Why we cannot trust Noynoy and Manny

Newsflash: There is a crisis of authority in the Philippines. Our institutions don’t work and we don’t trust the people behind those institutions. Oh, wait…that’s old news.

The word trust means assured resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship, or other sound principle, of another person. It is a word that means nothing to Filipino voters, specially now that it is a mere banality thrown around by presidential candidates. After all, each and every past presidential candidate had said “trust me” in one way or another. Where are the results?

Let’s face it. In an era where what were considered to be pillars of industry and society – such iconic organisations and communities as Toyota Motors Corp, Wall Street, and the Roman Catholic Church, for example – had imploded, there is a prevailing distrust in the air not just in the Philippines but all around the globe. Institutions that many had relied upon and looked up to for guidance let us down. Malfunctioning brake pads; financial crises and sexual abuses, etcetera, etcetera. Once trust is gone, it is hard to earn it back. Once an individual’s ability to trust is gone, that person becomes completely lost and walks around town without a sense of purpose or meaning. Life is not what it used to be for the person betrayed.

Filipinos have been betrayed time and time again. As a result, a lot of Filipinos walk around devoid of purpose or meaning. They have been continuously betrayed by their government and the very people who supposedly were duty-bound to serve the Filipino people. Institutions like the Senate, Congress and the Office of the President have all been accomplices in that betrayal. Even other elite members of our society who provide essential goods and services like telecommunications, water, and energy cannot be relied upon to put their customers first before the bottom line. They too are collapsing inwards; they just don’t know it yet.

Filipinos do not trust anyone who says “trust me”. Ask the average Filipino who is apathetic about the coming election and he or she will likely just shrug and say “Pareho-pareho lang ang mga kandidatong yan. Mag-nanakaw lahat” (roughly translated, “All the candidates are the same. They are all corrupt”). Regardless of who among the two most popular candidates, Noynoy Aquino or Manny Villar, get the 40% vote in the election needed to place them in the top job, there will still be the 60% of the constituents who didn’t vote for that candidate and likely won’t trust him. That’s a lot of Filipinos who will be walking around town without senses of purpose or meaning in life.

Who can you trust in this environment? Maybe we should all learn from what happened to U.S. President Barrack Obama. President Obama is a good man. President Obama promised change during his campaign. A lot of people trusted him, and that is why he is now in office. Fast forward to now: a lot of Americans are dissatisfied with his performance. As a result, his popularity rating has declined dramatically. President Obama indeed does want change but he has a lot of detractors who don’t subscribe to his ideas around how to implement change in the system. It turns out that it was not going to be easy to institute change. Lots of businesses have vested interests in not seeing the kinds of changes that Obama wanted to implement, specially in the health care system.

This is democracy at work. It’s not easy to implement change in a First World country that practices democracy like the U.S. — and more so in a Third World country like the Philippines where institutions are weak. There is a lot of wheeling and dealing that takes place behind closed doors.

Therefore, if you have a leader like the late president Cory Aquino who was technically a push-over, then the changes that will be made could potentially be more detrimental for the country and its people. This is exactly what happened when the 1987 constitution was drafted. To put it bluntly, the same thing is going to happen if Noynoy Aquino becomes the president of the Philippines because he does not want to touch his mother’s Constitution; one that is hindering our country’s march to progress. This is precisely the reason why we cannot put our trust in Noynoy Aquino as a leader of the Philippines. Since announcing that he is not amenable to public debates anymore, he had all but confirmed that not only is he going to be another push-over like his mother, he also made it clear that he is averse to even just discussing anything but the kinds of changes that he will implement in the system — if there are any to begin with.

Greed is the name of the game in the Philippines. A lot of the people running the show find ways to manipulate the system in ways that belie their claim of having any real stake in the welfare country they are working for and living in. A lot of people say that Noynoy Aquino is not greedy but the question is, does he have what it takes to go after the greedy corporations, which evidently are owned by some of his relations and friends? Furthermore, does he have the guts to implement changes that will most likely be unfavourable to them?

Presidential candidate Manny Villar, who appears to have amassed a fortune in such a short period of time, is just a product of the very system that needs to be changed. Whatever way he made his fortune, the system in place failed to check and ring alarm bells before he got around to covering his tracks. Since greed is the name of the game, it is no surprise that there are people who would actually support his candidacy. It is because they also have vested interests that will benefit from a Villar presidency. And since Filipinos do not ask for platforms from their candidates before going to the polls (due to ignorance), they really have no idea how a man like Villar is going to manage the country while he is in office. Meanwhile, Manny Villar uses a popular game show host to reel in the crowd. To his followers, endorsement coming from this noon-time show host makes up for Manny Villar’s shifty eyes and monosyllabic speeches.

Trust is a word that we need to bring back into our system. We need an acceptable degree of transparency applied to the way we conduct our politics. The only way we can bring some semblance of trust is to ask our candidates what they plan to do once they are in office. The things they say will give us an idea of their trustworthiness. If they can promise something, at least we can hold them on those promises once they are in office. Be afraid of those who don’t even want to say anything because they think that no one is listening anyway, or those who just let their campaign managers and paid entourage do all the talking. They cannot be trusted.

