Pres. Nonoy Aquino inspects the troops for the first time

(PNoy is the nickname for President Benigno ‘Noyoy’ Aquino III coined by the press. Incidentally the common term for Filipino is ‘Pinoy.’ This is what we Filipinos call ourselves. It lends both a nationalistic ring to his name while making him more familiar too. We also have the habit of giving nicknames to people we’re close to. Then Pres. Corazon Aquino became Tita Cory or Aunt Cory)

Written and photographed

by Jude Thaddeus L. Bautista

To understand the significance of the June 30, 2010 inauguration of the 15^th president of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino III or PNoy for short, one has to appreciate the historical context of how it came about. The Aquino clan has a long political history dating from their grandfather Servillano Aquino and the Phil. American War in the early 20^th century. But what has affected the consciousness of Filipinos even up to this time is the ultimate sacrifice of Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr. in giving up his life for is country. Knowing that there was a strong possibility of his assassination he insisted on going back to the Philippines in 1983.

Ninoy’s death sparked the fire that ended the Marcos dictatorship three years later in 1986. The people power revolution was nothing less than a miracle. Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship was peacefully ended in a bloodless coup d’etat called the EDSA revolution. The phrase ‘People Power’ came to being, representing a democracy movement that spread through out the world. German political analysts conceded that the tearing down of the Berlin Wall was inspired by EDSA.

Ninoy’s widow Corazon Aquino became the President who replaced Marcos after EDSA. To many countries her identity was a symbolic figure for ‘People Power’. And yet in the Philippines during and after her term, there were so many economic difficulties and the life of the masses had not fundamentally changed. After several Presidents and continued corruption from government, Filipinos seemed to forget the importance of democracy in their lives.

Divine Intervention

The line of people who went to Tita Cory's funeral wound from the front of Mla Cathedral turned right at Pamatasan

In 2009 the country was bracing itself for another presidential election that presented more of the same faces that have already been proven to be guilty of corruption or had been involved in one political scandal or another. So it was with a heavy heart that Filipinos took the news of Tita Cory’s failing health due to colon cancer. And she died August 1, 2009. What happened next was again nothing short of a miracle, there was an outpouring of support by the people for their revered symbol of democracy. They remembered what she did for her country and the sacrifices that she made. Millions of people lined the streets, tied yellow ribbons on trees, street lamps, the color of the movement. It was compared to the funeral of Ninoy after August 21, 1983.

I heard someone call out my name, it was my HS teacher Ms Borromeo. She came to pay her respects in spite of the pouring rain

One of the strong Presidential aspirants then in 2009, Senator Mar Roxas gathering the sentiments of the people sacrificed his own presidential ambition and declared Cory’s son Senator Noy noy Aquino to be his President. Noy noy had enormous shoes to fill, his father Ninoy was then the youngest elected Mayor, Governor and Senator, apart from being a national hero. Both parents were considered heroes. The question that remained was: would he be willing to take on the challenges and the sacrifices that his parents so unhesitatingly gave the country? It was not an easy decision but when he made it, he was able to throw himself whole heartedly to the task.

PNoy becoming the 15^th president of the Philippines again was nothing short of divine intervention.  It is the same miracle that propelled a nation to action in a peaceful revolution more than two decades before. Based on the 2010 presidential election final tally, without Sen. Noynoy, we Filipinos would have again voted for Erap Estrada as president. This is the same Estrada who was already convicted and jailed for the crime of plunder as former president. This is the same Estrada who did not have a college education and barely finished high school. The great masses of voters are able to identify with his low educational attainment and his struggles with the English language. The gambling, womanizing and alcoholic tendencies even enhanced Erap’s machismo image with the ‘masa’.

Vice President Jejomar Binay takes his oath

When news of Tita Cory’s difficult cancer treatments first came out, no one could comprehend why God would allow her to suffer in that manner. And yet out of that suffering and death, Filipinos remembered that they want a government that is answerable to the people in the very same way that Ninoy’s assassination sparked the ‘peaceful revolution’ in 1986.The phrase peaceful revolution until then did not exist. They are two words that are dialectical opposites. Until it actually happened no one could make it up. The timing of Tita Cory’s death was very auspicious. No one could control if she could get cancer. No one has control of when she’d die except maybe for God. If she didn’t die and inspire the electorate to vote for Noynoy who got 15.2 million votes, it is very reasonable to assume that we would have another Erap presidency. Erap was a strong second with 9.5 million votes, overtaking Sen. Manny Villar’s 5.6 million. Noy noy however, had a clear mandate of 42% over Erap’s 26.25% of the 36 million valid votes cast.

Now, PNoy has the chance to build on the legacy of freedom that he inherited from his parents. Tita Cory was able to help her country restore the institutions of democracy. Although she was not able to drastically alter their economic plight. This grinding poverty that affects a majority of the 95 million Filipinos is what PNoy has the chance to affect positively. If not completely change, he may alleviate and or institute long term measures to combat unemployment, homelessness and a substandard educational and healthcare system.

Need for a Vigilant Democracy

One of the underlying themes of newly elected President Noy noy Aquino’s speech in his inauguration is that we Filipinos must help our country in terms of participation and discipline. In other speeches he almost always asks for people’s support throughout his term of office and not just in the campaign. He realizes the challenges he will be facing are enormous. Knowing the seriousness of the problems, there’s no way that he or government can do it alone.

“Kayo ang aking tunay na lakas… Hindi si Noynoy ang gumawa ng paraan. Kayo ang dahilan kung bakit ngayon magtatapos na ang pagtitis ng sambayanan. Ito naman po ang umpisa ng kalbaryo ko. Ngunit kung marami tayo ang magpapasan ng krus kakayanin natin ‘to gaano man kabigat…” (You, the people are the source of my strength… it is not Noynoy who did this, it is through your collective efforts that the suffering of the nation will end. This however is the beginning of my own Calvary. But if we will all carry the cross we will be able to endure no matter how heavy the burden)

The theme of participation is similar to of John F. Kennedy’s most famous quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.” If we want to rid the government of corruption, we ourselves should be honest and disciplined in our day to day lives. Something as simple as obeying traffic rules and regulations as motorists and pedestrians goes a long way in alleviating congestion on the road. Something as simple as recycling and not littering goes a long way in preventing floods in city streets and protecting the environment.

Pres. Nonoy Aquino w outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo saluting the troops for last time

Another similarity with JFK is the desire for reform and battle corruption. JFK declared war against the mafia while prioritizing peace in his foreign affairs policy. PNoy wants to battle and stamp out the mafia within government bureaucracy. Both of them want to change and shake things up. History tells us that JFK was assassinated possibly because of his efforts to combat the evils in American society head on. PNoy has brazenly declared his war against corruption. Threats via assassination and or coup d’etats are there both within and outside government.

What can we do as citizens? Expressing support for PNoy’s crusade against corruption is a start. As a people, we will not stand idly by while it is attempted to be overthrown or if he’s assassinated. People today have the ability to express themselves either individually or collectively unlike any other point in history. There are so many ways to do it. This blog is one way; social networking is another and creating discussions on the enemies of PNoy’s war on corruption. Perhaps the more powerful tool that we have against this is vigilance. Awareness of these dangers, recognizing the fact that he needs our support now more than ever, is the best thing that we can give him.