RSA for president

VIRTUAL REALITY

- TONY LOPEZ

A number of my columnist colleagues, notably Boo Chanco and Iris Gonzales of this paper, have suggested San Miguel Corp. CEO Ramon S. Ang (RSA) should run for president in 2028, for two reasons:

One, the so-called presidentiables for 2028 are not exactly the best presidential material. They have some character defect (like hubris or arrogance or incompetence), or ethical issues (like unexplained wealth, links to corruption or criminality, or being a tradpol).

Two, they miss other metrics like adequate education, training, experience and genuine compassion for the poor.

Half of Filipinos claim to be poor, although the World Bank says we are middle class with an unbelievable income per capita of $12,000 in PPP dollars (what the dollar can buy in local goods).

The previous 2028 frontrunner, Vice President Sara Duterte, inherits a damaged, if not a dead, political brand, after the arrest of former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte (PRRD) for crime against humanity, after Congress exposed the VP's own wasteful spending of tax money and corruption, and after magnificently displaying on live TV her own unhinged streak and hubris. Sara has lost half of her popularity and trust ratings. A Tangere survey of Feb. 10 to 12, 2025 showed 73 percent of Filipinos believe Sara should face a Senate impeachment.

In the first 30 years of the 1935 Philippine Constitution, from 1935 to 1965, eight of the nine elected presidents were Bar topnotchers. The eight Bar topnotcher presidents stabilized the post-war economy and managed our longest peacetime economic expansion. They were good.