Thread by @sejoalzir

LET'S SAY I AM PACQUIAO'S POLITICAL CONSULTANT: A THREAD

The tandem:

President: Manny Pacquiao
Vice President: Fernando Zobel de Ayala

Pacquiao has to tell the people that Ayala has to win so he will be his executive secretary, which is a cabinet rank, his little president.

In his political campaign narrative, the country has to be likened to a company, which has a chief executive officer and chief financial officer. The president (CEO) will guard and coordinate his people. The vice president (CFO) will make sure the country develops and prospers.

Pacquiao has been organizing a team and coordinating his people for his professional fight. That's his experience. Ayala's background is in business management. Governance is organizational leadership and financial management. It doesn't have to be Ayala, but he should be pushed.

Another narrative Pacquiao has to honestly tell the people is this: "The only way to defeat the Dutertes and save our country is for me to run and empower professionals, intellectuals, experts, scholars, and academics to join me in fixing the country the Dutertes have ruined."

The political image he can show to the people is that he is a man with no utak but puso and kamaos. His kamaos will protect the professionals, intellectuals, experts, scholars, and academics who will help him run the country and uplift the masses, the beneficiaries of his puso.

To operationalize that political image, Pacquiao's senatorial slate should ignore traditional politicians, political dynasts, and scheming leeches. He should pick professionals, intellectuals, experts, scholars, and academics. A military scholar should be one of the candidates.

He has to offer the people a new party, a new set of people willing to serve, and a new vision. He should also have local candidates who are professionals, intellectuals, experts, scholars, and academics. The motto should be: "Mga magbabagong Pilipino para sa bagong Pilipinas."

He should organize all sectors, and even the partylist candidates should be professionals, intellectuals, experts, scholars, and academics. A retired UP Los Banos Agri professor, for example, should run under the partylist group for farmers. Legislation requires pens not araros.

Pacquiao has to show the people his future cabinet secretaries that are not his friends, sponsors, classmates, donors, supporters, and funders. The people need to see the preview of his future government and governance. That will assure them that he is ready to lead and govern.

He has to share his leadership style by telling the people that every issue, problem, policy, or program will be tackled by a committee of professionals, intellectuals, experts, scholars, and academics before he decides. That's the evidence-based decision necessary in governance.

His insulting critics will diminish him by saying "You will be elected as president so you will handle everything not rely on paid consultants." That's dumb. Western governments run smoothly because of professionals, intellectuals, experts, scholars, and academics as consultants.

One-man show as a paradigm for governance is the main recipe for a chaotic government. Are Duterte's failures not enough? Even Lee Kuan Yew had Albert Winsemius, a Dutch economist, as his economic adviser for two decades. Obama had advisers from the academe. Biden has them too.

The questions: Can Pacquiao openly let others think for him? Can he get away from his party full of political vultures? Can he be the source of political power in order for professionals, intellectuals, experts, scholars, and academics to run the government and fix the country?