Why Nick? 20 Reasons...What's Your Fave?

On the PerlasCebu Twitter site, we posted the question, "Why Nick?" Easiest question to answer!

Filipino Writer did a very thoughtful, comprehensive and fun set of his responses, leading to great video clips and links. "20 Reasons Why I'm Campaigning for Nicanor Perlas for President" Check it out -- and click on the green links in each line to read more!


Here is the quick-list version. What's your favorite? (...or feel free to add your own!)

1. Realizing that ours is an agricultural country, Nicanor Perlas gave up his dream of becoming a physicist, and took up agriculture so he could help our poor farmers.
2. He helped the poor set up businesses via microfinance
3. He is honest, and has zero tolerance for corruption.
4. He has a holistic approach to our country's problems, seeing the need for the government (POLITICAL sphere), business (ECONOMIC sphere), and civil society (CULTURAL sphere) to work together.
5. He co-founded KARANGALAN which celebrates the various talents, achievements, and innovations by Filipinos.
6. He co-founded PAGASA which seeks to develop the spiritual and cultural well-being of the Filipinos, which will eventually make for a better country.
7. He warned us of global warming, climate change & supertyphoons, and the tragedies it would bring, despite being called a fear-monger.
8. He has a vision and a complete platform of what needs to be done. Included in his platform is to mainstream VISIONARY initiatives. In other words, he welcomes innovations and creativity, and will work to implement them on a broader scale.
9. He is very intelligent and well-read (and can allude to Joseph Campbell to George Lucas and to J.R.R. Tolkien and their works).
10. He has written an international bestselling book Shaping Globalization: Civil Society, Cultural Power, and Threefolding which has been translated into at least 9 languages.
11. He is recipient of the 2003 Right Livelihood Award (also known as the Alternative Nobel) "for his outstanding efforts in educating civil society about the effects of corporate globalisation, and how alternatives to it can be implemented."
12. In this campaign, he practices what he preaches. He sees the need for civil society as a collective institution to serve as a check to the excesses of government, so he didn't compel the organizations to which he belongs to join him. Instead, he left if up to them whether to support him or not.
13. He is the artist's candidate, because he sees the need for the CULTURAL sphere (meaning, the rest of us) to remind government and businesses of what really matters – culture and spirituality – and not just money and material things.
14. He promotes creativity in all aspects of life, and is very creative himself.
15. He includes everyone in decision-making. He listens to what everyone has to say and treats them with respect and as equals. He is a down-to-earth kind of guy, without airs, and you feel you can approach him anytime. He has a great sense of humor, and has an endearing belly laugh.
16. He is an athlete and practices clean living, doesn't smoke, drink, and eat meat.
17. You don't have to think of 'gimmicks' or tricks when trying to convince voters to vote for your candidate. You just let them know about Nick's achievements and the kind of person he is, and it's an easy sell.
18. He is the only candidate who inspires me and makes me get off my butt and campaign for him (even while I'm sick right now. :P)
19. Because this campaign is fun! You get to collaborate with very creative and passionate individuals, who like Nick, has a vision of New Politics and a New Philippines.
20. Because, this opportunity, to work actively for a vision of a New Philippines and with a visionary who has the track record to back it up comes along very rarely, and I don't want to pass it up.