Did you feel that? The wind is changing: Mar Roxas has stepped aside. The flag is for Noynoy Aquino’s taking. The air is filled with euphoria, as much as trepidation. There is euphoria at the thought, the hope that: could Noynoy Aquino be the way for our nation to be redeemed? Is this the path by which we can set aside our cynicism, to embrace tomorrow, with reverence, with gratitude, without fear, without anger? There is trepidation because people are justly asking: why are we pinning all our hopes and dreams, all our tomorrow rests on the shoulder of this Walang Alam (trans. he who knows nothing).
This nation has asked too much already of the Aquinos. Both parents have given their lives to the Filipino. And growing up, their children gave a lot for the Philippines as well. It can’t be easy to be them. Yet, here we are again, coming full circle: this is Noynoy’s opportunity to step up and equally, this is our opportunity to step up. If during the first Aquino presidency, we the people left Cory to do all the work for us, just as we expect all our leaders to do; this time, here comes an opportunity for us to build a nation together. If Noynoy chooses to run, in spite of his bland charisma and unproven track record, he needs to inspire by words and deed, to bind our nation’s wound. It is a tall order.
Trepidation is where the cynicism comes into play. It isn’t without justification. But our cynicism is as much as our leaders’ fault as our own. The corruption plaguing our country is at every level, not just at the top. It becomes our collective responsibility therefore to change that. To expect Noynoy Aquino to lead that charge is fair enough. It would be his job, if elected president to set policy. The work, the ongoing and ever difficult task of nation building is as much our responsibility as it would be a President Nonoy Aquino’s task to set policy.
Trepidation comes because we don’t know what Noynoy Aquino will do. He hasn’t spoken about policy issues. What is he going to change? What policy of Arroyo will he turn around? Is Noynoy Aquino smart enough to know that he needs to form a team to meet the challenges of the Philippines? Is he wise enough to triage all our challenges and know, which ones to solve first? Is he aware that a nation fueled by debt is all right in the short term but it is isn’t sustainable and this country must cut the vicious cycle?
Trepidation comes because Filipinos will not willingly hand over the Presidency to Noynoy, even if he is an Aquino. He must earn it in the weeks and months to come. Is his steel up to it?
Villar’s brand says he is a businessman, a technocrat. He is a professional politician. And de Castro’s is well, heir apparent as Vice President. He brands himself as pro poor. Both seemingly feel old. Like Legarda. Would their appeal fail before the symbol of yellow and laban? Noynoy Aquino’s unquestionable integrity, patriarch of the Aquino clan makes him well suited to be a Flag to rally behind. But is he being used? By us, because as a people we have this thing for messiahs? By those who see him as a way to power for themselves?
Filipinos need our eyes open. Noynoy Aquino needs to know this. His team will need to know this just as we need to know this. As equally do we need our eyes open, we too must remember, Noynoy Aquino or not: humans make mistakes, and all leaders are just human.
A few days ago, I asked, “do the cynics have it?” And I wrote that we must have a permanent revolution of people power. I alluded that this permanent revolution is about leaving our anger behind and to embrace redemption, to embrace life. 2010 must be a time for imagination, perseverance and more importantly courage. It is an opportunity at renewal and rebirth.
There is euphoria at the thought of an Aquino stepping out of the shadow of his parental units, to raise the banner of his family just as there is trepidation. It is easy enough to forget that Filipinos will not hand over the Presidency to Noynoy, even if he is an Aquino without him proving himself in the coming days, weeks and months. And there is this other thing. Noynoy’s father, Ninoy, is often quoted to have said that the Filipino is worth dying for. I beg to disagree. We don’t need another Aquino to die. We don’t need another Aquino martyr. We don’t need Noynoy Aquino to carry the burden of this nation by himself. We need him to live as an example of a permanent revolution of people power. We need a benevolent leader who has a gentle but firm grip on power to lead us to bind our nation’s wounds, to stand with us as we explore tomorrow’s unknown opportunities and together face its perils, with our eyes open and filled with wonder and our hearts strong and courageous. We must step beyond the quarrel of our past and our present. We need Noynoy Aquino to stand with us, not before us but to live by example that the Filipino is worth living for.
Popularity: 1% [?]
As a people, we have to get over our fear of getting disappointed. It is safe to retreat into cynicism but it does nothing to stop out society’s slow but steady degradation.
‘out’ -> ‘our’
yep. exactly.
Noynoy has it super-easy, firstly Cory has earned him his niche as a politician.
And now this — Mar Roxas and a others of Liberal Party handing him an
organization all set to back up a Noynoy campaign.
Too bad “GMA – talsik diyan!!” is a slogan past its prime.
