Will Noynoy measure up to parents' legacy?

Posted at 09/09/2009 4:20 PM | Updated as of 09/10/2009 3:23 PM

MANILA - Now that Sen. Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III has crossed the Rubicon, can he untie the Gordian knot?

This is the major question of leaders of civil society as they threw their support to Aquino’s presidential bid in May 2010.

Viewed as a reluctant candidate, which is supposedly one quality that makes him suitable for the presidential post, Aquino now faces the challenge of proving he is worthy of, or better than, his parent’s legacy.

As the candidate currently in the spotlight, activist priest Fr. Robert Reyes said Aquino is on the cusp of reforming the country’s “present elitist democracy to one that is participatory.”

Reyes, who was present in Aquino’s formal announcement at Club Filipino on Wednesday, said he is supporting the Aquino scion’s candidacy, like most civil society groups.

He is among the convenors of the new movement, “Noynoy Para sa Pilipinas” or “Noypi,” which is supporting Aquino's bid.

Reyes said Aquino is different from the other aspirants since he was able to inspire civil society groups to once again be hopeful that change is possible.

Noynoy's democracy challenge

The prelate noted that the late President Corazon Aquino, while she restored democracy, was hampered in demolishing “elitist democracy” during her administration.

President Arroyo, on the other hand, only paid lip service to her vow to bring wider participation of civil society groups in governance. Arroyo came into power in January 2001 following a series of corruption scandals involving then President Joseph Estrada.

While Arroyo may have tapped civil society leaders like former Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman and former presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Deles in her official Cabinet, they were eventually “co-opted by Arroyo.”

Reyes said “it was a good thing that they bolted out of her Cabinet before it was too late.”

Aquino, he said, has the chance of undoing what Arroyo did by really giving “all sectors in society a voice in governance.”

Deles, who was also present in Aquino’s formal declaration, said she expects him “to bring back governance and to strengthen democracy” in case he wins as President.

Black and White movement spokesperson Leah Navarro said she is hopeful that Aquino, if he becomes president, will uphold “good governance and institutional reform” by “opening accountability and engaging in consultations with stakeholders."

Reforming Hacienda Luisita

The party-list Akbayan, which is supporting Aquino, said that it would engage Aquino on the agrarian reform case surrounding Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac owned by the Aquino and Cojuangco clans.

The fate of 6,400 hectare property has been one of the major criticisms thrown at then-President Aquino's "democratic" restoration. While land reform was one of the pillars of her administration, her own family's agricultural estate was spared of actual agrarian reform. And in 2004, 14 workers died in a violent dispersal of striking sugar plantation workers in the hacienda.

Deles acknowledged Hacienda Luisita's land reform would be one of major issues that Aquino would have to confront. “But we trust him that he will do what needs to be done” when the right time comes, she said.

Reyes said Aquino should also be prepared to handle issues concerning his uncle, businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr., especially the coco-levy fund controversies. Cojuangco is accused of misusing the levy imposed by on coconut farmers to enrich himself.

Recently, a case against a move by Cojuangco-led conglomerate San Miguel Corporation has reached the Supreme Court. San Miguel wanted to convert company shares that coconut farmers have been claiming as illegally acquired by Cojuangco into non-voting shares.

This move had been criticized by farmer groups and civil society organizations as a way for Aquino’s uncle to set aside the farmer claimants in how the company is ran.

Reyes said Aquino should address these issues not only when he becomes President, but also even during the election campaign.

In his formal announcement on Wednesday, Aquino provided a glimpse into his administration in case he gets to Malacañang.

He said he would provide access of justice “not only for the well-connected but for everybody.”

He cited, for instance, the ill-gotten wealth cases of the Marcoses. More than 20 years after the fall of the Marcos regime, he said there is no closure yet. by Aries Rufo, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak


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32 comments

just can't help it hahaaa!!!

and while "crossing the Rubicon" and "untying the Gordian knot" are metaphors, FISHBALL is definitely not a fish bowl wahahahaaa...


p.s......mag FISHBALL na lang

p.s......mag FISHBALL na lang tayo!!!!!!


what the heck was Mar

what the heck was Mar thinking?!?!....i was really putting my faith in him to make it good running for president and making it too... but oh boy, what a let down, now i can't even see him near half the man i thought he was before...tsk tsk tsk...anong alam naman ng Noynoy na yan? Can't people see that it's actually Kris who's jerking the strings of his puppet big bro Noynoy around? It is Kris who has this grand political ambition kaya kung manalo si Noynoy, hay naku...si Kris ang First Lady and the sotto voce behind Noynoy's ear....niyahahahaaaaaaa.....disastrous!!!!!!!


annoying

mr. rufo, please get your allusions and facts straight. its really annoying. the rubicon refers to julius caesar while the gordian knot to alexander the great. also, 7 died in luisita in 2004. 13 (not 14) died at mendiola in '87, an incident which was also related to land reform. dont they have editors over there?