Bear in mind that there are other candidates aside from Noynoy Aquino and Manny Villar. If we have eliminated these two as untrustworthy, then we need to look at the other alternatives that are not afraid to say what they want and are not going to be push-overs once elected.

Source: http://antipinoy.com/why-we-cannot-trust-noynoy-and-manny/

Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. webpages

<a href=”http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761560871/benigno_aquino.html“>Benigno Aquino (1932-1983), Philippine political figure, leading member of the opposition Liberal Party who was assassinated during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos (1972-1986).

Benigno Simeon Aquino, Jr., popularly known as Ninoy, married Corazon Cojuangco in 1954. He entered politics at the age of 22 and subsequently became the youngest mayor, governor, and senator to serve in the Philippines. Imprisoned in 1972 when President Marcos declared martial law, Aquino was allowed to move his family to the United States so he could undergo heart surgery. He later served as a research fellow at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1983 he returned to Manila to work in the legislative election. Despite high security, he was assassinated as he deplaned on August 21. Although an investigation commission declared that several military allies of Marcos were responsible for the assassination, all defendants were acquitted in a 1985 trial. In 1986 a popular uprising in Manila, called the People Power Movement, forced Marcos to flee the Philippines, and Benigno’s widow Corazon Aquino took office as the elected president. The Supreme Court subsequently declared his murder trial a mistrial. In a new trial that ended in 1990, 16 military officials were convicted of his murder.

Benigno Aquino Jr.

Benigno Aquino Jr. was born in Concepcion, Tarlac. He was only 22 years old when he first entered the world of politics – the youngest mayor of the town of Concepcion. In about the same time, he married Corazon Cojuangco, scion of a wealthy sugar plantation owner from the same town.

His rise to political fame was quick. In 1961, at the age of 29, he became the governor of the province of Tarlac. “Ninoy,” as he is more commonly known, became the secretary-general of the Liberal Party in 1966 and was elected senator of the republic a year after.

He was a very spontaneous speaker. Wherever he was, he drew crowds by the thousands. Ninoy was considered as one of the young turks along with Visayan senator Rene Espina in the halls of senate. He stood toe to toe with great, but much older senators like Lorenzo Tañada, Arturo Tolentino and Gil Puyat.

Ninoy became the voice of the people during the Martial Law years. He was Marcos’ archrival. Marcos, the former president, knew that Ninoy would be a threat to his throne. At the height of political oppression in 1980, Ninoy was exiled to Boston after spending a couple of years in a prison cell in Laur, Nueva Ecija. He had a bypass operation in Boston in that year, but managed to continue his fiery speeches against the Marcos regime. He drew hundreds of Filipinos in different venues in Boston.

In the early part of 1983, he announced his interest to the Philippines “to suffer alongside the people and to appeal directly to Marcos to step down.” He wanted to empathize with the millions of Filipinos affected by the consequences brought by the Martial Law and Marcos dictatorship. His relatives, friends, and even Marcos himself, advised him not to return because his life would be in danger. But he was determined.

Before Aquino left for the Philippines, he told the reporters that he would go back to seek national reconciliation founded on justice. He further added that he was prepared for the worst.

In August 21, 1983, he was shot while going down the stairs of the airplane. Despite the presence of dozens of guards and reporters, no one could exactly recall what happened. Another lifeless body lay beside Ninoy. It was the body of Rolando Galman, the alleged assassin who was purportedly shot by the bodyguards of Ninoy after they saw him fire a gun.

During the wake and interment, Ninoy’s wounded face was intentionally not fixed to provoke public outburst. As a result, millions attended his burial in August 31, 1983.

His lifeless body in the tarmac of the Manila International Airport was often shown in commercials from 1983 up to the bloodless People Power in 1986.

Three years after his death, Ninoy’s wish for the Filipino people was granted. Ferdinand Marcos, the Philippines’ dictator for 20 years, stepped down from power. Ninoy’s wife, Corazon Aquino, became the president of the republic in 1986.

Benigno Aquino, Jr
Benigno Aquino Jr. (November 27, 1932 – August 21, 1983), more popularly known by his nickname, Ninoy, was a leading opposition politician in the Philippines during the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos. He was assassinated at the Manila International Airport on returning home from exile, and widow Corazon Aquino became the focus of the opposition and eventually replaced Marcos as president.

Born in Concepción in Tarlac province, he became mayor of the town in 1955 at the age of only 22. In the same year he married Corazón. He became governor of Tarlac in 1961, secretary-general of the Liberal Party in 1966, and a senator in 1967. When President Marcos declared martial law in 1972 Aquino was imprisoned on charges of murder and subversion. He was sentenced to death in 1977. This was commuted into exile to allow medical treatment in the United States in 1980.

On August 21, 1983 he returned to the Philippines. Despite the presence of his own security guards and government troops on the tarmac, he was gunned down by Rolando Galman, who was immediately shot dead by troops. It was never officially established why Galman had done it, but from the first it was widely assumed Marcos had ordered it.

The assassination thrust his widow Cory into the popular eye, and as head of the opposition coalition she stood for president in 1986, and gained the disputed election when Marcos fled the country.