There is hard work ahead. And “blowback” —- deQuiros battle-cry of “Walang Alam”
is swiftly putting an unwelcome spotlight on a Noynoy facet.
The time to the 2010 election is short, but hope it is enough time for Noynoy to convince us.
And Mr. Aquino needs to toughen up and be a big boy now.
Joe
yep.
A blogger named “parasabayan” at EllenTordesillas had this to say. Unfortunately still where GMA is the reason to run for president, but an extra is NoyNoy as figurehead:
Kung sa bagay, kung si Mar ang vice niya, baka yun ang strategy ni Mar na siya pa rin talaga ang tunay na magpapalakad ng bansa at hindi si Noynoy. If there is a PLUS for both of them, parehong binata. Full time talaga nila ang magpapalakad ng bansa! Sana hindi sila makapangasawa ng ala-IMELDIFIC! Lagot lalo ang bansa. Both of them are in their 50s and not married. I wonder why?
Sabagay, uso naman sa atin yung may ibang nagpapalakad ng gobierno. Di ba noong panahon ni Marcos si Imelda at ang mga generals ang nagpapalakad ng bansa? Panahon ni Cory si Peping ang humuhuthot ng kaban ng bayan. Ngayon yung Fatso, mga kabayong anak at mga buwayang generals ang nagpapalakad ng bansa. At least kung si Mar ang brains at si Noynoy ang “figure” head, pwede na rin. At least both of them are pretty decent. But I still like someone who is more “tuso” than the boobuwit so thge whole clan is ousted, sa kulungan ang tuloy nila! I do not see Noynoy and Mar doing that to the boobuwit and her gang! They are too “softies”.
Ang pag-uusig sa mga magnanakaw sa palasyo ay nasa sa taong bayan…i-people power natin yan…
mar’s announcement and noynoy’s subsequent announcement is WEIRD.
mar backs off to stave off a conflict of having two people in his party wanting to run.
ninoy says he’s not running, and he’s still trying to decide.
ano ba?! nag-uusap ba sila? i thought they were friends, and had meetings and such.
it defies not just political logic (as butch abad says), but LOGIC.
GabbyD, I don’t disagree with you.
But here’s a thought. Noynoy doesn’t really like to run. He doesn’t really aspire for higher position. He doesn’t want it. In their shoes, the Aquino kids have lost two parents. one died by assassination. the other spent her life continuing the work of her husband. And they all saw what that did to their parents. A life of sacrifice? A life spent under the microscope? Heck, we make fun of Kris all the time.
Here we are, Filipinos asking another Aquino to become president. IF he fails, we’re going to curse him for all eternity. Heck, even if he succeeds people will still curse him for all eternity. Does he want that or does he just want to be quiet? to live a normal life?
I’m pretty sure money plays in it too. The Aquinos aren’t rich. Well not super rich anyway and being a political clan, that can’t be good too. Another six years of hell for them AND they haven’t finished grieving for their mother… it is a tall order, you know?
I understand the hesitation.
And oh, one more thing… he hasn’t even started to run and people are already doubting his ability. does he have it in him, well i guess only he knows.
Take out the ambiguity.
If he decides to run, then run.
If he does not want to run, don’t.
Ngayon pa lang, nakikita mo na yung decisiveness – it’s not there.
To BongV at sa mga pinoy na katulad nya, eto hirap sa atin, di natin masakyan at maintindihan anong klaseng sakripisyo ang ginagawa ng mga Aquinos para sa bayan. Kung ang marami sa atin walang kibo at nagtiis ng ilang taon sa harapang kawalanghiyaan ng mga nasa malakanyang ngayon, bakit di tayo makapagtiis sa situwasyon na ito?..Grabe talaga ang utak talangka ng marami sa atin…sang-ayon ako sa iyo Cocoy
cocoy: The business- and military-leaders who felt strongly that NoyNoy’s NoyNoy’s Congress track record and his efforts against the marcos dictatorship were heroic would have been conducting signature-drives or the behind-closed-door meetings six or 9 months ago to position NoyNoy for a run for Malacanang-2010.
And the “Walang Alam!” talk would have started 9 months ago with the benefit of Cory to defend her son.
Didn’t happen, did it?
“Here we are, Filipinos asking another Aquino to become president. I”
you mean, his supporters right?
Gabby, “We”, yes = supporters.
alam mo naman ang nga taong ayaw.. maraming dahilan.
@BongV, wag ka naman masyadong atat, nakatiis ka nga ng 3 taon sa walang kwentang bigote at 9 na taon sa walanghiyang nunal e itong desisyon ni noynoy na araw lang ang hihintayin hindi ka pa makatiis.
leo:
nothing to be atat about – same o same o – same incompetent indecisiveness of the mother – same moribund economy controlled by the oligarchs – and expect more ocho ochos of well-dressed palengkeras
We are all in Cloud Nine. Hopes are high. Expectations are to the
highest level. We have to pull ourselves to the ground level. Face
our realities and situations. We face a lot of problems. From
unemployment to unrestricted corruption. We have a bankrupt nation.
