First and foremost to consider is character. If a person is known to be honest, chances are he will be less corrupt when he is voted into office. if he is known to engage in illegal activities, it means that he is used to schemes and rackets and will readily take to similar activities which will be bigger and more profitable once he wins. He would not mind even if such ae “garapal” or are grossly embarrassing.
Known materialistic candidates are a no-no to vote for. They are known to stop at nothing to feed their insatiable appetite to get hold of money to buy material things. Not just the candidate. Even his espouse should be watched out for. Wives are known to be able to find ways to make their husbands raise money through illegal means while in office so they could feed their being materialistic. A fitting description for such candidates and their espouses is “matakao.”
Any official, to be able to take care of the innumerable needs of his constituents must have the ability to work hard. If a candidate is sleepy all the time, he will be remiss in the performance of his duties. He might be snoring somewhere even during emergencies. One who is dedicated as a public official should be out there meeting people even in the middle of the night to be able to bring home the bacon for the welfare of his people. If he is not in his office burning the midnight oil he should be on the road chasing those who could facilitating projects his people badly need.
Uneducated people, sad to say, will not be competent in public service in this modern world.. He will be readily hoodwinked by those who want to cheat the government which will mean public funds will always be in danger of being dissipated needlessly. Even if he is relatively honest, manipulators will be able to find ways to control him and the likelihood is he will unknowingly commit official acts that are disadvantageous to the government or to the people. The bottom line as far as manipulators are concerned is how much could they steal from government coffers. If they are good in their “trade”, an uneducated official will be like a babe in the woods in making him fall victim to their schemes.
In sum, these are some of the qualities of people who have the potential to become good leaders of the people. So vote for those who: have good character, are not materialistic, are hardworking and are educated.**