Position Paper

Who is the best president candidate of the Philippines in 2022?

Intro/Issue and Claim – When choosing the best candidate, It is best to evaluate
their background, mindset, and leadership skills, as well as what is right for the
country. While selecting the ideal candidate, you should ask questions about each
candidate to see whether they can handle the role especially if they are good with
the economy and will never fail to build credible military defenses even if the
country is not at the sake of war. The Philippines is a third-world country, and the
president should be someone who can improve the economy, not someone who is
popular among the public. People's opinions are valuable in most cases, but not
everyone is invested in politics, nor do they think critically, so relying on other
people's decisions when voting is unwise. Listen to the candidates' interviews to
get a sense of their mindsets and determine whether the decisions they make are
good for the country or not. A vote matters and should not be taken lightly, hence
a simple reason should not be enough to persuade people to vote for a particular
candidate. They claim that regardless of who we elect as president, our system will
remain broken, and not to mention corruption would persist which is true, Bong
Bong Marcos himself admitted to it, claiming that it is a human condition that
cannot be eradicated. So, choose who you want to be in charge of civilian control of
the military, police agencies, government, and department agencies, not those who
say that they will eradicate corruption. I choose Bong Bong Marco, Because when
asking myself about certain questions like the problems with freedom of choice,
Bong Bong Marcos has both academic and moral excellence, and he has the best
potential to change our flawed system. When he was a senator, he had limited
authority because not only can this position update laws and regulations, but it also
requires approval before the laws can be applied, but he accomplished a lot more
than other politicians in higher positions, such as Leni Robredo, who has more
potential and a higher position to do more, yet does things that can be done by the
senators such as fighting drugs when it was under her authority but was
terminated after 18 days.

Body-Reason 1 and Support – He’s mindset is the best out of all the interviews I've
seen thus far, although everyone’s mindset is good, but I like his mindset more.
Marcos' mindset is different; he comes up with creative solutions and has a good
vision for the country, and most importantly, I agree with his mindset on issues like
abortion, which he allows in our country. He agreed that rape victims and pregnant
women who have a slim chance of survival if they give birth to a child have a choice
to abort the child. And why is that a good decision? From a logical standpoint, rape
victims are not responsible for the consequences they face and should not change
the fact that they have the freedom to choose regardless of whether the church
approves or disapproves of the outcome, It should be the victim's choice since
they are the ones who are undergoing the trauma. The church or the faith of the
person should not decide. Everyone has the right to speak out, but not the
authority to make decisions. The other candidate's responses are good, but I
disagree with them since one stated that her faith forbids it, another stated that
it is not the child's fault, and yet another stated that it is life. I disagree with
their responses because we cannot ensure that a random citizen of the country will
take responsibility for an unwanted child, Unwanted children are most likely to
experience trauma or end up in a toxic household if they lack emotional support
from the mother who do not want to bare them in the first place or just like
Marcos said they may abort if they are not capable emotionally or mentality
because those cases are justified and not some poor excuses. We have the
freedom to pursue it, whether it is against the church or not. Nonetheless, a
leader should not decide based on their opinions alone, but rather listen and
examine the data and analyze whether it is right. People have no right to deny
someone of their own choice. By this mindset he understands and is inclined to hear
to other issues and permits it, not because he thinks it's wrong or a small reason to
not allow abortion, but because choices matter, not the decisions of people who
haven't been raped or have other justifiable reasons.

Body-Reason 2 and Support - He has a long list of accomplishments, indicating that

he has significant political experience. During his time as a senator, he provided 54
bills enacted to law and 372 bills and resolutions not to mention that he gave 27
years of life to public services from 1981 to 2016, he granted better retirement
funds for the barangay officials from 50,000 pesos to 100,000. In 2013, he signed
the National Seeds Production and Anti-Rice Wastage Act, and increased
teachers' salaries and made it essential for all public schools to have libraries. He
also signed the following acts to strengthen the country's education system.
During the pandemic, he provided critical foods and healthcare products to the
frontliners, and he even travelled to Bayou City to assist the frontlines. He also
created a program for farmers and hired Filipinos in call centers to boost
employment in the BPO industry. The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2011 was one
of his major legislations, and it was used to track child pornography and other
infractions such as identity theft and other online violations. Without it, there
would be more threats and the media would become more unsafe, and more children
would be at risk from online predators. He has a lot of achievements that I have
failed to mention but those achievements prove his competence, and this will give
him the opportunity to apply his skills and moral acts into his presidency.

Body-Reason 3 and Support - Other senators insulted him and labeled him wrong,
while other candidates and politicians accused him of being a thief, demanding
money from him when he claimed he couldn't offer what he didn't have. He is
viewed as a dishonest person and a liar by most, yet he says nothing negative about
the other candidates and simply answers directly without expressing strong
emotions. He was even asked by Boy Abunda in one of his presidential interviews
why not vote for these candidates, but he said that he does not engage in negative
campaigning, which I applaud to him for his professional act despite being attacked
verbally by Leni Rodredo, about whom he says nothing about.

