Recall that the situation was another media gathering and here the President issued statements which normally should be said only at policy-making meetings. Yet, he gave his personal opinions and even diversified into historical issues.
This is the point I am making. The President could have answered this way: "I will cross the bridge when I get there." Or "I am not in the habit of predicting what I will say." Or "How did you know what points he would raise?" In other words, either magpatay-mali siya or turn the tables on the questioner. The President need not always appear very politically correct when replying to needling questions. By now, he should already be briefed by his circle that the media will always find a hole where they can get good soundbites or copy for their bosses in their headquarters and so they could earn good points, a raise, a promotion, or that much-needed attention that could spin their career to the top.
I am raising these points because I feel ashamed when our country is put in a spot wherein we have to explain to friends and relatives abroad about what is happening to our country, especially when something occurs between countries.
In the first place, the meeting between the President and that of the USA could have evolved into friendship, not necessarily built on political issues wherein they would be at loggerheads with each other. That is what I learned from my ninang -- you never know when a person would be a good fellow to you later on; so cultivate good relations.
Especially when our OFWs are at the mercy of foreign countries' laws, rules and regulations, what our officials say and how they say things matter a lot. They could be victims of restrictions, of prohibitions, or limitations of their stay in them.
I think that in the world of politics, the demeanor of our officials has to border on delicate and measured steps as it could have grave repercussions later on, either in our locality or globally. Especially now, when a single word can be aired in a matter of seconds and blown out of proportions without any space for asking for forgiveness or even asking that question, "What did you say again," the behavior of our politicians has to be pristine, free from criticism of any kind.
So, to be a president of a country one has to be very circumspect (according to Merriam Webster -- circumspect means "thinking carefully about possible risks before doing or saying something.")
On the other hand, not to be a president, or shall we say presidential is to do, act and speak without regard to the listeners which then could spell disastrous consequences.
Being nice to a stranger need not result in a harrowing experience right away. It all depends on one's frame of mind at the time of the meeting.
And so to circle members of the President, please guard him against getting angry all the time as it makes him say things that would blast the beautiful atmosphere of governing our country and making it one of the best places in the world that anybody in this planet would like to live in. In this case, the end justifies the means.
Maybe it is time to reread Machiavelli.
SOME OF HIS TEACHINGS:
1. “A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise.”
You can’t break consistency because that would break people’s trust in you. You need to find your commitment, your position, and then stick to it, so that people know that whenever they want a certain value, they can get it from you without disappointment.
2. “Before all else, be armed.”
You have to have know your strengths, your weaknesses and have your skills intact before attempting to "attack" a market. If you fail to plan ahead of your actions, you will very likely fail with the actions as well.
3. “I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.”
You can’t copy, copy and copy, to be a creator, leader, that people feel they can trust, nor admire. If what you have to offer already exists, then why should anyone come to you. Think of it as a New Game, you need to give new value, new rules in a new approach. If not, it’s very unlikely that you’ll achieve any great results. Don’t be afraid of breaking patterns and disrupting the perception of the market. The easiest way of leading a new market is by inventing it. This means that you already must have done your research well on the markets that today exist.
4. “The end justifies the means.”
Be result-focused rather than just busy. The market is very honest, and if what you have isn’t desired, then your efforts will not matter. Nobody can see that you worked so hard that you almost are in the verge of collapsing, most of the time nobody cares if you even did collapse. 
You need to offer people benefits that help their lives; it’s all about the results, nothing about you (no matter how wonderful you believe your work is). Great results, will lead to fortune. And great results demands creativity.
5. “Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage.”
You tried and you failed, so of course you get frustrated. But, instead of arguing that the users have no idea of what they really want, dare to see the failure as an immense opportunity to actual winning. Failure means just one step closer to winning. It shows you what you have done wrong and what you can improve. Seeing opportunity is in your perception, if you look at obstacles as unmovable stones then you are missing the point. Those few that understand that difficulties, problems and failure are actually opportunities will become winners. Why? because if it is difficult then there is a competitive advantage in realizing or solving the issue. A big problem = great opportunity, don’t let it slip.
6. “Never was anything great achieved without danger”
Take calculated risks, as mentioned above, you need not fear failure. The faster you fail the better. Why? Because if you over plan so you don't fail than you will eventually fail and the time planning will be wasted on being dependent on some abstract certainty. Planning has its place, but its not meant to be certain.
If you refuse to fail, you will play the game of business very safely and this will give competitors a great chance to take home the trophy. Dare to try out new ideas, and if they don’t work, go on to other ideas. Have speed of action; don’t wait for magic to happen, be the magician and swallow the fire.
7. “Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.”
Keep track of your competitors and keep track of the market, what happens today might completely change tomorrow. Know the principles of strategy; you need to constantly improve yourself (Kaizen). Your business should be in constant morphing until you hit the target. It is a process of business discovery not an instant gratification.
http://dudye.com/10-things-niccolo-machiavelli-can-teach-you-about-creative-strategy
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