Of course, in a parliamentary form of government, the leader of the nation - the Prime Minister - can be booted out because of politics. But, at least, when the PM has already become more of a burden on the people, rather than the leader that the nation needs, the PM can be very easily changed. In fact, there is no need to call for snap elections. When the parties within parliament are unable to agree on a government that will rule the nation, a general election is scheduled.

In most parliamentary systems, there is no rigid schedule for when elections will take place. Thus, those who aspire for positions in the government cannot plan ahead of time; thus, prospective candidates cannot endorse products as a guise for putting their faces on billboards that will help them become more popular in preparation for the general election.

Also, another advantage is that no one runs for national office and elections become more localized and thus more easily understood and meaningful to the voter. Voter protest on the conduct of a local election can affect the results more easily than voter protest in a national election.

As we approach 2010 when a presidential election ought to take place, we all realize that we have very limited choices. Who among our leaders and just plain politicians have the clout and the drawing power and the excess funds to throw at an election with the hope of winning? Our choices are so limited and the small crop of persons who have both the popularity and the wherewithal are really not as competent as many purely local leaders (who cannot possibly win a national contest) to lead this country.

Thus, if we do have an election in 2010 - some pundits are betting against it - we will probably end up choosing someone who would not be as good as someone who can win an election in a district and is chosen by his peers as the national leader because he can perform well as the PM.

Certainly, the choice of a parliament will be superior to the choice of all of us voting together. When we elect our leaders in a national election, the eventual choice is almost always a disappointment because the choice is based on the lowest common denominator such as the candidate's looks or his singing prowess or his ability to entertain the crowd.

Certainly, the capability to lead the nation, which sometimes means having to do things that may not be popular or which go against the interests of large groups of persons such as squatters and church leaders would not convince an unthinking voter to choose such a candidate.

Choosing a leader ought to be done on the basis of what the country needs rather than the good looks, voice quality or entertainment value of the candidates.

***

"No doubt about Mr. Neri's qualifications to head the SSS. The question is where does his loyalty really belong, to Gloria Arroyo or the members of the SSS? If Arroyo tells Neri to give her some SSS money for her so-called 'projects,' do you think Neri can say no?

"Filipinos know very well that Neri is willing to ignore public ridicule and sacrifice his integrity just to be loyal to Arroyo. What a waste!" - Tony Reyes, La Brea, California

***

"Again, you miss the point, Neri may have the most impressive qualifications. But his refusal to tell all he knew about a huge corruption scandal - not because he refused to cooperate with the opposition to bring down a corrupt and incompetent government - but because he had much more to lose if he did, proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that he has all the integrity and moral sense of a flea.

"You say he is honest because he refused a P200 million bribe. What possible reason, morally justified, that is, can you offer for him to thwart the people's right to know all the sordid details of a crime that directly affects the Filipino taxpayer? He may not be a thief, but he is much worse: a shameless toady who will do whatever his boss wants him to do, no matter the enormity of the crime, no matter the cost to the Filipino people. I may not be a lawyer, but I do understand that somebody who has knowledge of a crime but refuses to testify about it is liable for criminal prosecution, just as much as if he were an accomplice.

"How can you trust a man like that with the people's hard-earned money?" - Alex Menez

***

"Sangayon po ako sa analysis ninyo sa appointment ni G. Neri sa SSS. At lalong tama ang sinabi ni G. Apostol sa mga naglalait kay G. Neri. Maraming problema ang bansa natin ngayon. Ano na ba ang nagawa nang mga oposisyonistang ito bilang tulong sa paglutas ng mga problema ng ating bayan? Malalaki lang ang mga bibig nila kaya ang ibang parte ng katawan nila ay napakaliliit, lalo na iyong parting itaas ng ulo nila. Ang mga leftist kagaya ni Casino, sila-sila nagaaway, iniinsulto ang kapareho nilang leftist. Ano ang mapapala ng ating bayan sa mga politikong ganito?

"Sana magbago na nga bayan at sa susunod, hindi na nila iboboto ang mga politikong kagaya nilang dada lang ng dada at walang nagagawa para sa kapakanan ng ating bayan." - Dan Pena

***

The issue is not Neri's qualification. The issue is his credibility. - Noel Pongco

***

One out of four is not bad for such an unpopular column as I wrote on Mulong Neri. At least, one out of four understood the column. Too bad that Dan Pena had to write in Tagalog which would lead the Ingliseros to dismiss him as not having understood the column thoroughly.

***

On Thursday, July 24, 2008, the Rotary Club of Pasig which usually meets at the Valle Verde Country Club will be meeting instead at FAB Restaurant (Private Room) - 4th Floor Holiday Inn Manila Galleria, One Asian Development Bank Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

San Miguel Corporation will hold its annual stockholders' meeting at Valle Verde on that day. There is no room for us and no parking.

Our guest speaker will be Jonathan Ravelas.