PRESS STATEMENT OF SENATOR BENIGNO S. AQUINO III
February 3, 2010
1. I am not surprised with this turn of events. First, our opponents have had a long head start in this campaign. And while I diligently perform my functions as a legislator, the others are practically campaigning fulltime, neglecting their mandate with those who entrusted them with their votes. Second, for all the unprecedented and sustained ads spending in all forms of media of the other camp and the unrelenting and increasingly below-the-belt and baseless black propaganda against me by my opponents, not to mention the harassment we have been continuously getting from this administration—the arbitrary transfers and replacement of police directors, the inexplicably adverse rulings we have been getting from Comelec for our local executives, the abrupt cessation of government projects in provinces friendly to us and lately even the denial of venues for our rally sites– I am surprised that I am still on top of the surveys.
2. By the day, it is becoming clear that an unholy alliance is developing between this administration and my opponent. No wonder the Palace spokesman couldn’t restrain himself in expressing his gratitude to one of my opponents for keeping quiet on the many issues confronting this administration.
3. Of course, that is not to say that we do not face challenges in the campaign. Quite a lot, I must say, foremost of which is the ability to bring our message—a clean, decent, transparent and accountable government will put an end to massive corruption, dedicate precious public resources to basic services for the poor and alleviate our people’s hopelessness and poverty—across to as many of our people as possible. It is a strong and relevant message that we are certain has had and will continue to have traction among more and more of our voters. We have been able to address this. In the coming days, we will be able to do this with greater frequency and in a sustained manner through ads.
4. On top of this, I believe that our comparative advantage—the organizational strength coming from our ability to mobilize volunteers all over the country—still has to make itself felt in the campaign. We expect that to happen as we formally start the campaign this February, the historic People Power month.
5. I have been through this before. When I first ran for office as a Congressman in 1998, I faced eight opponents and initially attracted about two-thirds of the votes. After the eight ganged up on me, throwing everything they could at me, my numbers fell to half of what I started with. But since the issues they threw at me did not stick and since I brought a message of change and hope, in the end, I prevailed with plenty to spare.
6. What should not escape all of us is that I still lead the surveys—from the time I declared my candidacy to this day. I would like to assure everyone, especially our supporters, that as the formal campaign period starts, we will work harder to make sure that we remain on top of the fight and the hope of our people for a clean, competent and compassionate government through my tandem with Senator Mar Roxas will be fulfilled.
Hi Guys,
Allow me to write this again.
I keep wondering why nobody is making good use of the cover story of the March 2010 issue of the Reader’s Digest Asian Edition. The title is, Philippines Who Do You Trust? The survey is done by an independent group. The result? For those running in May 10:
#5. Noynoy Aquino
#17 Vilma Santos
#24. Mar Roxas
#41 Alfredo Lim
#47 Rodrigo Duterte
#48 Dick Gordon
#50 Chiz Escudero (bowed out)
#52 Joker Arroyo
#60 Manny Villar
#65 Gibo Teodoro
#73 Bongbong Marcos
#74 Imee Marcos
#77 Imelda Marcos
#78 Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
#79 Erap Estrada
#80 Hayden Kho (just to to rub in the idea of the company they keep)
Please grab a copy. Use this potent tool. Never mind the dismal position of some personalities (e.g. # 42!)
Good luck God bless
I wil vote for Noynoy Aquiono and will support him all the way 100%. We need to change the governance in our country .Please be a responsible vote and stop voting for people tha have a personal agenda.
Reasons Why I won’t vote Noynoy (You can try to counter these to convince me)
1. He has never been tested – sure he never stole anything from the government, but he hasn’t faced the temptations of the highest position.
2. He uses his parents – “Tuloy natin ang laban.” Tss. Before former Pres. Cory died the opposition didn’t even consider him as their standard bearer. But suddenly Cory dies and the whole nation mourns and now he’s their standard bearer despite his limitations?! People open your eyes he used his parents and took advantage of the mourning of the country. I bet if Cory didn’t die, he wouldn’t even be running.
3. He is the creation of media – This is very self-explanatory. Some media companies are just too biased.
4. He has no major achievements – In 11 years of government, he had no major achievements. (Ok if there are any name at least 7.)
5. He has no skill – I think his lackluster performance in the senate explains this!!
Hi Nevaeh! Thanks for your post. I wont claim to be capable of convincing you to vote one way or another but I will address the points you listed.
