Tag: Noynoy Aquino

PNoy: Lonely at the Top?

It hasn’t been a week since Jesse Robredo was buried when news sprang of how DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno tried to gain access to his office and condo unit to secure confidential documents. It wasn’t a secret that Puno has been deemed untrustworthy by majority of the people. His constant flaws and the means by how the President brushes through them has earned the ire of many. His questionable credibility as part of the DILG has been part of the news every so often. His apparent rift with the late DILG Secretary, Jesse Robredo has been observed time and again. Hence, his actions at the time when majority of the government’s agency were still under “search and rescue” mode raised a lot of eyebrows.

Many asked why he had to secure the documents at the time when Robredo was just missing, still presumed to be alive. Many wondered why his snooping around raised alarms in Robredo’s household prompting his wife to ask for official security to guard her husband’s properties. Many speculated what those documents were. It was no secret Robredo was unto something and that he was investigating certain things to which many speculated involve Puno.

Yet all this brooding ill feelings remained largely at bay. Until the President decided to speak up in defense of his shooting buddy. The President said he ordered Puno to secure the documents at Robredo’s office. The President said he was prompted by DeLima about it.

But digging further, we see that it was Atty. Leni, upon learning of Puno’s attempt to enter the condo unit, who urged DeLima to protect her husband’s properties. DeLima came into the picture after the fact that Puno tried to access Robredo’s office and living quarters.

Also, we see that the President’s orders were for Puno to secure Robredo’s office. Yet Puno went a step further and tried to secure the latter’s condo unit. Foremost in everyone’s mind was the question: Why Puno? The public was not so fond of him. He had his differences with Robredo. Robredo’s family and household apparently mistrust him judging by their actions. So why did the President pick him? Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said that it was logical since he was the undersecretary. But is that reasonable given everything that is known about him?

This issue is far from over. As Puno prepares to face a Senate inquiry to which Sen. Miriam Santiago promises there’ll be “sounds and fury”, I cannot help but wonder how committed PNoy really is to his vision of tuwid na daan. It’s such a shame because I can see he is making progress. It’s such a shame because I believed in him and trusted him despite the negative publicity he receives every so often. It’s such a shame because his success will be pulled down by his so-called friends.

In any leadership position, there will always be tough decisions to make. Whether you are a class president or the president of a nation, at some point in your reign you will make difficult and unpopular choices which may or may not favor your friends and even your family. Such is the cost of leadership. True leaders know how to make decisions that would be for the benefit of the common good even if it disfavor the people close to them. Because of this, they say that it is lonely at the top. Indeed, it is.

For PNoy, the path he chose for himself is no easy one. He has decided to veer away from the traditional notions of politicians as corrupt and selfish individuals. He promised the entire nation that during his reign, he would make it possible for true public service to shine through the government. He basically promised to restore our trust in the institution set forth to govern us. This is a tough call for anyone. With this promise, there will be many toes which he will step on. Some toes may belong to his friends, perhaps even, family members.

Yet to truly usher in the transformation he promised this country, he needs to be the tough leader who favors no one. He must learn to stand firm by his words exempting nobody. He cannot make excuses for the people he holds dear to his heart. Rather, he must practice impartiality to everyone. If it comes to the point that the people he holds dear to his heart are proven guilty of wrongdoing, he must be strong enough to exact punishment. It is harsh but it has to be done. Only then can the people see his sincerity to lead them through the tuwid na daan.

This impartiality called forth from him will assault his heart. Along the way, his friends may become enemies and his loved ones might find themselves punished for crimes they thought they could get away with. These decisions will be tough on his part but he has to do it. It will be very lonely at the top for him. But that is the price he has to pay.

That is why, true servant leaders are hard to find. They put the welfare of the people they serve first above their own interest, even above their own relationships. They do not leave unpunished the ill doings of even the people they care about. They are ready to make tough decisions even if it means breaking their own heart.

In this regard, much as I admire PNoy, his constant defense of his long time friend, Puno, shows me that he is not the servant leader I have longed for to become our nation’s president.

(Breaking News: Puno has just resigned from the DILG. This does not exempt him from the Senate probe, however. The question that now hangs in my mind is: will PNoy re-appoint him to some other government agency?)

