Tag: PNoy

Well Done PNoy! – Thoughts on SONA 2015

It may not be the best presidential term. It may have been riddled with criticisms and missed opportunities, but, for the most part, it was a good term.

Having lived through 5 presidents (Cory, Ramos, Erap, Gloria and PNoy), PNoy’s term is, by far, the best. He was able to accomplish more than all the 4 past presidents combined. It took 5 presidential terms to finally curb the adverse effects of Marcos’ dictatorship. After the Martial Law, we have spiralled downwards as the poverty of our country was slowly exposed. Corruption remained rampant and people, despite the nationalistic spirit during EDSA Revolution, remained apathetic and impassive – already disillusioned with the state of our government.

I recall how we, as the youth, were constantly urged to be more aware of political affairs; to care more for the country and who we vote and what reforms took place. Yet I will hear many in my generation simply refuse to care, choosing instead to dream of going abroad towards greener pastures. They long to take courses that will secure them a work abroad. Many became nurses and left the country.

But the case is different now. I see more of my generation becoming aware of the current state of our nation. I see more people beginning to care.

And this is because PNoy has given us hope. Hope that there could be a better Philippines.

He has shown us that good governance is possible. That it is possible to rise up in the middle of corruption, criticisms and dissents. He has inspired us that a TUWID NA DAAN is possible.

Oh yes he is not perfect. Yes he has his lapses. There are many things that could have been better. Yolanda and Mampasanao are his recent blunders. But for every blunder he made, there are many other praiseworthy items worth noting. The improved credit ratings due to increased trust by investors, the number of PPP projects which totaled to 50 vs the 6 in the past 3 administrations and the K-12 Program which to me, when given the chance, will put our education at par with the world’s standards (after all, before K-12 we are one of the only two nations not implementing K-12).

He knew it will be a tough job to lead this country coming from the blunders of the past administrations. But he still took the challenge. I can recall how he ascended to presidency right after his mother died. He must have been in grief still at that time when he took on the challenge. It was Mar Roxas who was supposed to be LP’s bet for President. I was all geared to support Mar. But the sudden turn of events saw Noynoy running for President.

I voted for him. And I was not disappointed.

There are many things I still wish would happen like the passage of the FOI Bill but six years is indeed a short time to implement all the good things the country needs. I also know that sometimes, in the pursuit of goodness, there would be certain decisions that will make you unpopular. Decisions that for now, the public may not understand, but when the right time comes everything will be made clear.

PNoy’s term is coming to an end. But his projects and what he accomplished will remain for long. The 2016 Elections is just around the bend. At this point, we should all be diligently doing our research on who the rightful candidates should be.

Instead of criticizing, let us think of solutions. And then determine who’s the leader who can best implement them.

We cannot expect perfection but we should demand excellence. And our next leader should be someone who will do his best – whatever it takes – to serve the country, and not himself.

Indeed you did Mr. President. You did. -PNoy quoting 2 Tim 4:7
Indeed you did Mr. President. You did.
-PNoy quoting 2 Tim 4:7

Related Articles from around my blog:

PNOY: Lonely at the Top?

Where is PNoy?

Related Articles from around the web:

Aquino’s Legacy: His Final SONA by CNN Philipipnes

SONA 2015: Legacies and Missed Opportunities by Rappler

Full Text of SONA 2015 in English (courtesy of Rappler)

Great Insights of Friends working with the PNoy Administration

aika raffy

The Delikadeza of Grace Padaca

She had a warrant of arrest for graft and malversation of funds. Her political enemies filed the case against her. She said she will not post bail and authorities were free to arrest her. She said she’s not hiding from law and the reason her warrant is not being served is because no one is arresting her.

Last week, PNoy appointed her as Comelec commissioner. Last week, PNoy gave her bail money. Last week, LP president-on-leave, Mar Roxas accompanied her to post the bail. Now she holds office at the Comelec.

What’s wrong with the picture?

Grace Padaca suddenly found herself to have a very public role. She’ll be in the plain sight of authorities and the public; of both supporters and critics alike. If she will not post bail the authorities have to arrest her. How will she perform her role then?

PNoy promised her bail money. Mar Roxas accompanied her. For her, this was vindication that they believed she was not a corrupt official. She accepted their help.

In an interview I watched in ANC’s Prime Time, with voice cracking and hinting on tears, she said she had no choice but to accept the President’s offer since she doesn’t have the money on her own. She claimed it will not affect her integrity. She will remain objective in her post.

Granted she is an honest woman; granted she is truly a public servant with good governance at heart but with her actions isn’t it just expected that the public will become wary of her and subsequently the President and his tuwid na daan advocacy? Doesn’t she know that credibility is one of the fundamental qualities of a good leader? Granted her intentions were good, granted the accusations against her were shrouded with political malice, but the actions of PNoy placed her in a bad light.

With PNoy having a senatorial line up of politicians who were before from other sides of the fence but gaining high survey approval ratings at the poll, one can’t help but think that PNoy is merely trying to cast his influence far and wide to assure him of solid support in his undertakings. He is making sure that all of those who can possibly win are part of his ticket.

I would have been supportive of this if only he is also able to show us that the bills that are fair and just are the ones able to pass into law. I know that it is very hard for a leader to get things done if faced with so much opposition. I can understand the need to have unanimous support in the legislature and the judicial branches. But signing the Cybercrime Act into law while continuously belittling the need for the Freedom of Information Law is a sign for me that he is not just and fair. For me, it’s a sign that the interest of the public is not utmost in his mind. For me, it’s a sign he can be influenced and he has his own interest too.

