Will the genuine Filipino leader please stand up?

Oh no, not the nominal one like the many samples the people see all around them. Not the one with grand words and zero action. Not the one with grand action and zero effect, either. Nor the one who merely goes into the motion of doing but end up wasting everyone’s time, including his/her own. Certainly not the one who looks perfect in the media but is rotten up close and personal.

We expect a leader we can follow. We long to see: a leader with a clear, positive, unselfish vision for a prosperous, peaceful, corruption-free Philippines and a sound plan for transforming that vision into reality; one who can lead the nation into exorcising the evil of disunity sowed into the souls of every Filipino man, woman and child after centuries of tyrannical Spanish rule that employed divide and conquer tactics; one whose decisions are always free from selfish interest; one who has a big heart and yet not hesitant to wield the disciplinary whip if necessary.

Do we see someone standing up?

Is it the one we expect?

If you who are now standing up are but the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing, please go back to your seat, or else leave immediately.

If, by some unfortunate circumstance (to the people), you’re still in power, this is our prayer: Lead us not into perdition, but deliver us from yourself. Amen.