Is Noynoy worth a vote?

Tuesday, 27 October 2009 02:20 PM Dine Racoma

"Tinatanggap ko ang hiling ng sambayanan. Tinatanggap ko ang habilin ng aking mga magulang. Tinatanggap ko ang responsibilidad na ituloy ang laban para sa bayan. Tinatanggap ko ang hamong mamuno sa labang ito. Bayang Pilipinas, tatakbo po ako sa pagka-pangulo sa eleksyon sa 2010.”

These were Noynoy’s words during a press conference at the historic Club Filipino in San Juan City, the place where his mother and former president Cory Aquino took her oath in 1986. Some Filipinos might think Noynoy is just banking on his parents’ name, and the timely death of his mother, to carve his own niche in the political scene. After all, we are used to such a scenario in our political system. Others would utterly put it as another political dynasty in the making, although this puts the Philippine Constitution at a point of scrutiny as Section 26 of the Declaration of Principles and State Policies states, “The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.” The fact is, there is not a law passed to implement this provision, giving other philosophers an idea that Noynoy is working his way around the law of the land for his political ambitions.

Most of us know that Noynoy, born Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Cojuangco Aquino III, belongs to one of the most powerful and influential families in the country. Many speculate that should Noynoy win the 2010 presidential elections, it is going to be another win for the rich and powerful class. Only a few might even consider the advantage of such a powerful connection he has with the upper classes in terms of establishing harmonious economic relationships that could benefit the entire social strata. Though little can be said about his 11-year stint at Congress and the Senate, his training in the field of economics has helped him provide support to a number of economic policies of the government as well as his initiatives in promoting good governance and his swing towards government transparency and public accountability. Though some political thinkers say his impact in the country’s legislature is rather insubstantial given the length of his service.

Many of his supporters believe that Noynoy is the “good guy” with high regard to integrity. This can be attributed to his orientation towards human rights and love for democracy – the same orientation that made Juan dela Cruz fall in love with Ninoy and Cory.

So whether it’s really our nation’s call for a continued leadership, or Noynoy is just another presidential candidiate whose campaign gained much attention only after his mother’s death, ours is a big decision to make.

We are a nation of Juan dela Cruzes forged by our strength as a whole. We make democracy reign and if someone wants to run for public office, let him do so. We are smart enough to weigh the facts and to know the difference between competence and mere speculations. We know sympathy versus an intelligent decision. The person’s character and ability to the lead shall matter more than anything else our political analyses can come out with. In the end we are the judges by which someone, no matter how powerful or inexperienced he is on the political arena, could rest their fate on.

Photo: Noynoy Aquino's official ribbon, courtesy of Aquino's official website.
Video: Uploaded by allanestrella to youtube.com

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