Governed by another Aquino

                In 2010, Benigno Aquino Jr. was declared as winner in the Presidential Elections. The then wordy and “of less use” senator has now ascended as my country’s president.

                After 100 days of his reign as president, many Filipinos complained that they could not see his usefulness in Malacañang. However, his loyalists begged them to give the president some more time, for he is just beginning. Now, two years have passed. What happened to his beautiful campaign speech? If we are his boss, what are the accomplishments of our servant? Many people just can’t wait to see his finish products and promises.

The negotiation in the Quirino Grand Stand hostage taking was his failure and also, the negotiation of pardon of the now executed three Filipino drug mules in China. People have commented that he is too slow in his job as president. People have said that he’s done nothing to our government and that he’s a political weakling – only won because of the heroic images of his parents – but I still he, as one who governs us in the national scene, is a dangerous political player to watch out for.

He is wise – probably as wise as his old folks – he stirred the emotions of the youth for his political advantage during his campaign as president. Who knows what his next plans are? He may be cool for you, but if I were you, I wouldn’t entrust my vote OR MY COUNTRY to another Aquino. Of course, it didn’t all begin in Pnoy, so let us trace back everything beginning from the first Aquino political game player, his father Ninoy Aquino and his “foe” Ferdinand Marcos.

Benigno Aquino Sr. fought against the Marcos regime and died during the Marcos regime. He went against Marcos, went to prison but didn’t stop fighting, got sick and went abroad for medical reasons, and planned to go home again to continue his fight. He got shot right after he went out of the plane’s door and died on the spot. Before that incident, he was interviewed inside the plane. When I watched the video(Batas Militar) of everything that happened in the incident, one thing stuck into my mind during his interview inside the plane – he told the interviewers, “You must record everything…  this might be the last time you could ever talk to me.” Did he knew that he was about to get killed? Could it be that it was a planned scene to pave the way for his wife’s reign and to give more rot to the name of Marcos, for desperation?

Of all the regimes, it is the time of Ferdinand Marcos that I appreciate the most. You might wonder why but I have things to back that up. I was not able to live during his reign, but I know well of how he ran this country, as provided by old media paraphernalia. It was during his time when the Philippines had had its wisest president of all times up to date. Defended himself in court, passed the Martial Law, husband to a wife that was well used for political purposes and a father to outstanding politicians – these are only few to the great man that he is. If you lived in Manila, you would know how useful the LRTs and MRTs are as a commuter and you owe it to Marcos. The windmills that produce power supply to many houses in Ilocos Norte is a product of the great mind of Ferdinand Marcos’s offspring. The Martial Law may have brought fear to many citizens, but it has taught many of us discipline and has taught us to fight for our rights – it stirred us. His wife, Imelda Marcos was the one who founded most charities and causes than all of Philippines’ first ladies and first gentlemen.

                However, many people did not see how great of a leader Marcos was, because the media did not allow them to. The media even to this date has blinded us of the goodness of Marcos’s reign, by surfacing to us the goodness of late Senator Benigno Aquino Sr., late president Cory Aquino, and their son President Benigno Aquino Jr.  What the people do not know is that these Aquino’s hide something behind their backs too. It’s just that they were wise enough to buy the media to their side.

                During the Martial Law, only the networks owned by Ferdinand Marcos’s friends were able to operate since they would probably not say harsh things about the government. Those that were privately owned and are known to be anti-government were sequestered and closed including one of the industry “game makers,” (we all know that game makers are bigger than just game players) ABS-CBN, owned by the Lopez family.

                After the Martial Law, when Ferdinand Marcos stoop down, and Cory Aquino was declared as president, she gave back ABS-CBN to the Lopez’s without any single peso spent by the Lopez’s. Therefore, the Lopez family owes the Aquino’s a lot. Paying it forward, ABS-CBN is hesitant to news the scandalous Hacienda Luisita issue and other bad issues about the Aquino’s. ABS-CBN beautifies the name of the Aquino family using the media.

ABS-CBN, if you have to be observant to realize it, is bias for the Aquino family. They influenced people that Cory Aquino is a mother to every Filipino and that she would make a good president of the Philippines because she is the wife of a hero. However, more hated Philippine presidents helped our economy in figures than she did. All she did was stir the people to rally against Marcos in the few months before her presidency and the people thought that she is a good person and that rallying against the government was a good thing. She maybe helped causes, but that was it. She is most remembered for her motherliness, but that was the only thing she gave to the country – her love and consent. She never really gave us the more essential things that we needed. Of course, this country during her time had a mother, but at that time, Philippines did not have a father. And what has happened is we became dependent to the kindness of our government that after she went down from power, we expected the same goodness from the following leaders. And when they don’t give us, we rally.

One more thing about her regime is that people do not know, is that when Marcos was leaving for Hawaii after he stepped down the supposed “Yamashita Treasure” held by Marcos for a long time, was brought to Pier 15 Manila to be shipped by Marcos’s men to the place where Marcos is. However, it was blocked, and it was already Cory’s reign. Up to now, nobody knows where it is.