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Rooting for Noynoy

“Can Noynoy do it? Believe it. Yes he can” –Conrado De Quiros

noynoyUp until today I was somehow undecided whether I will vote for Noynoy or not. I knew Mar Roxas endorsed him, and I believe in Mar’s decisions and principles, yet I was somehow skeptical of Noynoy. I agreed with the critics notions that he is still unprepared and incapable of the presidency and he is merely riding on to his parent’s fame and the recent surge of the Cory magic. I agreed with the critics that he lacks experience as evidenced by his mediocre performance as congressman and as senator. I agreed with critics that shrewd advisers will take advantage of him and he may end up another Erap – dependent on his advisers’ greedy and self-serving advices. I agreed with them, now I disagree.

After reading several, I admit not quite a lot, people’s opinions on Noynoy’s bid for presidency; I must say that I have already decided which side I’m on. Before I was on the gray side, but I knew there’s only black and white in this race we’re in. There are only 2 sides of the coin – there’s nothing in between. Times are different now, I can feel that and as responsible voters and citizens of the country longing for change, we need to make a clear-cut stand on the matters and issues at hand. I have decided to take my stand.

I will vote for Noynoy and support him in the upcoming presidential race. I agree with a lot of points in De Quiros’ recent article about Noynoy, Yes, he can. Indeed what our country needs is not a leader that will act like a CEO of a company – serving only the needs of the stockbrokers and not of its employees; having a lot of skills and impressive accomplishments but questionable in integrity and moral standing. What our country needs is someone we can be confident of to rally behind to – a president we can support instead of rebut; a president we would be comfortable to trust with our resources and not fear that he or she would take it to his or her personal advantage. I agree that what the country needs is someone who can clean up the mess that has been accumulated over the past years – the mess that has made us apathetic and disillusioned about the country that we now live in. I agree that the elections this coming 2010 is not a regular and peaceful one. First there is the new automated system which I believe will raise a lot of complications since I don’t think it has been prepared adequately. Second, unlike other Presidential election periods, this election does not entirely guarantee a peaceful transition – not with talks of GMA wanting cha-cha and possibly not relinquishing her power in a docile and quiet manner. And with Erap seeking a re-election, what can we really expect?

Continue reading “Rooting for Noynoy”

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I can’t help but take pity at Noynoy Aquino. He has been thrown into the brightest spotlight in the land today – a spotlight of which I don’t think he is completely ready for. I can imagine the pressure he is in right now – an outspoken presidential candidate has given up his post for him and thousands of Filipino people are urging him to run for the highest position in the country.

If before he had some desire to be president, he must have been shocked that such a desire would  materialize so early  and catch him completely unprepared. No wonder he needed the weekend to think and pray it over. 

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Aquino

I personally don’t think he is fully capable of running the country. Yet he has all the elements, reminiscent of the past, going for him. We have been under a President whom everyone believes has overextended her term, much like Pres. Marcos did. We are under an administration that have seen more deaths – army attacks, extra-judicial killings – somewhat similar to the salvage days of the Martial Law era. We are under an administration that claims economic prosperity which no one can really feel – GDP and GNP increases but the price of basic commodities remains expensive and more Pinoys go hungry everyday.

And now we have been presented with a choice for honest governance. Yes, he seems to lack experience but didn’t Cory also lacked experience when she assumed the position? 

Yet times are also slightly different now than before. During the 1980’s there were just two options – Marcos or Aquino. Now we also have Villar, Lacson, Binay, Escudero, De Castro, Panlilio even Estrada plus who knows who else. Wouldn’t it be all simpler if we would be left with just two options – a pro-administration and one against the administration. As I can see it, most of the candidates basically fight for the same reforms and causes. I believe that based on the basic premises of their platforms, we can categorize them into just two categories which would make our decisions much easier. 

I hope Noynoy gets the Divine guidance he needs. May the Lord speak to him about what the country really needs and what he really ought to do. And may the Lord speak, not only to him, but to the other presidential hopefuls as well. And may they have the nerve enough to listen to Him.

