Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Noynoy Aquino, out of the shadows.
BY JAEMARK TORDECILLA
BEFORE the August 5, 2009 funeral of his mother, there was no public clamor for Senator Noynoy Aquino to run for president in 2010. Neither was there any reason for his youngest sister, popular television personality Kris Aquino, to discuss his love life on national television after its details leaked out in different broadsheets and gossip rags.He had been living a quiet life, or at least as quiet a life as someone named ‘Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III’ could live. A cursory check of headlines over the years reveals how the spotlight seemingly shone on Noynoy only incidentally; his name was mentioned mostly in stories about the political crusades of his mother, former President Corazon ‘Cory’ Aquino, against Joseph ‘Erap’ Estrada in 2000 and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2005, or in items about the twists and turns of Kris’s love life and how these affected the Aquino family.
Then Cory Aquino passed away last August 1. A few days later, her funeral triggered an outpouring of sympathy from millions of Filipinos, who soon turned their gaze on her grieving 49-year-old son as the only candidate who could supposedly summon the so-called ‘Cory magic.’
Support for Noynoy’s run for president has since grown steadily, highlighted by the withdrawal from the race of early presidential aspirant and Liberal Party colleague Sen. Mar Roxas, as well as other potential candidates such as Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio and Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca. Yet the truth is that the public remains in the dark about the not-so-apparent heir to the Aquino political legacy. Between now and May 2010, the country will be trying to figure out who Noynoy Aquino is, apart from being the son of Cory and Ninoy, the brother of Kris, and the uncle of Josh and Baby James.
IT CAN be argued that Noynoy, a fifth-generation politician and a scion of two political clans, already has politics in his DNA. But Noynoy did not show the political precociousness of his father, the so-called “Wonder Boy of Philippine politics.” Noynoy won his first political race in 1998, a seat in the House of Representatives from the 2nd District of Tarlac, at age 38. This was in stark contrast to the political career of his father, Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr., who was the country’s youngest mayor at 22, the youngest governor at 29, and the youngest senator at 34. And unlike his father, who was a captivating speaker even outside the halls of Congress, Noynoy is seen as less eloquent, albeit with his own folksy speaking style.
Veteran PR man and close family friend Reli German himself says he has heard about Noynoy’s “quiet sipag (hard work)” but cannot recall any major law that the younger Aquino has passed as Tarlac congressman for nine years and senator for three years.
He swears this much about Noynoy: “He is sincere, ‘di siya peke, ‘di siya plastic, straight shooter, simple living, hindi mahilig gumimik.” Dining at restaurants and occasional visits to a gun-firing range are the “worst” indulgences of Noynoy, says German.
Noynoy did not dive head-first into politics, to be sure. After earning his degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1981, he joined his family in Boston in exile. In 1983, shortly after the murder of his father, Noynoy had a short tenure as a member of the Philippine Business for Social Progress. He followed that up with stints in Nike Philippines and Mondragon, working in sales. In 1986, he joined two family-owned corporations, Intra-Strata Assurance Corp. and Best Security Agency Corp., serving as vice-president for both companies.
In 1987, he almost lost his life during a military coup d’etat, after encountering rebel soldiers at the gates of Malacanang. To this day, a bullet remains lodged in his neck.
He went to work for the Central Azucarera de Tarlac in 1993, the sugar refinery owned by the Cojuangco clan. He started out as an executive assistant for administration, before becoming field services manager in 1996.
By 1998, Noynoy decided to run for representative in the 2nd district of Tarlac. It was perhaps inevitable; two relatives, cousin Gilbert C. Teodoro Jr. and uncle Jesli Lapus, also ran and won congressional positions in Tarlac’s two other districts.
BY THE time he got to the House of Representatives, Noynoy had hitched his political wagon to the Liberal Party, along with other young politicians such as Mar Roxas, Florencio ‘Butch’ Abad, and Michael ‘Mike’ Defensor. The party was part of the administration in 1998, but they withdrew support from Joseph Estrada when allegations exploded against the president. Cory Aquino also joined those calling for Estrada’s resignation, and in late 2000, Noynoy signed the impeachment complaint against Estrada.
