Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s record number of visits to Pampanga is in danger to eat dust from the number of misconceptions engulfing presidential candidate Benigno “Noynoy” Cojuanco Aquino III – the only son of our country’s icons Ninoy and Cory Aquino and anticipated heir to and champion of their respective legacies.
This article is in no way intended to besmirch any person’s reputation but only to render facts (not reasons) and segregate them from misconceptions. The aim is
not to discourage voting for Noynoy as he may very well be our country’s
best hope. However, a person who intends to vote wisely should be wise in perceiving the truth, not wise in justifying a choice of impulse.
- There is a misconception that Noynoy Aquino will surely not be corrupt because any child of Ninoy and Cory cannot afford to tarnish his parents’ names. However, the amount of honor one bestows on his parents does not depend on his parents’ popularity. A person will not have more guts to dishonor his mother just because his mother is a mere housewife and not a former president of the Republic. A prime example is the incumbent president – her father is the great Diosdado Macapagal yet this has not deterred her from unclean acts. A contrapositive illustration is Manny Pacquiao – his mother Dionisia is a mere rice cake vendor but he honors her as the fairest of them all. Popularity of parents is irrelevant: an individual who does not wish to dishonor his parents will do so even if his parents are simpletons, and a corrupt person will be corrupt regardless of circumstances.
Noynoy Contrary to what is projected, Noynoy is not the least likely to be corrupt. Eddie Villanueva (a pastor), JC de los Reyes (a theologian), and Dick Gordon (a Red Cross volunteer) ostensibly have more moral fiber to stand against corruption as these candidates have fought more fiercely and longer against corruption. Moreover, being rich for fifty years without sharing one’s fortune and land (except in fleeting exercises for political ends) produces the same injustices corruption generates.
- Noynoy is presumably the best person to continue the legacies of his parents. Assuming that the legacies of Ninoy and Cory are the best or only acceptable antidotes for our country, one does not need to be the son of Ninoy and Cory to continue their legacies. Even if the other candidates are not children of Ninoy and Cory, they still have the capacity to advocate commendable ideologies. A candidate’s platform is not inferior merely because it is not the continuance of Ninoy’s and Cory’s legacies – assuming that a continuance of legacy is a platform.
- There is a misconception that Noynoy is superiorly competent to juggle the country’s various concerns. This misconception is based more on looking at his image than looking at his actual contributions to the country. Even the (allegedly) corrupt Manny Villar has actual contributions to OFWs’ lives. Being fifty years old without an own job or business does not speak well of Noynoy’s competence or hardwork. So does being a senator with the lowest number of laws authored (nine bills submitted and zero laws authored for the past three years). However, in an election, the question should not be whether Noynoy is competent; it should be whether he is more competent and hardworking than his rivals, that is, whether he has more actual contributions to the country. That’s why candidates compete, they must prove that they are the most competent to run the country.
- There is a misconception that Noynoy is more principled than most of us.
- A principled person would not ride on his deceased parents’ names to fish for votes.
- A principled person would not use and dare swear to God in a TV commercial just to show to the country that he would not steal (this would also not be done by a truly religious person as Matthew 5:34 forbids promising by God).
- A principled person would also object to the airing of a TV commercial wherein a catholic priest is one of those who idiotically dance to a campaign jingle. A person who regularly attends mass would find it a highly disrespectful to put a priest (or a person impersonating a priest) in a frenzy-of-a-dance as if in a TV noontime show.
- A principled person would derive the strength of his campaign from his own accomplishments and not from mud-slinging intrigues to his rivals.
Noynoy's principles and integrity are erroneously measured by focusing on the campaign image he projects and not by analysis of his actual persona which can be measured by observing his decisions and acts.
- A principled person would not be silent for countless years but instead object to the decisions and actions of his co-hacienderos in Hacienda Luisita (assuming that he has no direct part in the oppression). Any principled person would have burst in outrage to the injustice to the farmers of the hacienda. This is aggravated by the fact that he had the power and influence to stop the repression of farmers’ rights as he was the incumbent congressman of the second district of Tarlac (where Hacienda Luisita is located) at the peak of the crisis and when the massacre occurred. Being a mere co-owner of the hacienda is not an excuse – he could have contradicted or criticized his co-hacienderos; or at the very least, he could have just walked away from the despotic land possession. Turning a blind eye to the oppression and not fighting it (or at least disclosing it) is being an accomplice to the evil especially as he was the incumbent congressman responsible for the locality at the time. Noynoy’s 5% ownership of Hacienda Luisita translates to 3,217,500 square meters of land withheld from rightful owner-farmers for forty-three years. If it is indeed his aspiration, Noynoy could have given away his share of the land years ago and not only now when he is running for president. Even as a mere co-owner, he could easily give his share of the hacienda to farmers this very instant as provided in Articles 493 and 494 paragraph 1 of the Civil Code of the Philippines. However, he stated in an interview that he would “want to leave only when we have formulated the plan on how they could pay the debts of the corporate farm. When that has been cleared, then we could bid goodbye.” (Manila Times, November 13, 2009). As noble as his intentions are, it is unlawful for Noynoy to put in his hands the decision when to leave the hacienda; he must leave immediately when the Government orders him to do so.
- Noynoy is intelligent. Well, Gibo Teodoro is a bar topnotcher from UP, Eddie Villanueva was a professor at PUP, JC de los Reyes was a professor at UA&P, Manny Villar holds an MBA from UP, Nick Perlas graduated with highest honors from Xavier University and Richard Gordon is a lawyer from UP. These presidentiables have more feathers in their caps than Noynoy. As in competence, the more important question is whether Noynoy is more intelligent than other candidates.
Noynoy’s criticism of an SWS survey to be merely bought in Quiapo is an unintelligent statement considering that he had just boasted of the prior SWS survey wherein he had considerable lead. His blame on people’s unawareness of Villar’s C-5 controversy for his low trust rating (in the Pulse Asia survey released February 24) is an unintelligent analysis because the C-5 controversy can only damage Villar’s trustworthiness, not his. Also, such is a dishonest mud-slinging statement as the survey was conducted from January 22 to 26 when the senate hearings on the C-5 controversy were the beef of the news.
May readers have the maturity to admit facts and not closed-mindedly rationalize uncomfortable realities.
Again, there is no intent to sway votes away from Noynoy Aquino; misconceptions are merely rectified to provide accurate information in choosing the country’s next lead citizen.
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