We have self serving politicians; who misinform, scam and con us.
Their loyalties are not to serve us; but to fill their pockets.
It will take more than a good name to straighten these mess we are
in.
if he gets elected, it’s another president aquino elected through emotion, not reason. can we afford that as a nation?
Bencard,
*points to post*
Arroyo was elected thru economic reasons, where are we now after 9 years?
If you go by GDP – there’s growth.
If you go by Gini coefficient – there’s a wider income disparity.
Could be worse under Erap or Cory.
I have good reason to believe that GDP growth under Arroyo has been overstated.
WAs it reason that brought down the Marcos regime?
Para sa inyo:
Lacson backs Aquino, asks Estrada to yield
By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 11:02:00 09/03/2009
Filed Under: Politics, Elections, Eleksyon 2010
MANILA, Philippines—Ousted President Joseph Estrada should give up his presidential bid if he really wants to lead a unification move in the opposition, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said on Thursday.
Lacson made this statement as he threw his support for Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, who has yet to decide whether or not to run for president in 2010.
“Kung talagang ganun ang intention nya (Estrada), mauna sya. Hindi pupuwede yung pag lahat kayo umatras, aatras din ako (If that is really his intention, he should yield. It cannot be everyone will yield before he does),” he said, reacting to a question by a reporter.
“Kung ikaw, pinipresenta mo sarili mo bilang isang lider dapat manguna ka sa isang unification move. Hindi yung mauna kayo, pagka ako na lang naiwanan sasama na lang ako sa inyo. Hindi yun ang isang mark ng isang lider. Sigurista. Kaya para sa akin, walang factor sa akin yan kung ganun ang kanyang pangungusap. Yun ang pangungusap ng isang pulitiko (If you are presenting yourself as a leader, you should lead in the unification move. It cannot be others should come first, and the leader will follow after. That is not the mark of a leader. Wanting a sure win. His statement does not mean anything. That is the mark of a politician),” he further said.
Among all possible presidential contenders next year, Lacson gave his preference for Aquino, whom he believes would surely fight corruption in the country.
“Si Noynoy, isa lang ang masasabi ko. At least , sigurado tayong hindi mangungurakot dahil si Noynoy sa maiksing panahon ng pagkakakilala namin sa Senado kita ko naman yung integridad nya na intact (In the short time that I’ve come to know Noynoy at the Senate, this I’m sure of: he will not be corrupt, his integrity is intact),” he said.
“Kesa naman mapunta yung presidency sa isang magsasamantala sa Pilipinas e siguro ipe-prefer ko na yung isang katulad ni Noynoy (Instead of the presidency going to someone who abuses the Philippines, I’d prefer someone like Noynoy),” he said.
Lacson was confident that Aquino will not steal from the government’s coffer.
Ping Lacson is getting back into the news. Along with Erap and Mancao.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090903-223301/Dacer-slay-witness-shot-dead
Mancao made the disclosure during his direct testimony at the Manila Regional Trial Court Thursday afternoon, his lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, told reporters.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20090903-223370/Estrada-Lacson-among-plotters-to-kill-Dacer
This one is for commenter bencard.
It is not the case that Cory Aquino was elected president. She was installed as president after Enrile decided to offer the seat of government to her after that EDSA People Power Revolt.
It goes without saying that Cory become president not really because of emotion. Reason would be more like it. There is good reason to put to the helm of power the political rival of Marcos in the last snap elections, although she did not win over Marcos.
That is technically correct. 1986 was a coup.
Decision was not in the hands of the baranggay captains nor the farmers of Sumilao not the UST lecturers and staff — the coup victors decide who to install as head of government, and reason (and behind-closed-door negotiations) said Not Ramos, definitely not Honasan nor the mayor of Cebu nor Makati. The 1986 process of elimination came down to Cory.
do you think cory would have been a candidate vs. marcos, or anointed president after edsa 1, had ninoy aquino not been killed upon arrival? have her lack of track record in public service, lack of experience in or out of government (never worked for a living in her life prior to becoming president), minimal academic credentials, etc., ever been made an issue?