1) On the point “He has never been tested” — In his 11-12 years of serving in public office, Senator Aquino has had countless opportunities to enrich himself but he has turned them down. We are all aware of how “lucrative” the office of a legislator is if one is intent on using it to gain wealth but Senator Aquino took a different route from the usual track taken by many other politicians. As a point of measurement we can see that the average rise of Senator Aquino’s net worth per year from 2000 to 2007 was just 4.35% . He started out with a net worth of Php8.42 million in 1998, and ended with a net worth of Php13.94 million in 2007; his rise in net worth for almost a decade was a mere 65.6%. This is a huge difference from another legislator for example whose rise in net worth in the same span of a decade was 538%. The financial possibilities open to a corruptible congressman or senator is endless. One can use the position to fund projects that would benefit his/her own company for example but all this was shunned by Senator Aquino.
2) On the point, “He uses his parents” — Senator Aquino did not invent the practice of living out the legacy of one’s parents. There is such a virtue as honoring one’s parents. In fact, for Christians, Muslims and Jews alike, we are all commanded by our Lord to honor our father & mother. Senator Noynoy believes in this virtue. He respects the memory of his parents and he is following their noble example of selfless service for our nation. He considers it a privilege and a duty to honor their memory by continuing their fight for a just, democratic and honest government. Senator Aquino did not intend to run for office out of any personal motivation and yet here he is, willing to sacrifice his peace of mind and what would otherwise be a settled life just to help give our country the honest government that we deserve.
To add to this, Dr. Wilfrido Villacorta, Professor Emeritus at DLSU and former Deputy Secretary-General of the ASEAN further addresses the assertion that Noynoy is simply riding on the name of his parents: “Some critics are saying that Noynoy is simply riding on the fame of his parents. They ask, how can we be sure that he will be as committed as Ninoy and Cory were to the Filipino people? We must not forget that Noynoy, along with his sisters, experienced firsthand the ordeals that his parents courageously underwent and the sacrifices that they had to make: the persecution of his father and their family during martial law; the threats to the newly restored democracy after EDSA (he almost died when the coup plotters attacked Malacanang), the crusade of Cory for good governance. The values of Ninoy and Cory could not but have a lasting impact on Noynoy’s character formation.”
Lastly, the late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino II, himself very clearly emphasized that he was counting on his son to continue the good work of serving the Filipino people. On August 25, 1973, Ninoy wrote a letter to his son, Noynoy and in this letter, Ninoy says:
““You are my only son. You carry my name and the name of my father. I have no material wealth to leave you. I never had time to make money while I was in the hire of our people. For this I am very sorry. …The only valuable asset I can bequeath to you now is the name you carry. I have tried my best during my years of public service to keep that name untarnished and respected, unmarked by sorry compromises for expediency. I now pass it on to you, as good, I pray, as when my father, your grandfather passed it on to me. “Forgive me for passing unto your young shoulders the great responsibility for our family. I trust you will love your mother and your sisters and lavish them with the care and protection I would have given them. … “Look after your two younger sisters with understanding and affection. … Finally, stand by your mother as she stood beside me through the buffeting winds of crisis and uncertainties firm and resolute and uncowed. I pray to God, you inherit her indomitable spirit and her rare brand of silent courage. “I had hopes of introducing you to my friends, showing you the world and guide you through the maze of survival. I am afraid, you will now have to go it alone without your guide. The only advice I can give you: Live with honor and follow your conscience. “There is no greater nation on earth than our Motherland. No greater people than our own. Serve them with all your heart, with all your might and with all your strength. Son, the ball is now in your hands.””
The legacy of his parents that Noynoy now works to continue is the legacy of an honest government that transparently places national resources at the service of the people instead of allowing them to be siphoned off into corruption. The relevance of Ninoy’s letter is in showing that his father precisely expected and hoped for him to continue this work and it was not Noynoy’s idea to “use” his parents’ fame.
True, Noynoy did harbor any ambition for the office of the president before the death of his mother. He himself has admitted this. However, when President Cory died, there was a public clamor for him to run and to continue the legacy of his father and mother. Pressed by a signature campaign, by calls of support from various many sectors of society and by an unprecedented 60%+ of the people favoring him to run for the office, Senator Noynoy then went on a retreat to further reflect on the challenge being asked of him by the Filipino Nation. At the end of his retreat, he then announced that he is accepting the people’s call for him to campaign and win the presidency.
