* – First in a series of posts about the Presidentiables
Many of us are familiar with the Autobiography of Manuel B. Villar: born poor, sold fish in the market, and climbed up his way from the slums to the Senate. It’s an autobiography not written in books, but in TV commercials and PR material. If there’s any candidate hell-bent on seeking the Presidency, it is Mr. Sipag at Tiyaga; a man who built his sheer political presence based on gutting and scaling fish on a 30-second commercial spot.
A few months back, when I was invited to a chit-chat with the man, he emphasized his stand: leadership by management. All the cinderblock-lifting and shrimp-vending on TV ad spots does not disguise the fact that he’s a successful businessman, a wealthy tycoon, and a leading figure in Philippine politics. Yet despite all that, Manny Villar leaves – and has left – behind a trail of distrust and corruption.
Manny Villar is the consummate manager. For all that has been said about him as a traditional politician or a populist in the suits of big business, Manny Villar is simply one thing to my mind: a manager.
In Charmides, Plato posits a term: sophrosyne. The closest we can come to the English translation for this very complex virtue is “temperance.” Temperance is the necessity and the ability to control one’s passions, to act prudently, and to ensure that nothing in life is ever consumed in excess. Sophrosyne is so essential a virtue because it distinguishes the human being from the animal; the latter is incapable of moderation and is guided only by instinct. The human being, however, is able to control, to moderate, and to temper himself or herself.