In a 2002 interview with the Philippine Star, a year after Estrada was ousted from power, Noynoy revealed his friendship with the former president. “Erap up to the end was very good to me,” he said. “Even up to today, after I had withdrawn support for him, I still consider Erap on a personal basis as a good friend. Unfortunately on the public side, on his politics, I felt that his policies were leading our country towards a civil war arising from hunger,” Noynoy said.
By 2004, the Liberal Party membership in the House had grown substantially, and the group threatened to bolt Jose de Venecia’s administration coalition and install Noynoy as House Speaker. De Venecia was able to placate the LP, with Noynoy being designated Deputy Speaker for Luzon.
But the Liberal Party soon had a falling out with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo after the ‘Hello Garci’ controversy. Noynoy was stripped of his Deputy Speakership in 2006.
Noynoy was elected to the Senate in 2007, after running a campaign that featured an ad with his mother promising “lagot siya sa nanay niya (he will get it from his mother)!” if he was ever to do anything wrong as a public servant. In the last three years, he has quietly made his mark as an active and independent-minded legislator. He led the call for the renegotiation of the Japan Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), and was one of four senators who voted against its ratification. Roxas was one of the co-sponsors of the treaty.
He currently chairs the Senate Committee on Local Government, which is in charge of, among other things, taking in proposals for the creation of new legislative districts. One such controversial measure aims to create a new legislative district in Camarines Sur, supposedly so that presidential son and incumbent Rep. Diosdado ‘Dato’ Arroyo and Department of Budget and Management Secretary Rolando Andaya, an Arroyo ally, would not have to run against each other in next year’s election. Noynoy’s opposition to the measure has put him at loggerheads with its proponent, Sen. Joker Arroyo, Cory Aquino’s former executive secretary who was also one of her most loyal advisers.
NOYNOY HAS authored a total of nine bills. This pales in comparison with the 738 bills filed by Miriam Defensor Santiago over the same period, but not with the eight bills filed by fellow freshman Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.
Two bills authored by Noynoy have passed Senate and are pending before the House of Representatives:
- Senate Bill No. 2978 would amend Republic Act No. 6875, or the Local Government Act, to put in place parameters for the selection of PNP Provincial Directors and City/Municipal Chief of Police for local government units.
- Senate Bill No. 1710 would ban the re-appointment of a regular member of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) who has already served the full term.
- Government Procurement and Corruption
- Senate Bill No. 2160 would introduce an amendment to Republic Act No. 9864, or the Government Procurement Reform Act, which seeks to remove ambiguity so that the act would cover projects such as the National Broadband Network (NBN) project, the Cyber Education (CyberEd) project, and other projects of the scale.
- Senate Bill No. 2035 would require contractors to handle the regular maintenance and preservation for public infrastructure after the end of the project
- Senate Bill No. 3121 would add Congressional oversight to budget decisions undertaken by the President, including budget rescission, reservation, and deferral
- Human rights
- Senate Bill No. 2159, or the Superior Responsibility Act of 2008, would adopt the doctrine of ‘Superior Responsibility’ for all military and police personnel, in response to extra-judicial killings, particularly human rights activists and media practitioners
- Workers’ rights and benefits
- Senate Bill No. 1370, or the Workers Productivity Incentives Act of 2007 would grant annual productivity incentive bonuses to all workers in the private sector amounting to no less than 10% of the company’s net profits before taxes
- Senate Bill No. 2036 would amend Republic Act No. 6727, otherwise known as the ‘Wage Rationalization Act’, to increase the penalties for non-compliance of the prescribed increases and adjustments in the wage rates of workers
- Presidential appointees
- Senate Bill No. 1719, or the Appointee Eligibility Act of 2007, would limit the reappointment of presidential appointees by-passed by the Commission on Appointment, in response to the alleged presidential abuse of appointments
His sponsorship of House bills has also resulted in the creation of two new legislative districts, in Malolos City and in Agusan del Sur, with sponsorships for bills for reapportionments in four other districts (Lapu-Lapu City, Cavite, Camarines Norte, Iligan City) still pending. He also sponsors House bills concerned with special city and municipal holidays, such as the Cagayan de Oro City Day and the Getage (Bohol) Foundation Day.
LAST WEDNESDAY, in the question-and-answer session that followed his announcement of his candidacy in the 2010 presidential race, Noynoy gave his take on various issues in broad strokes.