MANGARAP KA

Mahirap naman pumili kung hindi man lang natin naririnig kung ano ang plataporma ng mga kandidato. Kung tatanungin mo naman isa-isa pawang mga rhetorics lang ang maririnig mo. LAHAT KASI SILA TRAPO.

Bilang mamamayan, ano ba talaga ang gusto nating pagbabago sa lipunan natin?

Kung mayroon lang sana akong budget, oras at technical support, gagawa ako ng nobela na futuristic ang tema na naglalaman ng lahat na gusto ko na mangyari sa bansa natin. Ang hirap kasi sa mga artists ngayon lagi na lang salamin ng nakaraan at kasalukuyan ang nasa isip. Ganoon din si Rizal noong sinulat niya ang NOLI at El FILI, wala naman siyang gustong mangyari talaga.

Heto ang ilan sa mga pagbabago na gusto ko:
1) Ayusin ang mga holidays natin. Tanggalin ang mga religious holidays at palitan ng angkop na holiday sa LAHAT. kailangang malinaw ang definition ng separation of church and state. Kahit papaano ay mabawasan ang pader na naghihiwalay sa mga muslim at kristiyano.

2) Wag na bigyan ng pork barrel ang mga congressman. Create one PLANNING DEPARTMENT na binubuo ng mga intellectuals, professionals, experts na magsasaayos ng lahat ng proyekto "kuno" ng mga mambabatas.

3) Ilimita ang function ng mga kongresista at senado na magpatibay lamang ng mga inihaing batas. ALAM NAMAN NATIN NA IPINAPAGAWA LANG NG MGA PULITIKO ANG MGA BATAS "DAW" NILA. O kaya naman gaya-gaya ng mga batas sa ibang bansa na hindi naman aplikable dito. PAYO KO: Create a THINKTANK DEPARTMENT. Empower those experts. Halimbawa, ibigay na lang sa mga professional organization ang pagpapanukala ng mga batas.

4) Revise the mission and vision of state universities. Create more institution that caters the technical fields at hindi lang para sa mga may utak "kuno".

5) Revise education system. Hayaan na lang sa tertiary education ang pag-aaral sa masalimuot at kahiya-hiyang philippine history. Kailangang siguraduhin na bago mag-high school ay alam ng bata kung ano ang kanyang mga karapatan, alam kung paano ma-avail ang mga serbisyo ng gobyerno, dapat alam kung paano ipagtanggol ang sarili, dapat din alam kung paano kumita ng pera kahit papaano.

6) Patawan ng ga-leeg na buwis ang mga bisyo at sugal. Dedicate isolated space for those sinners away from main public places.

7) Create a real working National ID database.

8) Regulate Internet. Only those properly tagged websites can pass through.

9) Bank secrecy law should only apply to personal accounts. Transactions of corporations and business should be accessible to proper authorities.

10)With regards to judiciary naman, penalize those erring lawyers. Kailangan ding may jury. Kailangang full-time na vocation ang pagiging hukom. They should not have any business or political interests. Pero siyempre, they must all be rightfully compensated by the state.

11) Tanggalin na ang walang silbing ombudzman at sandiganbayan. Empower the COA, BIR, SEC, DENR and other institutes to file case against corrupt officials. Deretso na sa supreme court ang kaso.

12) Wag na buhayin ang capital punishment. Pumili na lang ng isla somewhere dito sa pilipinas at itapon na lang ang mga kriminal at hayaang mabuhay at mamatay sa isla. The state should not spend more for these criminals. The state should have also the right to sequester properties of those criminals.

13) The state should also have decent retirement package apart from those of SSS, and GSIS. Create homes for elderly and disabled.

14) Regulate all utilities (Petroleum, Electricity, water, and communication). Sabi ni Angelo Reyes, wala naman daw formula ang price increase. Too bad for him to say that. Pwede naman kasi magkaroon ng agreement ang state at owners para sa isang state-protected return of investment. Halimbawa, pwede naman na i-set ang rate of return ng mga utilities na ito para maayos ang presyo. In this way, pwede pakialaman ng state ang libro ng mga companies.

Marami na din akong nasulat. Dagdagan nyo nga itong lista. Walang silbi iyong programang AKOMISMO. ano ba yon?

Going back doon sa plano kong magsulat na lang ng nobela o kahit storyline, sino kaya sa dalawang network ang pwede gumawa ng futuristic na teleserye at hindi mga recycled at escapism na mga fantaserye ang ginagawa?