Choosing Country Over Self

 

Mar Roxas

Today, I admired Mar Roxas even more. When I first heard him speak during the Gerry Roxas Foundation 50th anniversary launching, I was already awed by the eloquence of how he delivered his speech. Furthermore I was awed by the sincerity oozing out from the person. I at once knew that he was a man of integrity.

 

After the event, and after having my photo taken with him – of which he was most kind to oblige to – I resolved to be more attuned to the current state of the country. Thus began my after lunch ritual of going to  CRL (Church of the Risen Lord)’s office to have a cup of coffee while perusing the day’s headlines.

I can say that at that time I was updated with all the latest happenings in the country. And I owe that to the awareness created by Mar Roxas when I heard him give that privilege speech. Of course I did not only tuned myself to the country, I also tuned myself to the man. I researched about him and subscribed to his blogs (Twitter wasn’t yet invented that time or it was still relatively new, else I would have joined Twitter because of him).

Yet after he announced officially his intent to run for President in 2010, and when he started his infomercials, not to mention publicize his engagement to Korina, I began doubting his sincerity. Perhaps he was just like the rest – putting up shows for people to watch and know him. After all, he was inconsistent with the image he projects to the country and admittedly, the engagement announcements were tasteless.

At this point, disappointment crept in and I began to see the glare of the negative blogs about him. I stopped altogether caring about the person. Yet I knew deep down that I will still vote for him for President.

Now, he has withdrawn his candidacy. He has chosen country over self. And for that I admire him even more. His critics may argue that he was already losing, that his campaign was going to the drain and to withdraw is simply his attempt to redeem his plunking reputation but I beg to disagree. Yes, given the fact that his campaign was going nowhere and his ratings were dropping, to admit defeat is a manly and very courageous thing to do. Furthermore, to support someone who he believes will win (for whatever reasons, I can only speculate), is something that I believe took lots of guts and courage for him to do.

Considering that he has been very vocal about running for President, considering that he had received a lot of criticisms over his infomercials, considering that even his fiance has been accussed of simply wanting to be First Lady so she will marry Mar, I think it was really brave of the senator to step down and claim defeat.

He has set aside his personal ambition, his personal dream to serve the country in the highest position possible, to consider the country’s welfare. That for me is true public service. That for me is using your brains to see the nation prosper. That for me is sincerity at its best. Sincerity amidst a see of hypocrisy.

How I wish the other politicians will take heed. Don’t they see that the people are already becoming confused with the huge number of candidates we are asked to chose from? Can’t they unite under one banner – the banner of what they are fighting for. Mar recognized that he was on the same boat as Noynoy. If it was Noynoy who had more chances of winning, he was prepared to join Noynoy’s boat and fight the same cause. He wasn’t afraid to look stupid because he went against the norm of politics. 

In our political system, it is so easy to break off and create another party if one is not chosen as standard bearer of his respective party even if the causes and reforms are all the same. No wonder, our country has a lot of candidates, under different party names, but basically fighting for the same causes. No wonder Erap is seriously considering running if the Opposition will not come up with one solid candidate. In fairness to Erap, I like how he thinks this time.

We still have time. It is but 8 months away till elections. I wish that the politicians will use that time to decide once and for all who they are serving – themselves or the country.

Aquino or Roxas?

 