Asked a question about his peace plan in Mindanao, he talked about his consultations with people from Davao and Zamboanga discussing the Memorandum of Agreement on ancestral domain, and cited the need for more dialogue, the setup of baselines for the talks, and perhaps the need to find better intermediaries for the process.
“I want to make democracy work, not just for the rich and well-connected, but for everybody,” he answered when asked about his governance platform. He segued into a discussion of a couple of his pet peeves: the proliferation of erroneous text books come school opening each year, which he described as a tragedy that he would aim to correct if elected; and, the slow delivery of justice in the country, citing the hidden wealth of the Marcoses as an example. He added that solving these issues require strong political will.
He also detailed his plan to battle corruption, and revealed that he is already working with his people on methodologies and timeframes for catching, investigating, and prosecuting erring public officials. He reiterated the need to strengthen the judiciary to ensure swift and effective delivery of justice.
He also addressed the issue of funding for his campaign, saying that he could not afford to run a traditional campaign given the lack of time and resources because of his sudden entry into the race. Instead, he said that the people would have to run a non-traditional campaign alongside him.
When asked about how he would want to be remembered at the end of his term if he became president, Noynoy answered: “I hope that I will be a president that will be missed when I step down.”
It was a rather ironic remark from someone who used to be barely noticed or was often overshadowed by a more prominent relative (usually female, and often either his mother or his loquacious sister Kris). But during the biggest moment so far in his political career, Noynoy managed to be a mild success, displaying wit, humor, and even a little charm – all traits that his father had in abundance.
In all probability, Noynoy has been compared constantly to his parents in the past. It’s a situation that he will have to endure all the more as a presidential candidate, and it’s inevitable that even not-so-pleasant points during Ninoy and especially Cory’s respective political lives would be brought up.
In the case of Cory, Hacienda Luisita was a sore spot in her legacy, a symbol of the failure to bring equity to the nation’s poor. At the time of the 2004 Hacienda Luisita killings, Noynoy himself drew flak from various groups after he said that leftists had goaded the workers in the Hacienda to go on strike. Noynoy drew further criticism from human rights groups following a spate of killings of Hacienda’s union leaders, even as he issued statements condemning them.
Of course, Cory’s mission as president, as she understood it, had always been to restore democracy. Noynoy would no longer have that excuse, and it is perhaps the biggest question he will have to answer as he tries to duplicate his mother’s feat. – with additional reporting by Malou C. Mangahas, PCIJ, September 2009
Go to link: http://pcij.org/stories/noynoy-aquino-out-of-the-shadows/
Monday, April 19, 2010
Why will I vote for NoyNoy? -WINNIE MONSOD
Monsod's Musings
....Winnie Monsod
Villar still refuses to attend the Senate to face questions, and it only reminds me of how GMA used the privilege of her office to avoid questioning. What will happen if Villar wins and more corruption scandals surface? With Villar catching up to Noynoy in the polls, I am honestly quite terrified of the prospect of him winning. There is a clear case of graft in this instance, and instead of delving into the issues, his allies in the legislative are simply brushing off the allegations as "politically motivated".
As a citizen, we should not accept this. If there is smoke, we must see if there is a fire that needs to be put out. Yes, the timing of the allegations seem a bit off. ( Joker Arroyo was pushing these issues as early as 1998). A known crook and political opportunist, Juan Ponce Enrile, is the person leading the censure. However, when the facts are presented, it is clear as day that something is amiss. It just further builds on my strong suspicions that Villar is a businessman simply looking to control the political arena
to make a boat load of money.
I have never trusted Villar since day one. I never trust businessmen who enter politics, because in the end, their core value is and always will be profit maximization. It is well documented that Villar's real estate empire ran into some serious financial problems when his overexposure to the real estate market and the Asian Financial Crisis made him unable to pay debts he took out to expand his real estate business in the early 1990s .After the Asian Crisis hit, Capitol Bank, owned by Villar and heavily exposed to his real estate investments was essentially ran to the ground and needed to be bailed out. In 2005, Villar tried to solve his debt problems by hiring a group of investment banks to advise him on how he can consolidate all his assets into one company (Vista Land). With the local and foreign investment bankers, Villar came up with a growth story for investors: "Invest in my company because we need it to fund all these wonderful project!"
