Issue No. 67 - November to December 2011 - DOH

MMDA Chairman Francis N. TolentinoHEALTH partnerHealth ChampionbyELIZABETH G. MASCAREÑASHEALTHbeat StaffPolitical Will“Political will” has been used,misused and abused by politicians,bureaucrats and advocates promotingchange, but nobody seems capable enoughto define it or measure it. Craig Charney,president of Charney Research - a leadingpollster on political issues in the US, said that“political will is the ghost in the machine ofpolitics, the motive force that generatespolitical action.” He said that political willcan be defined as the combination of threefactors: opinion plus intensity plus salience.Strong opinions form political will only ifthey are salient to public choice. There isno political will if there is no connection topublic affairs.The definition seems vague, untilsomebody comes along to show peoplethe meaning and essence of political will.Atty. Francis N. Tolentino, chairman of theMetropolitan Manila Development Authority(MMDA), fits to a tee the image of a leaderwith strong political will. His programs andprojects – like dismantling oversized andillegal billboards, enforcing smoking ban inpublic places, putting speed limits in majorhighways and implementing the bus taggingsystem – are shunned by some profitorientedindustries and businesses but arebadly wanted and very much appreciated bythe public. Despite the odds, Tolentino hasendured and persevered.Tolentino is a graduate of Bachelorof Laws at the Ateneo de Manila UniversityLaw School and a Doctor of Judicial Science(International Environmental Law) atthe Tulane University Law School in NewOrleans, Louisiana, USA. He passed the 1984Philippine Bar Exams with a general averageof 86.25% (with scores of 94%, 95% and100% in Labor Laws, Taxation and CriminalLaw, respectively), and also passed the 1991New York State Bar Exams.Tolentino, who is a member of theNatural Resources Defense Council in NewYork City and Tulane Environmental LawSociety in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, isa true champion of promoting health andenvironment. He also wrote an article for theIntegrated Bar of the Philippines Journal,2010 entitled: An Environmental Writ: ThePhilippine's Avatar.Before his stint as the MMDAChairman, Tolentino was appointed officerin-chargeMayor of Tagaytay City afterEDSA I Revolution and duly-electedMayor for three consecutiveterms (1995-2004). Hebecame presidentof the League ofCities of thePhilippinesas well asexecutive vicepresident of the Union of Local Authoritiesof the Philippines from 2001 to 2004. Healso holds the rank of full Colonel, PhilippineArmy (Reserve) and he was awarded as thePhilippine Army Officer of the Year in 2000and the Armed Forces of the Philippines(AFP) Reserve Officer of the Year in 2001.There seems to be no other personthat is more able capable than Tolentinoto be at the helm of MMDA – the agencythat performs planning, monitoring andNovember - December 2011 I HEALTHbeat 25