the 2022 elections under the Constitution."
This was a requested by President Duterte himself, who despite his insistence that he only wants to set things right is being accused of moving heaven and earth to perpetuate himself to power.
But then, that's the Mindanaoan President talking to the national capital media and activists alike who are more familiar with greed than suffering with the people.
We only have to go around Metro Manila to notice that in every corner of their inner city streets and especially all around public schools are tarpaulins of their faces greeting this, celebrating that, and claiming those. You'd even see how the succession takes shape with the incumbent's huge photo on a tarpaulin placed beside the photo of the heir-apparent.
That's just how it is. It's a culture imbibed through decades of succession, where power is not allowed to leave the family.
But that is not what is at stake. At the root of this clamor for federalism is Mindanao's long oppression and neglect, where had we not had a Mindanaoan president for the first time in history, we would not have seen all these roads and bridges being constructed at such lengths and width and speed. And it's just the third year.
It is the role of the national government communicators not to go on a tit-for-tat with the opposition who will never ever be convinced that a government will ever be concerned about what is good for the Filipinos, but to reach the farthest and widest mass of people, so they will best understand, not as the opposition would want them to explain on the defensive, but how everything is envisioned to be and where all these is coming from.
By rounding themselves on what the vision is, then the message can be delivered in tangible, visual form. That is if they share the vision and are not among those who also want to perpetuate themselves in power though.
The work is all cut out for the government communicators. Speak of the vision, give constant updates, drum up developments and breakthroughs. Communicators who are well-versed about the vision and the government's agenda should be able to lead the discussion and tell their stories of success. A government communicator who is not sure about where this government is going will be led by the nose by the rabid opposition whose only desire is to grab power back.
Bottomline: How government's communicators stumble and mumble their way reflects that they have not aligned their vision with those of the respected leaders. Shape up.