Im just curious on how people think

hay naku

Puro na lang ba tayo pangarap? ang kailangan natin ay isang taong may kakayahan na mamuno at may nagawa talagang kapakipakinabang. Every President in this country has been tinted with corruption or misgovernance but at the end of the day what is more important is how each one of them contributed to the development of our country. One Aquino president is enough. Villar is not the only one who will have a conflict of private and public interest but Noynoy as well. The issue over the Hacienda Luisita which dates back to her mother's presidency is unresolved up to this point. Even the issue over the coco levy that was rumored to be mis-appropriated by his auncle Danding Cojuangco will haunt his presidency if elected. Definitely for me, I won't vote for him this 2010, probably in 2016.


Naman palaman! Zapote Alabang!

Why do we always pin our hopes to the government? In the real third world, there are only individuals and if the government cannot help us, then it is high time we help ourselves and eventually, help each other.

Kamown mamown.


NOYNOY & MAR

5

Iyan ang hirap sa ating mga Pilipino panay ang turuan kung sino ang dapat na kastiguhin sa mga nagyayaring anomalya sa bansa. Ako, masasabi kong si Juan de la Cruz na rin ang dapat sisihin. Bakit kanyo? Tingnan nyo naman ang kapaligiran natin dito sa Pilipinas lalo na dito sa ka-Maynilaan, ang dumi-dumi at ang mga sulok-sulok ay ang baho-baho. Dahil ito ay sa KAWALAN NG DISIPLINA SA ATING MGA SARILI AT NUMERO UNO ITO SA HINDI PAGUNLAD NG PILIPINAS. Ang nagyayari ay kanya-kanya na lamang at nawala na iyong ika ngay pagtutulungan ng bawat isa. Ang ika-2 ay ang KORAPSIYON ay talagang talamak na dahil alam ng lahat na ang namumuno at mga tauhan niya ay puro sarili din nila ang inaatupag sa pagnanakaw sa perang dapat ay mapunta sa kaban ng gobyerno pero sa kanilang bulsa lang napunta.

Si NOY2 Aquino at MAR Roxas ay parehong malinis ang pangalan at ito ay magandang simula para sa kanilang dalawa at sila ay di nagkakaroon na kahit anong anomalya pamula ng pumasok ang mga ito ng trabaho sa gobyerno. Ang kailangang ngayon ay sila ay pumili ng membro ng kanilang kabinete na malilinis din ang mga pangalan na may subok na kakayahan sa trabaho ng gobyerno.

Kailangang sa susunod na mga araw ay ilahad ni NOY2 at MAR ang kanilang plataporma para ng sa ganoon ay malaman ng taong bayan ang kanilang gagawin kapag sila ay nakaupo na bilang presidente at bise-presidente. Dapat malaman ng tao kung paano ang gagawin nila para maibalik ang DISIPLINA, mawala ang KORAPSIYON, mabawasan ang kabikabilang NAKAWAN at PATAYAN SA KAPULUAN, mapaunlad ang AGRIKULTURA, pagyamanin ang EDUKASYON, ang pagkolekta ng tamang BUWES at iba pang dapat gawin para tuloy-na-tuloy ang pagsulong ng EKONOMIYA ng bansa.

Iyong iba sa OPOSISYON ay dapat ng huwag ituloy ang kanilang balak sa pagtakbo at ibigay na lang ang kanilang suporta sa likod ng kandidatora ni NOY2 at MAR ng sa ganoon ay sigurado na silang dalawa sa pagiging mga pinuno ng bansang PILIPINAS. Kaya ikaw ERAP, VILLAR, CHIZ, LOREN, kalimutan nyo na lang ang balak ninyong tumakbo. Magka-isa-isa na kayo at sigurado kong kung sino man ang manok ni GMA sa 2010 ay walang magagawa at sigurado ang panalo ni NOY2 at MAR.

smiley

Omg! Pilipinas third world

Omg! Pilipinas third world country pa rin! kahit sino yatang maging presedente ng pinas. haaay, sana sa sususnod na bagong presedente sana wala ng mga kawatan sa gobyerno, wala ng terorista, wala ng mga squatter sa ilalim ng tulay. kawawang mamamayang pilipias. sa 2010 puro bago ang naka upo sa malacanang, pero bulok na sestema andun pa rin. nakaka walang ganang bomoto.


HERE GOES NOTHING !

Si mar na lang sana eh. pero nawalan ako ng bilib dahil binigay nya sa mas hindi qualified na kandidato. well kung si estrada at villar lang , si noynoy na lang but i'm really not optimistic about him either. haaaaaaaaayyy........ano ba itoooooo........?????????? puro sa wala rinnnnn.......!!!!!!Pinoy ? angat sa iba? EWAN !!!!WRONG MISTAKE !!!!



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