Raul Roco
August 8th, 2005 at 6:30 pm (General)
People say that idealism is only for the young. That as time passes by a person, he is slowly corrupted by the realities of life. If that is the case, then Former Senator Raul Roco, did die too young, for he was forever young. He was never corrupted by the harsh realities of life. Not even when he lived and existed in the world of Philippine politics, where, as the current president attested in her recent SONA, it is impossible to succeed without being corrupt.
But Raul Roco was never corrupted. He never succumbed to traditional politics. He never peddled his ideals to the highest bidder. And though he and other people knew he could achieve much more than he has already done, he never traded his ideals for what was and is considered practical and winnable. He never negotiated to get what he did not deserve or that which he deserved but did not get.
I never met the man, and for that I am sorry. I am more sorry, however, that for some lame reason, I was not able to vote for him. Not that I didn’t want to. And not that my one vote would change the way things happened. At the very least I would have concretely raised my voice against those who thought that being pragmatic would lead this country away from potential disaster. Look where we are now.
Yes, Raul Roco is the best president this country never had. On the other hand, he is not just last year’s fourth placer in the national elections. For me, he represented honor, decency, fair play and honesty in public service. He showed that power is not the most important and significant part of true and sincere public service. He never was president, but I dare say, he was able to do so much more for this country than some other politicians who held higher positions.
Not only was he a prolific legislator, he provided hope when hope was scarce. He gave us and continues to teach us that pragmatism and relativism cannot effectively lead us to where we want to be. He embodied idealism and showed us that only true and proper idealism can lead us to the path of progress and development. True, he was, as any human is, not perfect. But, at least, he lived his life trying to attain perfection. He was a principled man and aimed to achieve excellence in everything he did. He saw his political positions as not the end, but rather a means to achieving his goals for this country. For that he does not deserve to be called a politician and be compartmentalized with others who only run for self-service. He is, I believe, a class above others. He is a statesman.
People say it is tragic that he died too young. They say it is sad that he was never president. Let me respectfully disagree. Raul Roco’s life was neither tragic nor sad. Not any part of it, not even his death or his losses. For even in these circumstances, he remained dignified, honest and most of all, idealistic.
Click here for more articles on Raul Roco:
The Long View : A minority of many by Manuel Quezon III
There’s The Rub : A good man by Conrado de Quiros
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