A Critical Analysis of Mayor Jejomar Binay's Long Term in Office and His Administration

Abstract

In every community an institution, a leader plays an important role. He or she serves as the epitome of the people and must pursue the community's interests. A leader's qualities corresponded by due actions are important in determining one's prolongation in office and control of power. In the Philippines, political leaders are elected by the people through the electoral process. It has been a part of the Philippine political arena that there are political leaders who stay for more than three terms or nine years in office due to the fact that people continue to vote for them. One of these political leaders is Jejomar C. Binay, the Mayor of Makati City for I 7 years. Having this in mind, what are the possible factors which contributed in Mayor Jejomar Binay's long term in office? Chapter one is basically the introduction of the study conducted. It serves as the introduction of the whole study and its foundation. In this chapter, the study's main objectives, framework, and important information on how the study should be conducted can be seen. The main hypothesis of the study is stated in Chapter one which is, Mayor Jejomar Binay was able to stay in power for a long time primarily because of his charisma accompanied by developmental projects that redound to the people's needs. Chapter two gives a discussion on what is leadership and the qualities a leader must possess. It also discusses the charismatic theory of Max Weber, a German philosopher. The study focuses on the fourth property of charisma stating that it can fade away if it is not properly maintained through concrete actions. Chapter two also discusses leadership in the Philippine setting and what are the qualities Filipinos are looking for a leader which is based on the conducted study in Camarines Norte. Chapter three is about the historical background of Makati City. It narrates how the city had developed through time, from being a useless marshland into becoming the richest city in the Philippines. This chapter also discusses how modernization and improvement happened in Makati City with the help of the private land owners who previously bought portions of land in the city. Lastly, it also shows the different barangays found in Makati City and other historical facts. Chapter four basically discusses the life of Mayor Jejomar Binay. The most important part of this chapter is his political career as Mayor of Makati City. The chapter also consists of the perceptions of the people in Makati City based on the survey conducted by the Social Weather Station (SWS) in 2001. It also provides information regarding the allegations against Mayor Jejomar Binay and his wife, Dr. Elenita Binay from the time he became the city mayor. Chapter five focuses on the different administrative projects and programs implemented by Mayor Jejomar Binay in Makati City. Among these projects are the Makati Health Program through the Yellow Card Program, the educational program and the senior citizens' benefits through the Blu Card Program. It also shows the infrastructure projects implemented in Makati City. This chapter also discusses other projects initiated concerning security, traffic problems and many more. Chapter Six shows the statistical data or the result of the survey conducted by the researcher in Makati City. It shows the qualities the people desire and do not desire in a particular leader. Most importantly, this chapter shows the different perceptions of the people regarding Mayor Jejomar Binay's political leadership and his administrative projects. Chapter Seven consists of the summary, analysis of data and conclusion of the study conducted. In this chapter, the researcher arrived to the conclusion that the main reason why Mayor Jejomar Binay was able to stay in office for 17 years is because of his charisma towards the people which was further strengthened by the implemented projects the people greatly benefit from. The final chapter, Chapter Eight, is about the evaluation and recommendation formulated by the researcher through the conducted study. It is recommended that in order for a leader to stay .. long in office, he or she must possess the qualities the people want in a leader in order to gain their trust and accompany these qualities with concrete actions through implementation of projects which greatly benefit the people. These projects would also further improve the community as a whole.