Could it be that we have a new leader that has REAL moral ascendancy? One who can persuade us lowly citizens to be honorable – simply because he is honorable – and not tolerate corrupt practices e.g.:
- bribing a traffic cop knowing full well we violated a traffic code or
- paying the fixer at the LTO because it was too damn hot to line up to get our license or
- to refrain from asking a politician we know to sponsor our fiesta lechon knowing full well he will get it out of public coffers (and we think because he benefits from corruption we might share in the stolen goods anyhoo)
- to refrain from taking home the office paper clips or scissors because it is such a small thing and well, everybody does it anyway…
His sister says he is poor and she has to take care of him because he lives within the means of his true salary as a public servant, is this true? I sooo want it to be true.
If he runs I do agree with the sister (damn, I feel the bitter bile rising up as I find myself agreeing with anything SHE says) that he should not marry. Too often, they set up the spouse as the fall guy (and amasser of stolen wealth) to keep the image of the one in power clean. If you are a good leader, you should take responsibility for the action of those close to you or resign them – no excuses. And spouses are hard to resign or control, so…
PLEASE tell me now if he is the real deal. Or not. The sooner I know the hero has feet of clay, the sooner I can process it and get over it.
Or maybe the sooner I can lower my bar and take him as the best chance we have amidst the numerous traditional liars and robbers out there.
I am tired of always choosing the lesser of two evils. I want to actively root for the good one this time. I am not even looking at his economic governance capabilities (although I am interested to know what his track record is). I want to know if he is what they say he is – someone with no corruption or ‘patronage’ track record (yet another reason to avoid a wedding lest he is suddenly flooded with gifts in tens of millions of cash/properties) .
That someone else sacrificed his aspirations in favor of him, is I think a good sign.
And maybe, this is the one time when the nation’s emotionalism can be actually useful and be channeled to take the first step in the right direction.
I want change. I need to hope. I wish for an honorable country to be proud of.
An honorable leader for starters would be great. Someone who knows the system well enough NOT to be swallowed by it. Hopefully, in a decade or so we can see (the beginnings of) an honorable citizenry, as well.
The Filipino is worth LIVING for, indeed.
‘Dying for’ is so much easier at this point in our history, it’s almost a cop-out. Living for a more cohesive country with honest leaders is 1×10 to the nth power much harder.
If he’s real and true, he can do that (or die trying and be the third figure on the yellow bill). My children are worth it.
nmba, there’s nothing wrong with dreaming. that’s about all we can do at this point. but i wouldn’t be carried away by too much emotionalism. forget “honorable”, that’s a subjective value judgment. i think the emphasis should be competence, dedication (hardwork), and sincerity.
bencard, all non-Filipinos I meet always ask me this, we are intelligent and talented people with lots of natural resources, what then is wrong with us that we cannot get our act together?
One standout answer is that self-interests always wins the day, no matter how competent you are in managing the economy. I am talking about moral ascendancy and leading by example hence I look for someone who can effectively be that. Certainly one cannot say NoyNoy is totally without experience. And if he should run, I can put my value judgment in and say he will be dedicated and sincere. He knows how hard it will be to go against the current.
sincere to what? protecting the status quo? control of the economy by the oligarchs.
nmba, very well said, I fully agree. you convinced me.
but noynoy has to convince me, too.
Are you saying that Noynoy has never worked two jobs at the same time in his entire life? Gee!!! He has been spoiled. He has no reason to complain about his bank account balance, then.
lowly citizens – are you referring to a feudal society.
last time i checked – there is no low or high in a democracy – leaders are citizens too – they may have more responsibilities but it does not make them any “higher” or “lower” than anyone else.
lowly = private citizen who do not hold any seat of influence (or power) anywhere private or public…. I make a point in saying that corruption is not just the responsibility of those in power but it is in the rest of us because we tolerate or even practice it when it is convenient for us. We think it does not matter because we are not in power but yes it does…the collective impact of numerous (small) single acts is humongous
but you are right in bringing up the term feudal society right smack against democracy… that is a good topic for debate…why is democracy so hard to follow to the letter in Asia? Because of the hundreds if not thousands of years of feudal cultures…
or maybe it is ingrained in our DNAs, I don’t know, the humankind is hard-wired to always look up to some kind of identity-perpetuating authority or another, take the US where democracy reigns as pure as can be, no monarchy and all, BUT hello Kennedys, hello Bushes, hello political dynasties, (even Cromwell who beheaded a King to rid England of monarchy later considered installing himself as a King because after the celebration of freedom the people felt lost without a king)
one other observation about us, even in the workplace, culturally we are advised to shut up when we speak to our bosses… it is practiced right now by educated, enlightened individuals, can you imagine what society is still like to the rest of the millions of, yes, lowly citizens?
we think the feudal system went out the window, in place of democracy…has it really?
assuming a sober non-spirited objective discussion, and on the presence of equally rational and viable alternatives when the employee is told to shut up, educated and enlightened no longer applies.
however, when the employee is obviously moronic, he ought to consider himself luck for being told to shut up instead getting fired.