Clarisse Tingchuy

AB-Political Science

Question: If you will become the next president of the Philippines, for you to be able to
eradicate poverty, preserve human rights and promote the general welfare, which among
the 4 isms will you utilize?

POSITION PAPER

If I will be the next President of the Philippines, I would likely deal with the key
issues on eradicating poverty, preserving human rights, and promoting the general
welfare in a realistic perspective. First, what our country would need is an assessment of
the situation. As a future President, I will need a thorough assessment of our country’s
growth with all the facts, stats, and demographics in our economy, education, the growth
rate etc. From these assessments, I can come up with strategies that would be tested.
After these assessments, a thorough background analysis of existing and coming
problems would be needed so that I can see what we lack and determine the needs of
my countrymen because for me, I cannot just make a prediction or ideally imagine what
a perfect solution to solve these problems on poverty, human rights issue, and the
national welfare because there is no constant nor perfect solution to solve all of these.
My plan in the reduction of poverty is that I would hire first an economist who will
serve as my advisor so that I’ll be able to get a better hand on what strategies and
economic plans are effective to implement. Second, I would seek to suspend the TRAIN
law as a way to reduce inflation or the soaring price in the market. A further analysis will
also be needed to stabilize the Philippine Peso. Third would be a reformatting of our
system by removing the corrupt officials who put the people’s money in their pockets.
Creating jobs for poor families would be one of my priorities too by investing in job-
creation strategies such as rebuilding infrastructure, factories, renovation of abandoned
housings and turning them into industries with the focus on handing and giving the jobs
to those who are poor. Well, they will undergo some seminars and training to know how
they will do and handle the jobs. Through this investment, those who belong in poor
families will now have the opportunity and capacity to earn a living and in turn, the
government will earn taxes. Pursuing an increase of job creation would also help on
lessening the number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW’s) and they can just work here
in the Philippines while not being away with their families and will also help in increasing
the employment rate here in the Philippines. I would strengthen my ties with other
countries and also seek their help and advice. I will negotiate with other countries and
encourage large employers to invest in our country. I will task the LGU’s towards the goal
of creating ordinances for large employers to invest in low-income communities. I would
also implement the raising of the minimum wage that will slowly help in reducing poverty.
Lastly, I would invest in a high-quality and affordable education for every student. I
believed that Education is the key to solving poverty. A rebuilding of schools and
classrooms would be of great help and I will also coordinate and seek help with various
agencies, non-government organizations (NGO’s) and institutions like the United Nations
International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in helping our country provide
accessible and free education to everyone. Now, with all of these strategies and plan,
where will all the budgets came from considering that we are also in huge debt? Well, we
could borrow or loan money from institutions like the World Bank to fund our projects.
Slowly and slowly, once all the projects and these plan are at work and operating, and we
are gaining and our country is recuperating, we could pay our debts little by little.
In the case of protection of human rights, I would revoke the withdrawal of the
Philippines to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Second, I would halt the drafting and
the on-going talks with the federal constitution which seeks to remove the bill of rights
provision. Third, I would stop the lowering of age criminal liability for the children. Yes, it
is a fact that there a lot of children committing crimes but let’s look on a wider perspective.
In an in-depth analysis, the root of this problem is always the poverty and they are just
victims of hunger and poverty which causes them to steal, do drugs and commit other
heinous crimes. Although they have committed such acts, the juvenile system for minors
enables them to be kept in a Bahay Pag-Asa. Detaining them there is the solution, but we
can improvise it by giving them jobs to do at the Bahay Pag-Asa where they are detained
or rehabilitated. The government will give them jobs to do like doing handicrafts and such
and they would sell it and provide them with a technical-vocational education and training.
In turn, they will earn money too. I would also push stricter laws for human rights. In the
Extra-Judicial killings, I would use my power and authority to punish those policemen who
used usurpation of power and authority to innocent civilians. EJK’s are never a solution
to conquer drug problems in our country. What we need is a therapeutic solution by
providing rehabilitation and facilities for users, pushers, and dealers. These problems can
be resolve by ordering the government to give them jobs, and by improving the
educational system, we can help reduce these problems.
In the promotion of general welfare, I would focus on strengthening the existing
programs along with all the strategic plans I have mentioned above. I would also like to
invest in technological advancement together with the aid of other countries. I already
mentioned the removal of corrupt politicians. Addressing political corruption will improve
the trust of the people to its government. Proper education will be employed for whom the
best candidates are to be elected. Also, I would use my power to remove the ever longing
political dynasty here in the Philippines so that corruption would not happen within the
families as Politics should not be a business, but rather a career to serve and lead the
people. In the promotion of general welfare, I will adopt laws that are suited to promote
the welfare of the people and that would suffice their needs.
 Reduction of Poverty, addressing human rights, and promoting the general welfare
should be handled as what they are and not what they should be. We have to see, assess,
evaluate, and analyze these problems realistically to come up with a realistic solution.
Ideas are only in the mind. If you put action to these ideas, then we become realist to deal
with things as they are.