However, what was downplayed during the IPO roadshow was that instead of financing growth, resources from the offering would be used to finance his debt. To appease creditors, Villar even had his investment bankers pitch some form of a debt-to-equity conversion that raised skeptical eyebrows of many.
In 2007, the IPO of Vista Land did not do as well as planned,in part because many investors and brokers were the same people who were burned by Villar's inability to pay back his loans. Now, as part of a corporate growth (or should I say corporate restructuring) plan, Villar is lusting for the highest position in the land. This scares me because Villar already has a track record of using his political position to gain the upper hand for his businesses. To save his empire and increase shareholder value of his business, Villar used his influence as Senate Finance Chair to shrewdly derail a Cavite road project that was supposed to be BUILD, OPERATE, and TRANSFER. Villar built a longer and more expensive road, the C-5 extension, adjacent to it; subsequently forcing the private investor in the initial project to pull out. The fishy thing is that this new road, longer and more expensive than the previously planned project, passed through all of Villar's land in Cavite. It is a clear case of graft, pointing to Villar use of influence and government funds to substantially improve the values of his real estate properties. To add insult to injury the right of way the government would have to pay in order to complete the project was substantially higher for the land that Villar owned. These funds could have easily been used to build needed schools.
This scandal should be a red flag for all voters. However, the scary part is that Villar is spending billions to keep this out of the picture as he continues his attempt to brainwash our masses that he is their saviour. He convinces the masses that he is one of them.
A poor boy from the slums of Tondo. In actuality, he is more like the 5-6 and syndicates, slum dwellers themselves who make a profit out of their poor brethren. Villar's ad agencies are doing an excellent job of maintaining this image as well as doing damage control. TV and radio continues to churn out Parokya Ni Edgaresque jingles that compete with "Nobody, Nobody." Dolphy is Villar's new spokesperson and Wowowee is one giant ad for him. In this process of brainwashing, the masses are not cognizant of how Villar conducts business as a politician. What they do not see is a man hell bent on turning our archipelago into his own personal piece of real estate.
It is sad that the efforts of Juan Ponce Enrile, who is leading the censure for Villar, is actually giving Villar more sympathy votes. People do no trust Enrile, and when Enrile pounces on someone, it is usually met with a high degree of skepticism. I do not blame people for feeling this way.I also think Enrile is a crook who should be jailed for conspiring to implement Martial Law, for coup attempts, and for the human rights abuses during the Marcos regime. If someone with a more respectable reputation were to level these charges on Villar, I am sure the surveys would tell a different story.
I also fear from some credible reports that Malacanang has actually made a deal with Villar (under the table). Essentially, GMA's goons said, "We will help you, in return, leave us alone when you win". Villar's behaviour in recent forums further adds credence to these reports as Villar has been very tame and quiet when it comes to how he will treat GMA after the elections.
Appealing to common sense, it makes ALL THE SENSE for GMA to support someone who has a chance of winning, not a person rating at 4% in the surveys. GMA tried to reach out to Noynoy after Tita Cory died. All she got was rejection.
Who can stop Villar in his quest for the presidency?
I am known to be a Noynoy supporter, but to those skeptics and to those who are still undecided, I do concede that he is not perfect. His record as a politician is average and unspectacular at best. He does not have the charisma of his father. Before the death of his mother, he did not get much mileage. But I am going all out in support for Noynoy in 2010 because he stands for clean governance and appear willing to accomplish this. In addition, he has the best chance of preventing a opportunistic businessman, the assured next President of our country before Cory died, from using the Office of the President as a personal growth asset to his business empire.
Noynoy's clean record is a big plus for me. It is a trait that I think should be the most important quality that we should look for in our next president. His appeal is that his track record is not tarnished by corruption, scandals and his political debts are minimal. I know that many critics are trying to make an issue over his involvement in Hacienda Luisita, but Noynoy is not even heavily involved in the company. As a shareholder, Noynoy only owns .04% of Hacienda Luisita, a drop in the ocean and hardly in any position to do something about it. The case of the Hacienda does not have the substance that the C-5 extension controversy has a lot of.
In addition, Nonoy also has an incredible legacy to live up to. All the pressure is on him to be clean and stay clean. He can't afford to tarnish the Aquino name and the immense legacy that his parents left behind. Cory and Ninoy practically sacrificed their family for their dream of a better Philippines. For Noynoy, to know that your father and mother went through so much hardship to improve our country is a heavy burden to think about if you do decide to become a crook and destroy everything that they fought for.
