PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE — FORMER President Joseph Estrada or Bro. Mike Velarde can be the “transition president” which the country needs to bring about reforms that hopefully will change the political landscape, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said.
“I can see that beyond the traditional politicians, we have leaders who are presenting themselves as reform candidate or are being pushed to be so in 2010. Perhaps, Brother Mike Velarde can be this transition president. Even Mr. Estrada, if he really wants to seek again the presidency, can consider becoming this transition president,” Gonzales said.
He cited Velarde and Estrada because “these two have said they are willing, if elected, to serve only half of the term for the president during which they intend to spearhead the country’s needed reforms.”
“Because of our dysfunctional politics, which is also the mother of corruption in government, many of our people are going hungry, our children are poorly educated, the poor do not have health and social securities, and the desperate are driven to crime or rebellion,” Gonzales said.
He noted that an “overhaul,” specifically political reforms, is needed to address these problems.
“At the heart of the reforms that we need for our national repair is change of government system, which requires Charter change,” he said.
“We need Charter change, but we will never get to doing it until we have a transition president who is willing to carry it out and call for a new election under a new political system afterwards,” Gonzales explained.
He said the transition period may take two to three years.
If the transition president is still interested to lead after the transition period, he or she can seek a new mandate under the new political system, he added.
“Who among our present leaders who want to be president is willing to be this transition president?” he asked.
The national security chief noted that politicians are in an electoral mode but are heading to a routine 2010 elections that will bring only change of leaders and nothing else.
“The way I see things, we will have more of the same in 2010. We will not have the societal change that we need to finally put an end to our recurring political crisis and to move our people on the path to a new Philippines,” Gonzales said.