3) On the point “He is the creation of media” — There is an old adage that goes, “Literature and media are the mirrors of society.” That many media companies portray him as the good candidate cannot be fueled merely by the bias (supposed or real) of these companies. Even if the owners of a given company were to be inclined towards a given candidate, that company would not be able to maintain its credibility and public patronage if it would only inaccurately, exclusively and unfairly portray the good traits of that candidate unless it is actually a reflection of the public opinion. It is the public sentiment that is echoed by media and this is supported by what people say in the surveys. The Filipino people are intelligent enough to discriminate between truth and blatant propaganda.
4) & 5) On the point of achievements and of skill, this can actually be a very lengthy discourse so I will refer you to 2 links:
a) http://www.noynoy.ph/blog/2010/02/17/state-of-the-nation-state-of-the-future-why-noynoy-aquino-is-most-credible-and-competent/
– This article by Dr. Wilfrido Villacorta, Professor Emeritus at DLSU and former Deputy Secretary General of the ASEAN speaks about the bills sponsored by Senator Aquino which reflect his consistent pro-people, pro-poor, pro-accountable-government stance that is another proof of his continuation of his parents’ legacy.
b) http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=6636
– This article is a treatment on the question of quantity and the issue of passed-vs-unpassed laws.
Thanks again Nevaeh.
I have a vision that Noynoy Aquino will be the next President of the Philippines. The same vision I had with his mom former President Cory Aquino. I had a vision of seven coup in the clouds at Santo Domingo Church. I had also a vision of Laban sign in the clouds at Cordillera Street in Quezon City. I had also a vision of Jesus Christ at Jollibee Restaurant. I hope and pray that my new vision will be pushed through, Amen.
basta kami ng family ko kay sir noynoy aquino ..sguradong hindi corrupt ang puso ay para sa bayan hindi pang sariling kapakana…we love you aquino family and sir mar roxas……..
Let’s admit it, sa panahong nagkaproblema ang bayan – kailangan natin ng isang AQUINO. Hindi dahil kulang tayo sa talino o sipag at tiyaga kundi dahil kailangan natin ang isang pangulo na taos-pusong maglilingkod sa bayan. Isang pangulong hindi magnanakaw.
Naibalik ni Ninoy ang demokrasya, unti-unti tayong bumawi sa panahon ni Cory in fact, the fruits of Cory’s labor was felt during the first half of FVR’s term as President. Hindi nga lang na-sustain kaya heto tayo ngayon balik sa level na tanging demokrasya lang ang tanging yaman. Lahat ng ito ba ay dahil kulang tayo sa talino o di kaya nagkulang tayo sa sipag at tiyaga? Palagay ko hindi – lahat ng ito ay dahil nagkamali tayo sa pagpili ng Pangulo.
Kung talino lang ang pag-uusapan – wala na sigurong tatalo pa kay Marcos – he outsmarted us all – he stole democracy. Kung sipag at tiyaga naman ang pag-uusapan – wala nang tatalo pa sa milyon-miltong pilipino na kumakayod sa araw-araw at nagtiyagang maghintay ng presidential elections upang magkaroon naman ng pag-asang magkaroon ng magandang pagbabago.
Hindi solusyon ang Talino (meron na tayo n’yan.), di rin Sipag at Tiyaga ang kasagutan (nasa ating lahat na ‘yan.) , ang kailangan natin ay isang pangulong kagaya ni Cory. At present, Noynoy is our best choice.
Edsa Revolutions, Noynoy Aquino, and the Big Conspiracy
Ever heard of the Holocaust deniers? Holocaust deniers are people who are trying to convince everyone that the Holocaust of World War II did not happen. They claim that the genocide mounted against Jews during World War II did not occur at all or did happen, but wasn’t as bad as the history books or documentaries show it to be. These people reject the reality that more than five million Jews were systematically exterminated as a matter of state policy by the German Nazi government.
These are quite shocking claims aren’t they? Even with the amount of evidence and testimonials, there are still people who say that what happened was grossly exaggerated. Holocaust deniers even say that the whole tragedy was just a fabrication made by the Jews to gain sympathy and to justify their occupation of Palestine. Not surprisingly, this conspiracy theory was started out by Nazis themselves who denied involvement in the atrocities. I guess some people start believing their own lies if they repeat it often enough. It is a truly extraordinary lie you might say, but at least the Jews have all kinds of documents, testimonies, photographs and physical evidence to use against the perpetrators to bring them to justice. I wish I could say the same for some of the things or events that happened in the Philippines.