The Filipino people for years have been free under the presidents who reign before Marcos. They were shocked when the disciplinarian leader came to power. They did not know what good it would give them in the long run. They thirst for freedom again, and Cory Aquino was willing to give it. So, they chose a president who would give them their emotional desires over a wise leader who would raise their nation in economic figures and goods. And why shouldn’t they? The previous governing presidents have trained them to. While all the other presidents were busy pleasing the people, Marcos was busy creating disciplined and better individuals in every Filipino.

Now, let’s go back to Cory Aquino taking the giant media industry player, ABS-CBN by her side. She indeed made them owe her something. And indeed, her family benefits a lot from it, because power over the media, is power over the whole nation. Let us not forget how influential media is to those watching – that is – the whole country. The Aquino’s did not only benefit from ABS-CBN beautifying their name, but also from how the ABS-CBN has provided them the censorship that they needed from the public eye.

Can you imagine, ABS-CBN airing news about how President Noynoy Aquino has a cigarette break, and having the people not rage over it? Instead, the people thought it was something showbiz and for entertainment consumption. Philippines is in a limbo and the people have to wake up. Every time Pnoy gives speech about how he’s going to throw away corruption so that these people won’t feel hunger anymore, the poor Filipino people look at him in awe, thinking that he is their “messiah” that would save them from eternal poverty. Dude, COME ON! Don’t sell yourself for this speech. Sadly, it is only what these people hold on to as their hope. They’re not educated as few of us are, and they are taken advantage. But anyway, who could blame them, even the educated allow themselves to be fooled.

The Aquino’s have this incredible tactic of tugging the people’s emotional chord to win them.

In reality, President Noynoy Aquino is busier having the Filipino people look behind the past regimes and go back to all the corruptions and flaws that were made in the Philippine national governance. He’s busy running after the past political sinners sending them to jail than having the Filipinos move forward for success and improvement. He was too stressed out to think about improvement, because he spent almost all of his time firing appointees of ex-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo one by one.

The Filipino people watched closely as the impeachment trial of our once Chief Justice Renato Corona went through. President Noynoy had the people by his side in this move, making ex-Chief Justice Corona looking like the most sinful man in the Philippines. However, the whole process was bias to Corona. His human rights were stepped on by the president we believed was a fair one, the times when the investigations went through. As a common citizen, you would be very happy that Corona is ousted. However, you know that the next thing that would sit as Chief Justice is an appointee of Noynoy. That’s the same thing. The appointee of Arroyo goes down, the appointee of Pnoy goes up. Now, Pnoy can do what he wants. And I bet you don’t realize how shameful it is in the eyes of other nations, that our country was able to impeach a Chief Justice by only an account of a SALN and be judged by people holding lower offices than he is. Can you imagine one of most powerful leaders of your country being judged by an action star?

 Our president has not even functioned well to protect our people here and abroad. Earlier we’ve talked about the Quirino grand stand failure of Pnoy and the Filipinos executed by the Chinese government due to drug trafficking. And what about the Scarborough shoal? Is he going to give it up to the Chinese government?

And what would you expect from those holding lower offices when the ones holding bigger offices don’t do their jobs best? Officials holding lower offices start reconstructing still beautiful infrastructures for renovations even if it’s not needed. Why? Is it for the kickbacks that would supply them the funds they need in running for the 2013 elections?

The Philippine national governance indeed needs to go to the hospital – heal itself. Well, if at least it has something to pay for its rehabilitation amidst all the credits it has to its neighbors. Good thing, we’re still friends with US. They’re a great help. However, there’s nothing we’re sure of. They owe something from our enemy too – China. Admit it, we’re foes with China. They’re acclaiming the Scarborough shoal and disrespectfully navigate through Philippine waters without permission.  They feel their power over us, and we become inferior. They’re killing us one by one from all the cheap poisonous goods they sell here in the Philippines that we patronize.

You can see how much these foreign investors fool us. Other countries would invest in our country, putting up factories. What happens is they protect their land and natural resources, while ours is destroyed and Philippines become more polluted. And we, because it’s money, we welcome them with open arms, because we hardly think about the long run when the present situation is overwhelming. It shouldn’t be the case. Michelle Obama said in the Reader’s Digest February 2012 issue, “Everything we do must be for our children.” We should always make our resources sustainable. The Philippine government should make a focus on this. These are some issues we think are “too little to mind” but it’s where we get our food, our living.

                The Philippine government must impose a law implementing that the Philippines must only import goods that Philippine producers cannot provide according to the demands of the public. That way, our products would become more patronized by our own citizens. When a product is patronized, the ones producing would probably have more experience in manufacturing the product thus improving it as time passes. It would also raise the demand for Philippine products in our country, which would lead to demanding more jobs for us here in the Philippines.

                The Philippine government must raise its taxes to foreign investors, especially those that would put up factories. It is hazardous for our health and for our natural resources as well. We should implement more laws that would protect our environment.

                President Noynoy must stop running after the appointees of ex-president Arroyo and begin to establish stronger alliance with other countries.

                Also, there must always be an annual national auditing that is shown to the public, so we would see where our money go. It should also be itemized.

                President Aquino should also stop his cigarette break, those are just minutes he steals from our country. And believe it or not, smokers use his activity as their excuse for their smoking habits.

                The Filipinos must be encouraged to look forward and stop looking behind them. Our eyes must be on our goal, not to the things that we’ve failed to do.