Nicanor Perlas III

Nick who?

It's unfortunate Nick Perlas remains obscure.

I call him Mr. Consistent. He's had a platform since 2009 and it has barely changed. Lets add emphasis.

Nick's platform has, so far, stood the test of time

Out of all the candidates, it seems he's the one who spent the most effort in crafting his plans. Not only that, he did extra work and actually outlined his whole ideology. How's that for A grade?

The platform of Pangmasa promotes several measures which are derived from current scientific research or implements current technology. Nick Perlas cites the use Gardner's Multiple Intelligence framework in education. He espouses environmentally conscious practices. He wants to create measures to safeguard us against rising sea levels. He's the only one promoting household energy production. He recognizes the importance of online journalism.

If Brother Eddie has the "Wrath of God" platform, Nick Perlas has the "Discovery Channel + Nat Geo" platform. It even starts with the entymology of the word Democracy. Pure geek heaven. For me, that is positively a good thing.

If there's any problem with his approach is that it may be difficult to grasp for the Regular Juans and Marias. His use of language is unusual. There are terms like Promote Holistic Education and Inner Change, bio-geographical equity, and societal threefolding partnerships. Come on man, get a marketing consultant! Heck, get an English professor to edit! This is practically specialist jargon. It gives off the image of an unapproachable intellectual. You want people to relate to you through your words, immediately. Approachability helps in politics, no really, it does. I find it ironic given that the party calls itself Pangmasa.

It's sad because the parts that I do understand without resorting to Google make sense like:

Irrigate all rice lands using both large-scale irrigation infrastructure and artesian wells for small farms

or this:

Advocate for the removal of pork barrel from the national budget to ensure that tax pesos are used, not to promote transactional politics that worsen the condition of the poor, but to eradicate poverty 

It's sad for another reason. While I find Nick Perlas intelligent and capable, I get the impression that he lacks empathy. Perhaps other people feel this way and will look for their president elsewhere. Who would follow a leader that can't be understood? How can you? That platform with the great ideas will  be so much wasted brain juice.

I have one appeal. In case Mr. Perlas loses the election, can the new president at least get him as a consultant?