Ever heard of the Edsa Revolution deniers? Well, I’m not aware of any yet. No individual or group of people has yet claimed that the People Power revolution of 1986 never happened. Indeed, there is no denying it did happen because most Filipinos have become so addicted to it to the point that people power revolutions have become the first choice of method for getting rid of sitting presidents. Lately though, most calls for street revolutions have been largely ignored, not because Filipinos have wisened up but largely because the poster person for these, the late Corazon Aquino, who can gather a huge crowd of supporters with a flick of the “L” sign, had passed away late last year. Likewise, the coming presidential election this year has put all detractors of the incumbent president into a temporary Zen like state. So, everyone is just waiting for May to get rid of Gloria Arroyo and put Noynoy Aquino on the driver’s seat, hardly a significant change in the bigger scheme of things, if you ask me – just the baton being passed to another oligarch by another.
If an Edsa Denial group were to emerge today, their job will be easy. Aside from Ninoy Aquino’s statue on Ayala Avenue, his image on the 500-peso bill, and the Edsa “Shrine” at the corner of Ortigas Avenue, evidence of any legacy left by the 1986 “revolution” in Philippine society is becoming harder and harder to come by. What constitutes evidence that the Edsa Revolution did happen? What was the result of this event? Where is the country now in terms of economic stability and security — that “progress” that seemed so within our reach amidst the euphoria of 1986?
The Holocaust only happened once in the 1940’s but reminders of the atrocities perpetrated against a particular group of people remain strong to this day and, like I said, the perpetrators of the said event were brought to justice, hence, there is an unlikelihood of the same thing happening again. In contrast, much of the imprint on our society of what was supposed to be the legacy of the 1986 Edsa Revolution is fading. Of course, there are so many people who will gladly testify that they were there during the Edsa revolution when it all happened. Some would even claim that they were among the millions of Filipinos who stood side by side with the late Cory Aquino. They will talk about how they braved the tanks and the machine guns wearing yellow shirts clutching either a yellow banner or a rosary while singing “Ang bayan kong Pilipinas…“. In short, they will proudly say (or in some cases even brag) that they risked their lives to gain the country’s democracy. They may as well join the ranks of the thousands of others who claim to have been abducted by aliens.
Some young Filipinos today (ahem, myself included) who were still too young or who weren’t even born yet during the first Edsa revolution but who are now qualified to vote are questioning its significance. Unfair you might say, considering that young Filipinos today did not experience the cruelty of the dictator, former President Ferdinand Marcos. I can understand why these youths feel cynical with regard to the essence of the Edsa revolutions especially the succeeding ones. It is because there hasn’t been much progress since democracy was “restored”. Some would argue that we are even worse off now. This last statement can be true in the sense that, today, Filipinos already have freedom but still don’t know what to do with it. As early as 1992, Singapore’s former leader Lee Kuan Yew said that “Filipinos have too much democracy but too little discipline” — a very astute observation that remains relevant today.
I tend to agree with journalist and author Greg Sheridan who said that restoring democracy is neither sufficient nor necessary for economic progress and development. China and Hong Kong are both not a democracy but they are doing well economically.
How could it have gone so wrong with us?
In his book Asian Values, Western Dreams Sheridan talks about how Cory was considered heroic in achieving democracy but ineffectual as president. Even the noted intellectual, Frank Jose, who ran a magazine called Solidaridad, considered “Mrs Aquino’s presidency a dreadful disappointment”. He disagrees with the majority’s view that Cory restored democracy and says that it is all bullshit – “We have empty institutions. The essence of democracy is in the stomach. The taxi driver in Washington can eat the same sort of meat as the president. That’s not the case here”.
The Edsa revolution is also called the “people power” revolution. People power, because supposedly it was “the people” who decided that they have had enough of Marcos and his dictatorship. The late Cory Aquino happened to be the leader of the opposition at that time and was seen to have inspired the people to go out onto the streets and express their indignation. But she was neither prepared nor qualified to lead. Had the people decided against supporting her, she wouldn’t have become president. So the credit should have gone to the people too not just hers alone. Time Magazine should have named the Filipinos “People of the Year”. We should give ourselves more credit for the restoration of democracy (as well as accountability for still not knowing what to do with). We shouldn’t give all the credit to just one person for toppling a dictator, Cory couldn’t have been able to do it on her own. In the same way, we shouldn’t put all the responsibility of building a nation to one person, i.e., Noynoy Aquino or any other candidate. Even Napoleon Bonaparte wouldn’t have been able to conquer other nations without his soldiers’ help. The president needs our cooperation for his administration to work. Without our cooperation, he is nothing more than a mere puppet.
