The usual scenario goes like this:  A man introduces himself as someone who would fall on his knees just to steal your heart. He buys your favorite flowers and chocolates. He brings you to fancy restaurants. He calls you 24/7. He drives you home. He patiently waits. He gives you preferential attention until he sweeps your heart away.

Slowly, you start comparing him to all those men who are trying to win you.  You weigh things. You start to ask questions that only you can answer. Is he more attractive? Is he more stable? Is he sweet? Is he responsible? The list goes on.

The man who gets the highest score wins your heart, and takes it all: love, trust, confidence, loyalty and care. You believe in his promises. But in a twist, your expectations are doomed. You call his attention. You give him chances. But nothing changes. You get tired. Then you break up with him (for good, or for now).

Isn’t it true that (traditional) political leaders can be compared to (traditional) lovers?

The latter advertise themselves as wholesome agents of positive change. Some would make it appear that their conscience is at par with the effect of taking glutathione capsule or as clean as any piece of cloth after soaking in diluted detergent powder. Some would promise to alleviate poverty by distributing rights over raw houses. Some would paint the city clean and pink to show that everything would be in order once he is elected to public office.

In other words, they promise heaven, but they give us worse. Power would always spell trouble as greed comes in the way. Money becomes their mistress, and they would always long for more until public interest is completely neglected.

We end up hating them. But what can we do? No matter how loud our voices could be, they are deaf. They embrace their post like leeches. They suck the country’s resources. They become rich. The country remains poor, and becomes poorer, administration after administration.

Just like women who are deceived by love, we keep on believing. We are blinded by what we see. We fail to visualize what is really essential for good governance. Our primordial considerations are the “seen”.

Too bad, we can’t break up with politicians. We have to bear the consequences of electing them to public office. We have to wait until their term is over, only to elect them again for another agonizing term. Like some women who choose to live in agony, we repeatedly open our doors to broken promises.

Truly, ideals do not exist. There is no ideal lover. There is no ideal political leader. Who would not want to be with an attractive and educated man?  Who would not want a political leader who has the skills and intelligence to lead the nation?

They say that we should be wise in making a choice, be it in choosing a lifetime partner or a political leader. But if we’ll think about it, the problem lies not in how we make a choice, for we would never know someone’s behavior until he is chosen. The problem really is not us, it is them.

Comparatively, a good man and a good political leader should have a heart to be faithful, and a conscience to be upright. Any woman has to consider someone who has the pure intention to stand by her for the rest of their lives. The country needs leaders who run for public office, not for the fulfillment of their ambitions, but for the betterment of the nation.

They say that every woman is meant to be with her one great love. But for us, Filipinos, it seems that the search for one great leader will never be over.