Former President Fidel Ramos has advice to President Rodrigo Duterte in connection to his long speeches.
Ex-President Fidel Ramos has urged President Rodrigo Duterte to refrain from saying too much as a part of trying to impress the audience.
As we could observe, Duterte is fond of having impromptu speeches and refrain from reading the prepared one.
In his opinion column for a national broadsheet, Ramos said the chief executive should stop having less control of himself.
A television newscast quoted Ramos as saying a leader appeared less in control whenever he tried to impress with words.
“Always say less than necessary. When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control,”
Instead, he said Duterte should win public opinion through actions, and not words. He also said Duterte should stop isolating himself.
“Win through your actions, never through arguments,” Ramos said. “Do not build fortresses to protect yourself—isolation is dangerous.”
The ex-President also reminded Duterte to preserve his reputation as the highest official of the country and stop rushing himself.
“So much depends on reputation—guard it with your life. Reputation is the cornerstone of power… Never seem to be in a hurry – hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time,” he added.
To close his advice, the former president said it was still up to Duterte to “take it or leave it.”
The column is the third commentary piece that the former President wrote to assess the current administration since it started on June 30.
On October 9, Ramos said the Philippines was “losing badly” during the first 100 days of the Duterte administration. He blamed the government for failing on leadership and teamwork.
A week later, Ramos compared the Philippines under “skipper” Duterte to a leaky and slow-moving ship due to internal strife and disunity.
The ex-chief executive emphasized that through columns, he gave the same unsolicited advice to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.