“The Filipino is worth dying for.” —Ninoy Aquino

In his honor, the Manila International Airport has been renamed as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and his image is printed on the 500-peso bill.

His son, Benigno Aquino III, is a congressman representing a district of Tarlac and his daughter, Kris Aquino, is a popular TV and movie actress.

Benigno Aquino Jr. in Relationships

Secretive and inclined to brooding silences, it is difficult for others to really know his inner core, for Benigno Aquino, Jr. only trusts and opens himself to a select few. Allowing himself to be vulnerable and to relinquish control in relationships is not easy for Aquino.

Benigno has intense, passionate loves and hates and is a jealously loyal and protective friend – or a fearsome foe. Benigno Aquino, Jr. has a nasty habit of holding onto past hurts, resentments and guilt – and to keep such feelings to himself. It is important for Benigno Aquino, Jr. to learn to forgive and let go, as well as to express his feelings openly and directly, rather than hiding or repressing them.

He is not content with superficial appearances and is always probing beneath the surface of things for hidden motives. Benigno Aquino, Jr. has a great deal of emotional depth.

Benigno Aquino, Jr. often makes decisions solely for emotional or personal reasons, because something “feels right” or because he has always done it a certain way and he is uncomfortable changing it. Even when Aquino thinks he is being rational, his prejudices, intuitions, and feelings influence his thoughts a great deal. Benigno is comfortable talking about feelings and personal subjects, and sharing confidences, which enables others to express their own inner feelings with him as well. Benigno Aquino, Jr. has good psychological insight into others.

Benigno Aquino, Jr. tends to surround himself with people who are gentle, sensitive, peace-loving, and artistically or spiritually inclined, and there is a strong element of mutual compassion and sympathy in his personal relationships. It is easy for Benigno to tune in psychically to other people’s feelings and emotional worlds. Benigno Aquino, Jr. may share this type of telepathic link with his mother, sisters, or female friends in particular.

Benigno Aquino, Jr. possesses the gifts of tact, courtesy and consideration, and has a strong desire to please and understand his love partner. Because he values harmony so highly, Benigno Aquino, Jr. will compromise a great deal to avoid any discord or conflict in his relationships. Benigno does not like to dwell on controversial or emotional subjects and often tries to “smooth things over” or “sweep them under the rug”.

In love relationships, Benigno Aquino, Jr. wants an intellectual peer, an equal and a friend. He is attracted to people who have a certain finesse, delicacy and subtlety. Benigno Aquino, Jr. appreciates good manners and refinement and is not happy with coarseness or bluntness in a person.

Beautiful, elegant, and harmonious surroundings are very important to Benigno Aquino, Jr., and he has an innate sense of style, design, and form. Socially, also, good form and politeness are important to Aquino and he instinctively avoids crudeness and dissonance.

He enjoys talking about love, relationships, art and the beautiful side of life. Benigno Aquino, Jr. appreciates artistic people.

He is serious and finds it difficult to enjoy himself in a lighthearted, open and playful way with others. Benigno Aquino, Jr. rarely does something purely for pleasure, and can be very close-fisted and parsimonious. Perhaps due to painful separations in his early life, Benigno is very cautious about becoming involved in close relationships and sharing his feelings. Though Aquino craves love and affection, intimacy is difficult for him. He may become romantically involved with people who do not value him or treat him well. Benigno Aquino, Jr. needs to learn to love and value himself before he finds happiness in love.

Benigno Aquino, Jr. tends to make up his mind quickly in matters of love relationships and affection and may fall in love at first sight. His expectations about romance can be intense and Benigno is inclined to exaggerate and could have arguments about his loved ones.

Benigno Aquino, Jr. has a vivid imagination and is likely to imagine the most wonderful things, but he may over-idealize and tend to expect too much of love relationships. Benigno tries to escape unpleasant experiences through fantasy and deception.

More links:

http://ninoyaquino.50webs.com/

http://www.manila-airport.net/

http://blog.cathcath.com/benigno-aquino-jr-met-cory-aquino-6714.html

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8260401

http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Benigno:Aquino:Jr.htm

I have fallen in love with the same woman three times

Ninoy Aquino’s poem for his wife, Cory, while he was imprisoned by the dictator Ferdinand Marcos:

I have fallen in love
with the same woman three times;
In a day spanning 19 years
of tearful joys and joyful tears.

I loved her first when she was young,
enchanting and vibrant, eternally new.
She was brilliant, fragrant,
and cool as the morning dew.

I fell in love with her the second time;
when first she bore her child and mine
always by my side, the source of my strength,
helping to turn the tide.

But there were candles to burn
the world was my concern;
while our home was her domain.
and the people were mine
while the children were hers to maintain;

So it was in those eighteen years and a day.
’till I was detained; forced in prison to stay.

Suddenly she’s our sole support;
source of comfort,
our wellspring of Hope.
on her shoulders felt the burden of Life.

I fell in love again,
with the same woman the third time.
Looming from the battle,
her courage will never fade

Amidst the hardships she has remained,
undaunted and unafraid.
she is calm and composed,
she is God’s lovely maid.