Atabay: HOW MEDIOCRE LEADERSHIP CREATES MORE PROBLEMS THAN IT SOLVES

Can you figure out a solid word that can tie together the gist of the following recent two headlines and one editorial?

“Marcos appoints suspended lawyer Gadon as adviser for poverty alleviation” (Philstar headline, June 26, 2023)

“SC suspends Gadon for verbal assault against journalist” (CNN Philippines headline, Jan 4, 2022)

“Why hire board flunkers?” (Inquirer editorial, June 27, 2023)

That word is MEDIOCRITY. It means the quality or state of being mediocre, or of moderate or low quality. It also implies a lack of excellence, competence, or integrity.

BACKGROUNDER

The first headline reported that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) has appointed Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon as presidential adviser on poverty alleviation. The Presidential Communications Office said that PBBM’s appointment of Gadon “reflects the government’s commitment to address one of the most pressing challenges faced by our nation. He will play a pivotal role in advising the President on strategies and policies aimed at combating poverty and improving the lives of the most vulnerable sectors of society.”

Who is Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon? The second headline answered that question. The Supreme Court (SC) ordered last year Gadon’s preventive suspension over his “abhorrent behavior” in a viral video, where he launched an expletive-laced rant against journalist Raissa Robles.

The tirade against Robles is only the latest of a series of inappropriate conduct displayed by Gadon. In 2019, the Supreme Court also slapped him with a three-month suspension for the “malicious and arrogant” language he used toward a doctor.

“Gadon was already warned that a repetition of the same or similar act shall be dealt with more severely. But despite such warning, Gadon has continued to display similarly abhorrent behavior, with the viral video against Robles,” the SC said.

“Disbarment cases have also been filed against the lawyer over a number of instances, including his statement in 2016 that he was willing to kill Muslim insurgents. There has also been a move to expel him from the profession after he verbally attacked supporters of former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno,” CNN Philippines reported.

“In December last year, he faced another disbarment case over his claim that former President Benigno Aquino III died of human immunodeficiency virus or HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. It was disclosed by Aquino’s family that his cause of death was renal disease, secondary to diabetes,” CNN Philippines rounded out.

[Breaking News: "SC disbars Larry Gadon for profane remarks" - Inquirer headline, June 28, 2023]

The editorial jumped on one of the first ideas of newly appointed Health Secretary Herbosa as truly alarming -- to hire nursing graduates who flunked the board exams to stem the shortage of nurses in government hospitals.

Herbosa’s wild idea was shot down by the Professional Regulation Commission and the Filipino Nurses United which represents nurses in both public and private sectors. The editorial spelled out that not only will it affect the board exam’s integrity, but also raise legal, ethical, safety, and administrative problems.

“If Herbosa truly wants to solve the nursing crisis” the editorial propounded that he should instead “press the Marcos administration to muster the political will to raise the salaries of nurses and health professionals.”

These headlines and editorial show how mediocrity pervades PBBM’s administration and its appointees. They show how such a mediocrity creates more problems than it solves for the country and the Filipino people.

LEADERSHIP AND THE POOR

What makes a good leader? This is a question that has been asked and answered by many scholars, thinkers, and practitioners throughout history. There is no definitive answer, but there are some common qualities that most people would agree are essential for effective and inspiring leadership. Some of these qualities are charisma, intelligence, vision, courage, accountability, ethics, and competence. But perhaps the most important quality of all is caring. Caring about the impact of one’s decisions and actions on others, especially on those who are most vulnerable and marginalized – the poor.

The poor are the people who suffer the most from the consequences of mediocre leadership. They are the people who have the least resources and opportunities to cope with the challenges and risks that they face every day. They are the people who have the most to gain from good leadership that can provide them with basic services, social protection, and economic opportunities. They are the people who deserve better leaders who can address their needs and aspirations.

Unfortunately, this quality is sorely lacking in PBBM. One recent glaring example of PBBM’s weak decision and action is his appointment of Gadon as his presidential adviser on poverty alleviation. One can’t help thinking of Gadon’s appointment as PBBM’s indifference to if not a put down on, the poor.

Poverty in the Philippines is a persistent and complex challenge that affects millions of Filipinos. Asian Development Bank reported that 18.1% (roughly 19.99 million) of Filipinos lived below the national poverty line in 2021. For every 1,000 babies born, 26 died before their 5^th birthday. These dreary figures remind me of a somber story narrated by Inquirer Cielito F. Habito in his column “Feeding hungry kids.”

“[A]n unusually tall boy in kindergarten class… was 9 years old… his parents were so poor that they could only send one child to school in any given year, so their several children had to take turns. This boy had waited a few years that it would be years later that he could move on to first grade!”

This story illustrates how poverty deprives Filipino children of their basic rights and opportunities, such as education, health, nutrition, and protection. It also shows how poverty traps Filipino families in a vicious cycle of intergenerational poverty and inequality.

WHO YOU ARE IS WHO YOU ATTRACT

The recent glaring PBBM’s telltale leadership weakness gleaned from John C. Maxwell’s Law of Magnetism: “Who you are is who you attract” -- was showcased by his newly appointed Health Secretary Herbosa and his truly alarming wild idea -- hiring nursing graduates who flunked the board exams to stem the shortage of nurses in government hospitals.

Such a truly alarming and wild idea will demoralize and disrespect the nurses who have passed the board exams and have been working hard to save lives. It will increase the risk of medical errors and malpractice lawsuits that could harm patients and healthcare providers. It will undermine the country’s image and reputation as a competent, responsible, and ethical nation. It will fly in the face of the government’s new slogan: “We Give the World our Best.”

This idea also reflects Herbosa’s lack of competence and integrity as a health secretary. How can he propose such a reckless and irresponsible scheme that would compromise the standards and regulations of nursing practice? How can he ignore the root causes and solutions of the nursing crisis, such as low salaries, poor working conditions, and migration?

Lately, I attended my daughter’s graduation when “honors” are carrying a lot of weight not only for proud parents but also for the new graduates’ crucial curriculum vitae (CV) – sought after by future employers in a highly competitive corporate world.

Looking back, during my corporate heyday when I was engaged in the management of projects, the impact of any project on the company’s bottom line can be figured out, at a glance, in the person of its appointed head. During our time, when “laude” is not yet “a dime a dozen,” a project headed by a colleague with a CV marked with a “summa cum laude” plus a “board top-notcher” credential spoke volumes of the significance committed by the owner on the project endeavor.

Here and now, in “combatting poverty and improving the lives of the most vulnerable sectors of society,” a lawyer is appointed a presidential adviser -- a lawyer who was ordered by the Supreme Court suspended over his “abhorrent behavior” last year, a lawyer who was suspended for months for the “malicious and arrogant” language in 2019, and a lawyer who was filed with disbarment cases over a number of instances in the past.

To borrow the Inquirer editorial’s grading system, the significance of poverty alleviation in the eyes of PBBM’s administration is, sad to say, only 70 to 74 percent -- an indicative grade of PBBM’s leadership during his presidential watch.

But it is not too late. We can hold him accountable, demand better governance, support civil society, and engage in constructive dialogue.

Our country deserves better than a mediocre leader. Filipinos deserve a great leader.