Once upon a time when I was a young girl, my concept of a leader was of kings and queens, presidents, and lord mayors decked out in their sashes and medals. I imagined leaders to be larger than life, ministers who oversaw the well-being of the world from high up on their seats, holding court and dedicating their lives to public service.

At the time, I was a young girl who had newly moved back to her country, and I was just learning the Philippine political landscape, which was quite dissimilar from the political landscape of the UK, which I had just left behind.

When I moved here, leaders transformed from noblemen to glamorous politicians, names on the news, enshrouded in celebrity statuses—benevolent figures, people who come forward with the pretense to give generously.

It goes without saying, my idea of a good leader has fallen dramatically since.

Finding ourselves in an unprecedented day and age like today, with multifaceted global crises such as the pandemic, the climate crisis, and severe biodiversity loss highlighting the gaps in our nation's systems, our leaders are thrown down the deep end.

'I see a leader who knows what it’s like to farm for subsistence, who has experienced dirtying his hands in his country’s soils to create produce out of air, sunlight, wind, water and dirt.'

The complex times sift through the leaders who can step up to the occasion, or fall short of the expectations and responsibilities thrust upon them.

The leader we need can no longer simply be a “leader.” It’s no longer so simple or so black-and-white as it once was. They have to be as multifaceted as the problems we encounter. They must have all the qualities we seek in leadership, and more—they must be responsible, godly, accountable, empathetic, knowledgeable, and they must be better than the best.

Our leader would have mourned the loss of our forests, and overcome that grief through preserving what we have left, and building more spaces for our biodiversity to flourish.

Today, when I imagine the “leader we need,” I see a person who has endured typhoons and knows the trauma caused by the prospect of losing all you have to the storms that are beyond your control. And building back anyway.

I see a person who would have greeted farmers and bought their produce from them directly, understanding the value of his or her loyalty to local producers in making sure they build better lives. I see a leader who knows what it’s like to farm for subsistence, who has experienced dirtying his hands in his country’s soils to create produce out of air, sunlight, wind, water, and dirt.

That leader would know the struggles of access to education for young children in marginalized and far-flung communities—and would do whatever it takes to make sure children have equal education, as if they were his own.

Our leader would have mourned the loss of our forests, and overcome that grief through preserving what we have left, and building more spaces for our biodiversity to flourish.

I imagine that leader knowing and intimately understanding the constant grapple for peace and security that our soldiers dedicate their lives to—who knows that peace is not easily bought nor promised, and values the lives laid down in the struggle to pay the price for security, the price to sleep through the night without worry for the insurgency both inside and outside our borders.

Our leader should have known the pangs of hunger, the grasp of poverty, the challenges and struggles his countrymen have faced, and he should have understood them. He should know how to use his platform, privilege and power to eradicate any trace of it in his own country because he knew what it was like.

And he would not live another day in ignorance of it, or in passiveness knowing what it was like to be in that position—knowing that every second in power was the opportunity to change it, knowing every second that ticked by was a chance to ensure that more children could go to sleep that night with a full belly, a head full of knowledge, a roof over their heads, and security over what tomorrow will bring. They would know that each policy passed could save another person in their country.

I expect leaders to be exceptional and no less, especially in a time like we are now in. But more importantly, I expect leaders to be people. Humanized and not apart from the society they build. I expect them to have empathy and be godly—to be just like anyone else.

I expect a leadership that is personal—that lives by a moral code and ethical standard that honors God. In the end, our leaders are only men, and they should lead with the conscience of a good man, of any loving parent, of any brother or sister to their siblings, of a faithful partner to their country.

My standard for a leader is simple, and as a result, I can expect no less.

Let your voice be heard. Register now! Go to irehistro.comelec.gov.ph.