Echoes From
BY JOHNNY DAYANG

Raising the bar of political debate

The political campaign season is now and once again we are now witnessing again the usual gutter mudslinging and pedestrian talk among leading politicians that hardly contribute to intelligent public discourse.

Indeed there is a need to veer away from political mudslinging like what many of our Senators are engaged in currently in the Senate. There is an urgent need to raise and the bar of Philippine political debate and educate Filipinos on core issues confronting them and how to choose the more deserving among those seeking public offices.

This desired state of affairs involves three principal tasks: 1) definition of the crucial issues demanding resolution by the political leadership; 2) decision by the leading presidential contenders on how they stand relative to these issues; and 3) formulation by the pretenders to high offices of their address and resolve the same issues to advance the country’s national interest and the Filipinos’ welfare.

Media leaders and practitioners clearly have a big say in how this desired direction can be set. Instead of falling for the unthinking gimmickry by politicians designed to gain political mileage regardless of how puerile they may be, journalists, particularly the influential leaders and opinion makers among them can help set the tone and direction of public political debate.

They can ignore the mundane and pedestrian concerns of politicians and steer discussions to focus on the more profound and crucial issues demanding resolution among the pretenders to high public office, particularly candidates for President.

Sound and intelligent public debate among leading political leaders is necessary to

properly guide the electorate in choosing whom to vote for President, Vice President, Senators and other aspirants to public offices.

In choosing whom to elect, voters must be informed on the candidates’ record of performance in public office, their achievements in private life, their position on pressing issues, and their general political demeanor.

Opinion articulators among media practitioners should also help establish optimum level of standards against which voters can gauge and measure the merits and fitness of candidates to the offices they aspire for.

This is necessary because while certain political aspirant may be good potential for executive offices, they may totally unfit for legislative positions.