Body-Reason 4 and Support - He filed bills to promote economic growth, so if you

want a good quality of life of public transportation or funding local schools. Bong
Marcos has provided solutions to this problem because his top priority is economic
growth, which will create a big impact on our country. His plans include enhancing
business and fostering a development environment for it, as well as a change in law
that allows senior citizens to choose to retire, which will lead to lower financial
struggles for Filipinos and will benefit poor children who live with their elders. Not
to mention that elderly citizens' health insurance and retirement benefits would
be expanded.

(5 Opposing views) Many have claimed that Bong Bong Marcos has "unclean" family
records, such as graft and corruption, and that he is a "thief" which makes him a
terrible leader. First and foremost, I want to clarify that he is not a thief. There
is a lot of mixed data and unverified sources in the media, which is excusable since
it occurs to most presidents, even in the case of Rodrigo Duterte. This is used to
find ways for people to not consider voting for Bong Bong Marcos or due to Marcos
Martial Law, but his case is different because documents are questionable, and
many claim that there is no accurate information about the history of his family,
therefore I cite sources pertaining my families insights who used to work under
Ferdinand Marcos and do some researching from the information I received to
further my understanding. And due to his tax, most people believe that he is
dishonest, and even if he is elected as president, he will still be required to pay the
estate tax. There is already a Supreme Court judgement on the Marcos family's
estate tax, which he cannot stop even with his position if he becomes president
until a law is passed stating that he should not pay any more, which will not happen
because it requires senators and congressmen's consent, which many would reject.
First, let me tell you about the Presidential Commission on Good Government, or in
short, the "PCGG," which was charged with recovering ill-gotten cash obtained by
Marcos' father, and which law was carried out by former President Cory Aquino,
who took over Marcos' seat. The estate tax of 23 billion dollars has not been paid
for 40 years, and as a result of charges and interest to 12% every year if the tax
has not been paid, has now expanded to 208 billion dollars. The Marcos family's
unexplained fortune consists of different overseas property assets bought while
they were in office, for which they believe the money was stolen, however the
Marcos family's wealth comes from within the family alone, therefore they were
already wealthy before Marcos became a politician. During his father's 20 years as
president, Imelda Marcos his wife assembled a massive collection of art, jewelry
and the most famous of all, 1,000 pairs of shoes, as well as other expensive
properties including their mansions. The total Philippine budget and loans were only
$52 billion at that time, while Imelda herself proclaimed owning assets worth
$240 billion, so how can they have stolen it when they are richer than the total
loans of the Philippines? The tax keeps rising is because of the annual interest rate
of 12% which means if they don’t pay the tax just increases. The Philippine
Supreme Court decided with final judgement that the money was considered public
funds; however, what the court decides becomes the truth but not the actual
truth. According to UNTV public service news, the PCGG failed to provide evidence
regarding Marcos' ill-gotten wealth, so they should not be held accountable if
there is no proof. According to PCGG records, the total sum collected from 1986 to
2015 was $170 billion, it is now 2021 and the PCGG is still running after the Marcos
billions. So, what's stopping the government from reclaiming Marcos' assessment?
Property has already been stolen by the PCGG, but the government is demanding
tax; where should that tax be paid? Reputable lawyers have already explained it.
You can't tax someone's property if you don't own it. The so-called hidden fortune
was taken over by PCGG. Meanwhile, they are now attempting to collect an alleged
unpaid estate tax from the Marcoses. For the past 36 years, the PCGG has been
attempting to reclaim the Marcoses' alleged "ill-gotten fortune." The legal system
in the Philippines is also excruciatingly slow that many of the legal proceedings
brought against the Marcoses and their associates have been stuck for years,
implying that the PCGG is no longer effective or that there is no "ill-gotten wealth"
to be recovered. The Cory Aquino government spent P1.3 trillion for only 6 years
with no growth in the country, compared to the time of his father when billions
were invested for 20 years but made a large impact on the country with so much
development. PCGG should now turn its attention to the Cory Administration in
order to learn where the P1.3 trillion was spent, the law should be changed. When
the Marcos family fled to Hawaii after the EDSA Revolution, Corazon Aquino
issued Executive Order 1 on February 28, 1986, establishing the Presidential
Commission on Good Government (PCGG). She had the power to change the country
after so many attempts of ruining the Marcos, but she failed to do so and by using
the PCGG to take Marcos' properties and got away with it.

Conclusion – To summarize, many have claimed that Marcos' family cannot be

innocent simply because they are not in prison, which may be true, but the court
has been ruling on this case for decades and has yet to find any proof, so
assumptions and people's opinions still matter. It is all about being aware and
cautious. I still cannot say that I will vote for the person I want for a number of
reasons; the best thing to do is to think about it and vote for the person who the
country needs and listen to logical reasons, rather than sticking to one person and
standing out, because a president holds a powerful position that will affect our
entire government. Voting should not mean standing up for one person and
defending them and thinking that that this candidate is the best, It should
be taking into account if there are any cases or concerns that may arise with this
individual; standing out to one is being careless and voting carelessly. I may think
that Bong Bong Marcos is the best candidate, but that could change, and I will not
support him or defend him if I am proven wrong simply because I can vote and have
rights, so doing this is risky. Voting should be taken seriously, and people should be
open-minded about all of the candidates and not focusing on one. The government is
flawed because votes are not taken seriously its always conflicts between two
candidates and sometimes people vote for small reasons which should not be the
case.