Villar: Presidency demands experience
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had been remiss in her job as the country’s highest elected official due to the absence of any leadership training, management ability and experience before becoming president.
The critique came from no other than Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Manny Villar in a recent live interview on ANC’s “Headstart” hosted by Karen Davila.
Villar said Arroyo did not have any leadership and management training nor handled any leadership position before becoming president and these are precisely the skills needed to govern the country.
“It’s one thing to say that one will be a good leader. It’s another thing to actually lead. Somehow, this trait or skill should have been demonstrated in the past, before one claims that he has this trait,” said Villar.
Villar said if one would look at Mrs. Arroyo’s history, “she was a professor and then a legislator. She had never managed or led an institution before becoming president.”
He gave the President a rating of “4” in terms of performance and honesty, on a scale of 10 as the highest. He said the country has been hampered with many problems during Arroyo’s term.
“I also disagree that she was able to manage the country successfully,” further stated Villar as he cited the importance of leadership and competence, management and experience for one to run the affairs of a country.
“The presidency is not a place for “on-the-job training,” and it has no probationary period, Villar said. There is no time to study as the people want immediate answers to all the problems confronting the country like the huge deficit, power crisis, insurgency, and the Mindanao problem, among others,” he added.
A confident Villar noted that among all the presidentiables, he possesses all these qualifications.
“Having been the Speaker of the House, Senate President and having had a successful stint in the private sector, I think I have the competence, leadership and management experience to become a good president,” related Villar.
“These are my questions to all candidates: if you have not led anything, what makes you think you can lead our country? If you have not managed anything, what makes you think you can manage the Philippine economy, a very complicated economy? If you have no experience, how do you think you will be addressing all these problems,” Villar further said.