Appointing Grace Padaca as Comelec commissioner and posting her bail may have vindicated Padaca’s innocence but for me it’s a clear sign of PNoy’s one more step in ensuring majority support in the legislative branch. Further, it undermines PNoy’s sense of fairness and equality. Ms. Padaca is accused of the same crime as that of Ms. Arroyo and Mr. Corona. But while the latter two were tried and convicted respectively and upon heavy insistence of PNoy, Ms. Padaca is being defended by the President. Where is the sense of fairness and equality in that? Even if it is clear to the public that she did nothing wrong, she should still have stood trial.

If I were Grace Padaca, I would have stood my ground and demanded fair trial. I would have done it a long time ago. If I knew I was truly innocent, I would have nothing to fear or hide. I would even come forward willingly to clean up my name. I would not let things come this far.

That way, the public would, to this day, retain their trust to the President and his tuwid na daan. That way we can continue to hope that change is possible and is starting in this country. Unfortunately, it seems we’re still on the same old rot hole we were in years ago. The promise of change remains as elusive as a fleeting breeze on a hot dry summer.

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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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The New Dynamics of Begging

Poverty has indeed afflicted our society in graver ways. This evening as I was lining up for the jeepney ride home, a young girl perhaps 8 years old, relatively clean and decent looking went to every person on the line, sang a Christmas song and unabashedly asked for money. She was alone yet she was persistent.

A similar case is seen outside SM. As one alights from the tricycle groups of boys would immediately sing to you Christmas carols and ask for money usually even before you get the chance to pay the driver. Thus some end up giving them the loose change.

This kind of scenario was basically absent or not that prominent in Naga City last year. I only experienced this in Naga this year. In Manila I was used to persistent beggars. But in Naga, no.

Which led me to wonder, how high did the incidence of poverty rose in our country? With PNoy’s program of ensuring a tuwid na daan, is he really sacrificing too much the livelihood of the people? I hope he realizes the other great problems of this country and starts really acting on them in a capacity that is felt positively. I hope the increase in credit rating of our country rubs off it’s effects in ways we, the common people could readily feel. Otherwise, the country may cease to care what kind of a daan it is so long as their stomachs are filled.

Where is PNoy?

With everything happening in our country now, one wonders where is the President in all this? It’s almost Christmas – the time for merrymaking before the year ends but there will be no rounds of holiday cheers in devastated Mindanao – particularly Cagayan de Oro. The place has been ravaged by Typhoon Sendong to the point that funeral homes are now faced with the dilemma of burying the almost 500 casualties. Aside from the usual call for relief goods, there is a plea for additional coffins, formalin and body bags.

It is indeed devastating. The country is left grieving at such destruction so close to Christmas. And amid all these turmoil, where is the President?

In a tweet by a celebrity, he is allegedly enjoying himself at a night of party laughing candidly at said celebrity’s jokes. In a follow up tweet, the celebrity apologized if her earlier tweet was deemed insensitive. She claimed that the President did has his duties to his employees and that enjoying a party didn’t mean he was not thinking of ways to help out the devastated parts of the country. This statement was made amid the issues created by such tweet.

Indeed I cannot blame PNoy for wanting to enjoy the holiday cheer. I can just imagine the stress he’s in and the pressure being a President has put on him. In fact, I do not doubt if he is regretting being president right now. He was not so keen after all to run for President during the 2010 elections. He was more like forced into it by the death of his mother.

This is also not the first time PNoy has been accused of being inactive in the face of a national crisis. There’s the Quirino Grandstand Hostage Taking which people felt PNoy could have done better; there’s the devastation by Typhoon Pedring and Quiel where PNoy visited the sites – after the devastation was over. He doesn’t like being showy about his support. He doesn’t even like photo shoots.

PNoy has his own brand of governance which many perceive to be laid back. He has even been called lazy by some. He simply doesn’t like being in the thick of things. He is not like past presidents which immediately travel to devastated areas, surveying the damage and rallying the supports. That simply is not his brand.

The question though is – does he have the liberty to run the country in his own style? Is he taking too much liberty in running it the way he wants to? I do not question his cleaning up the government – impeaching an Ombudsman and a Supreme Court Justice – if that is the way for his tuwid na daan to push through. I do not question his putting a higher priority in eliminating corruption over improving the country’s economy. But I sincerely question his action in the face of adversity – or the lack of it.

Given that he, in his own private ways, away from the lenses of cameras, is deliberating ways to help out the calamity stricken citizens. Given that to somehow lessen the stress and pressure he is feeling, he went to an official party (it was his employees’ Christmas Party after all) and enjoyed his evening. He is doing something after all and de-stressing is simply part of the deal. But the public needs his presence more than anything else.

In a time of nationwide crisis, apart from the behind-the-camera work he is doing, what the public needs is his image – surveying the damage and rallying the troops. He was elected into office not just to lead the country and serve the people but to also inspire and give them hope. Just like the kings of medieval times whose presence are needed in battles to give the soldiers hope, our country’s President, to become effective, need to also make his presence felt. Of course he need to work on real concrete and effective solutions but then he must also be visible and public.

Once he embraced the life of a public servant, specifically that of the highest rank in the land, he forego most of his privacy and lived his life in complete service to the people who placed him in office.

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Sidenote: The celebrity also has her share in the blame. As they say, think before you click. She should have thought out the implications of her tweet before sending it to cyberspace. However, the public would have been more forgiving and understanding of PNoy’s behavior if his behavior is one of active involvement instead of laid back action.