The Liberal Party is choosing between Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas for their Presidential Bet. Although Roxas was the first to announce his presidency bid, the recent death of the late President Cory Aquino and the tremendous support shown by the Filipino people for this beacon of democracy has made Aquino a contender for the presidency even if he had no intentions of running in the first place. 
Now I am at odds who to vote for. Even if I am not entirely convinced that Roxas is what the country needs right now, he is still my best bet for the presidency. Well up until I am able to investigate further the other likely candidates like Villar and Escudero – if Escudero will really run for Presidency. Even with the 2010 Elections drawing to a close, I still haven’t given up my ideals that for a change to really happen in the country, we need to change the entire political system – have only two parties instead of the numerous parties we now have, change how some government policies work out, etc. But then reality bites, we cannot really change the system now. It is too late for that and even if we do so, that would encourage a lot of uproar in the society for that would further compromise the position of the current president. What if she somehow manages to really extend her term? There would be civil war, no doubt. 
Then again, I know that I should really investigate these presidential hopefuls. It is my right to vote and it also goes to follow that it is my duty to vote wisely. Voting wisely means investigating for myself what these candidates had done and is capable of doing. Who are they really and what is their character? Are they really capable of the highest position in the country? How certain am I that even if they are morally upright now, when faced with temptations greater than what they have probably encountered before, they will not balk and give in?
Interestingly, I do not think that either Roxas or Aquino should be the president. They have done a lot for the country and they are morally upright but I do not think they have the capacity to rule the country – just yet. Maybe they should first be vice-presidents or something. In any case, I was talking to my friend today (thanks to GLOBE UNLI-CALLS which they gave to me for free), and I learned that Aquino lived in his parent’s house till the time of Cory’s death. My friend said Kris Aquino, in a statement she made in the Buzz, said that since there were a lot of memories associated with the old house, they will not allow it to be destroyed. She further mentioned that she is now allowing Noynoy to look for his own place, just make sure it’s not too expensive. Hmm. Interesting comment don’t you think? My friend and I then speculated if Noynoy really earns such a small salary that Kris is the one probably paying for his rent or expenses. Then again, a public servant’s salary is really small. 
Another thing I’ve noticed, both Liberal contenders are bachelors. Well it is true that Roxas is now engaged and Aquino has a girlfriend, but then again, it doesn’t change the point that they were or are bachelors for a long time. 
Then agian, I do not really think that personal lives determine a person’s worth as a public servant. I just hope that the next president will really have the capacity to turn the country around. I should start doing my research.

 

The Liberal Party is choosing between Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas for their Presidential Bet. Although Roxas was the first to announce his presidency bid, the recent death of the late President Cory Aquino and the tremendous support shown by the Filipino people for this beacon of democracy has made Aquino a contender for the presidency even if he had no intentions of running in the first place. 

mar-noynoy

 

Now I am at odds who to vote for. Even if I am not entirely convinced that Roxas is what the country needs right now, he is still my best bet for the presidency. Well up until I am able to investigate further the other likely candidates like Villar and Escudero – if Escudero will really run for Presidency. Even with the 2010 Elections drawing to a close, I still haven’t given up my ideals that for a change to really happen in the country, we need to change the entire political system – have only two parties instead of the numerous parties we now have, change how some government policies work out, etc. But then reality bites, we cannot really change the system now. It is too late for that and even if we do so, that would encourage a lot of uproar in the society for that would further compromise the position of the current president. What if she somehow manages to really extend her term? There would be civil war, no doubt. 

 

 

Then again, I know that I should really investigate these presidential hopefuls. It is my right to vote and it also goes to follow that it is my duty to vote wisely. Voting wisely means investigating for myself what these candidates had done and is capable of doing. Who are they really and what is their character? Are they really capable of the highest position in the country? How certain am I that even if they are morally upright now, when faced with temptations greater than what they have probably encountered before, they will not balk and give in?

 

Interestingly, I do not think that either Roxas or Aquino should be the president. They have done a lot for the country and they are morally upright but I do not think they have the capacity to rule the country – just yet. Maybe they should first be vice-presidents or something. In any case, I was talking to my friend today (thanks to GLOBE UNLI-CALLS which they gave to me for free), and I learned that Aquino lived in his parent’s house till the time of Cory’s death. My friend said Kris Aquino, in a statement she made in the Buzz, said that since there were a lot of memories associated with the old house, they will not allow it to be destroyed. She further mentioned that she is now allowing Noynoy to look for his own place, just make sure it’s not too expensive. Hmm. Interesting comment don’t you think? My friend and I then speculated if Noynoy really earns such a small salary that Kris is the one probably paying for his rent or expenses. Then again, a public servant’s salary is really small. 

 

Election 2010

 

 

Another thing I’ve noticed, both Liberal contenders are bachelors. Well it is true that Roxas is now engaged and Aquino has a girlfriend, but then again, it doesn’t change the point that they were or are bachelors for a long time. 

 

Then agian, I do not really think that personal lives determine a person’s worth as a public servant. I just hope that the next president will really have the capacity to turn the country around. I should start doing my research.