We all have to make a choice. In my opinion, it has to go to the presidentiable who has an independent mind, stands up for what he believes in, is clean, and has the legacy his parents to live up to and maintain. For me, Noynoy, with all his flaws, is that candidate.
For what this country needs is a clean president who can set an example top-down for the entire state; it needs a president with the will to change things and stamp out corruption; it needs a President who can set an example and is willing to perfect our dysfunctional democracy.
I want someone who stands for being clean. He does not need a degree from Harvard. He does not need to have a multi-million peso business to show me he can make us all rich. He does not have to speak well. He just has to be clean. Nothing else should matter. He has to prioritize a platform of clean and effective governance and make sure that it delivers on that
promise.
Policies on the economy, education, energy, environment and health can all follow after the fundamentals are taken cared of. So far, the only candidate who promotes my vision with a clean record to back it up is Noynoy.
Our urban landscape is replete with political slogans that attempt to convince people of certain candidate's ability to lead our nation
Galing at Talino? Sorry Gibo, those were the supposed qualities of GMA, rubber stamped with a Phd in Economics. And what happened? She only worsened our economy. To GMA's credit she did balance our budget at one point, but it has again ballooned to the level where the next president will have to deal with the same economic issues she faced in 2005. During GMA's watch investment in infrastructure was insufficient, poverty incidence worsened, public education deteriorated, our nautical highway is still incomplete, goons like the Ampatuan's flourished in the south, and a culture of corruption flourished in our institutions. Instead of creating jobs, GMA focused on a policy of exporting labor without measuring the social costs of such a policy- thousands of broken OFW families and children of OFW's who do not have the proper parental supervision to teach them the differences between right and wrong. In effect, our next generation is left on their own to figure out how to become empowered patriots who love their country and will fight to defend it. In effect, whatever statistics in GDP growth GMA and her allies love to advertise, non of it trickled down and benefitted
the poor..and none of it accounts for the social costs to her policies.
Good speaker? Sorry Gibo, Marcos had that quality and he did nothing good for our country. In fact, Marcos squandered the opportunity to be our Lee Kuan Yew and Dr. Mahathir. If I want a good, charismatic, and eloquent speaker, let's just run down the list of effective public speakers and vote them in.
Para sa mahirap? Sorry Erap, you had your chance and failed miserably. Your only accomplishment is in convincing our masses that movie roles do not carry over into the political area.
My only concern with Noynoy is how deep he might be in the Liberal Party and whether he has accumulate political debts to Liberal trapos. The Liberal PArty, like any party, has its own share of crooks (including those bandwagon trapos who jumped off GMA"s boat to ride on Aquino's popularity).
How much will Nonoy have to give back to the Liberal trapos (and bandwagon Liberals who jumped GMA's ship) if elected? We will never know. However,I am willing to live with that unanswered question if it means preventing someone like Villar from turning the Philippines into Vista Land's next subdivision development. I am also reassured by the fact that he has that "Aquino" name and the ghosts of his parents to answer to if does decide to go down the immoral path.
Nonoy will not solve all our problems. One person can't. But we need a start somewhere and it should be with someone who pushes honesty, reform, and good governance. It will be a tough battle, but I want to give Noynoy the chance to build on what his mother tried to accomplish. And I hope that if Noynoy wins, he will have the courage to make tough decisions and go after crooks, even if it means hurting a lot of friends and colleagues
in government.
To give you a better sense on how Villar conducts business, here is also a link to Joker Arroyo's 1998 privilege speech:
Actual notes scanned: http://www.scribd. com/doc/22789941 /Joker-Arroyo- Privilege- Speech
I guess "if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck.." Well, as the saying goes......
Vote wisely Philippines. And continue to work towards uplifting the masses and freeing them from their state of hopelessness. Defend them from opportunists.
DEVELOP THEM (FIRST) SPIRITUALLY AND BEHAVIORALLY; THEN ECONOMICALLY! When we lift up the poor and ween them off the mentality of hopelessness, our country will become first world. Only then will we have the powerful middle class that our young democracy is screaming for.
Winnie Monsod
If you want to see the black and white facts on the C5 controversy, check it here =)
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