The real problem started when the Marcos collaborators were not even put on trial. Just look around the Philippine political setting right now. You will still see the likes of Juan Ponce Enrile who was a one-time Marcos collaborator. He is head of the Senate. By defecting to the opposition in 1986, he had secured immunity from being taken to account for his former master’s atrocities. Imelda Marcos herself is still received warmly at various elite social functions. There exist in our society a lack of moral judgement and moral commitment. Since we fail to condemn those who do our society wrong, we jump into bed with the demons of impunity, corruption, and lack of accountability. If the most heinous crimes go unpunished what is there to arrest the equally-widespread incompetence that characterises our public officials’ tenures? If the Aquino camp were so sure that former president Marcos and his allies were responsible for Ninoy Aquino’s death, how come none of them were ever put on trial? Even the former president and one time criminal Joseph “Erap” Estrada is now free to run again as a presidential candidate. He is even getting a marginal lead in the polls. Where is the justice there?
Even children of former politicians have joined the Philippine political gold-rush without shame. This includes Bong Bong Marcos, Jinggoy Estrada, Mikey Arroyo, Mar Roxas and most noted of all Noynoy Aquino, the strongest contender for the prized seat once occupied by his mother. The incumbent president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is also the daughter of former president Diosdado Macapagal. Philippine politics so it seems, is just a recreational sport for a few dozen families from the landed oligarchy; a ball which is passed on from one family to the next.
Could it be that the real value of the Edsa revolution was actually exaggerated by the supporters of the Aquino administration? Could it be that to retain a strong hold on the people’s mind, the Aquino legacy is still being sang to this day even if it lacks real virtues or intrinsic worth? The supporters of the late Cory and Ninoy Aquino keep talking about their legacy. What is that legacy anyway? What if this so called legacy which is so hard to grasp and comprehend is being used today by the Liberal party to ensure that they win the next election?
One thing that has always puzzled me is how the late former president Cory Aquino couldn’t even be honest with herself and the people. She knew that she wasn’t fit for the job, she could have handed it over to someone more qualified after our much-hyped democracy was restored. You can argue that it’s all in retrospect, it’s passed now, and the circumstances were different then. However, one could also argue that the circumstances are also different now. We have the best opportunity to vote for someone different but why is Noynoy Aquino leading the latest polls?
How do we address the people’s beholden-ness to the handful of elites running the show? Our media needs to shape up. During the Nazi era, Adolf Hitler had a propaganda minister named Joseph Goebbels. He was given control over German radio, press, cinema and theatre. Everything he created was geared towards justifying Nazi policies. This explains why the Fuhrer had a dramatic grab on his constituents’ attention. The Philippines doesn’t have a propaganda minister like him but we might as well say that we have one because our media is acutely responsible for the dumbing down of the electorate. The Philippine Media have lost all their balls in reporting the news. They have lost that and the plot. It was even former president Fidel Ramos who once said during his term that “Our press needs to address its quality. It’s too dramatic all the time, too ideological, too much based on rumours and opinions. The writing is good but the reporting is poor. Their facts are often wrong”.
The media needs to start taking a more keen interest in serving the people and and less on enriching their shareholders (a tall order, considering that profits are the whole point of their existence). At the moment, they are more preoccupied with creating shows of inferior quality and low cost which, of course, increase their profits but routinely subtracts from the intelligence of the average Filipino. Filipinos need to become more critical — of their politicians and of their Media. That is, unless we prefer to continue to be blissfully ignorant of the happy collaborative partnership the two have become in the election-winning game that is Philippine-style “democracy”.
To Ricky Gregorio,
Dapat siguro mag-research ka kung ano ang definition ng philanthropist. Ang isang philanthropist ay nagbibigay ng tulong ng walang kapalit. Kadalasan ay anonymous ang mga donations nila. Walang pangalan. Tulad nung magdonate si Noynoy ng eskwelahan na WALANG PANGALAN NIYA. Sa nai-documento sa tv, tuwing magbibigay si Villar at ang asawa nya ay may malaking pangalan nila – DONATED BY MANNY AND CYNTHIA VILLAR. Suma-Total, may kapalit ang mga donations nila – Boto. At yang botong yan, ay malayo ang mararating na kapalit. Remember C-5? Mas kaunti sana ang gastos ng gubyerno na galing di naman sa taxes na binayaran natin kung nasunod ang orihinal na plano. ITO ANG KATOTOHANAN…
TUMPAK!