Manny Pacquiao during a media interview. Photo: BoxingScene.com ome on, kabayans! What are you thinking? The mere fact that some Filipinos are even considering that a possibility is alarming. Manny Pacquiao is, without doubt, a great boxer; world-renowned and at 41, he can give fighters half his age a run for their money. But he should not become president of the Philippines. I know that Pinoys are devout Catholics and see suffering as a way to atone for their sins, but putting the country through six years of a Pacquiao presidency is sheer masochistic lunacy. Hasn't the country suffered enough? We have already had a long line of incompetent presidents—each one, it seems, worse than his or her predecessor—we don't need to make Pacquiao the cherry on top. Since the EDSA People Power revolution in 1986, only two presidents, yes two, were worthy of the office: Fidel Ramos and Benigno Aquino III, with Aquino, barely making the grade (pasang awa in Pilipino). Cory Aquino, Erap Estrada, Gloria Arroyo, and Rodrigo Duterte never made the grade, in my opinion, so their years in office were wasted years. Sadly, those wasted years will add up to 28 by 2022. The Philippines could have been on par, or maybe even ahead of South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore had we elected more deserving presidents. Instead of correcting our mistakes, we appear ready to add another six years of failed leadership by sending Pacquiao to Malacanang. What Pinoy's need to do Given our appalling track record for selecting competent leaders, Pinoys should use the following mental exercise before they head to the polls in 2022. This exercise may seem elementary, but humor me and imagine you need to undergo open-heart surgery. Who would you choose for your operation? Of course, you would select the most experienced, most highly recommended heart surgeon you can afford. The same goes for the presidency. Filipinos have already squandered almost three precious decades by electing incompetent leaders. During those wasted decades, the Philippines went from being head of the pack in Southeast Asia, to the laggard it is today. We now have a lot of catching up to do. We Filipinos are talented and resourceful people, and we can achieve so much more. Lastly, don't get me wrong; I admire Manny Pacquiao. He is a great boxer—maybe the greatest in modern times—but I believe that there are better ways he can help his country. Published 6/13/2020