All we have of Noynoy now is great expectations. For so long the Philippine political horizon has had no bright light which would promise an end to scores of years of corruption in government. What started as a flicker of hope when Noynoy announced his candidacy for the presidential post has now kindled into a real flame with his successful bid for the highest post in the land. We have high hopes that he truly is the one who would lead us out of the morass that we are in. Our belief is bolstered by Noynoy’s corruption-free track record in congress and the senate, his seeming resolve to pursue to fruition the advocacies of Ninoy and Cory, and the legacy of honesty and sincere concern for the Filipino bequeathed by heroic and legendary parents.
What may be in question are his capabilities and strength of character. He will have to rely on his capabilities of judiciousness and clarity of discernment in the inclusion of trusted and well meaning advisers. Should he exclude anyone with kinship to him (Kamaganak, Inc.) or those whom he feels beholden to due to favors and friendship (BFF, Inc. using showbiz jargon – Best Friends Forever) which include Mar Roxas, showbiz friends and funders of his campaign? Is he being suckered up to the ploy of some detractors so that his selection will be hamstrung by these restrictions? Perhaps he should have faith that his sincerity will carry him through and that he should not worry too much about the criticisms that Kamaganak, Inc. and BFF, Inc. will have influence on some decisions. Perhaps his uncle Peping is right when he said that those close to him would offer the best advice because they are allied to his cause and that they are sincere in wishing him well. It will just be up to his good judgment to separate the chaff from the grain.
What is suspect is his strength of will, the weakness of which might translate into a lack of political will at the trenches. While his tenures in office have been without blemish it was also marked by non-achievement or little achievement. Though it does not signify the lack of political will it somehow signals an indifference or even the turning of one’s back on the responsibility at hand which in a way is an abdication of will. Through what we know from background info about the family he seems to be dependent on what others in the family say, notably the sisters, headed by the eldest, Ballsy. There is nothing wrong with getting the consensus of family members for things of utmost importance but it seems that he is not assertive enough to prevail on the rest of the family. It doesn’t sit well in the mind to know that we will have governance that is heavily influenced by a “sisterhood” and not from the strength of a determined president. I hope I am wrong in this.
While Ballsy seems to be the strongest of the sisters because of the primacy her position in the family the one who wields the strongest outside influence is decidedly the youngest, Kris. She probably contributed a lot to Noynoy’s success at the polls knowing that we do have a “star struck” voting population. Her loud antics and memorable though silly pronouncements have kept the Noynoy effort above the din of election noise. Now that the cause is won she should start being more circumspect. The family is quick to defend her by saying that she has had the most traumatic childhood experience being deprived of a father during the family’s turbulent times after the assassination. This does not exacerbate the inanities that she has shown thus far. While Noynoy’s tolerance of these does not constitute an impeachable offense as they seem to be innocuous enough, their harm, at worst, is that they chisel away at the dignity of the Presidency.
No, I don’t think that we could compare Noynoy’s challenges to that of Lee Kuan Yew’s. Lee Kuan Yew was the astute politician who had a lot of political savvy and the strength of will and character to navigate the small city state to where it is now. The nature of the problems that faced Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore at the onset is not similar to the Philippine one.
Nonoy’s challenges are far more complex and at a bigger magnitude than those encountered by Lee Kuan Yew. Dismantling an entrenched system of corruption in the bureaucracy, putting a stop to political dynasties, going after the robber barons and warlords who control financial institutions and landholdings, disarming their private armies and spurring a moral regeneration to erase the ill effects inculcated on “martial law babies” who grew up with the wrong heroes through education and by example from the new dispensation are just a few of the things that need to be addressed urgently.
Should Noynoy succeed in his quest, as we all are praying for, then it would be a far bigger achievement than that of Lee Kuan Yew’s. It would take more than this legendary Singaporean leader to solve the problems of the Philippines. Let us hope that Noynoy is the man equal to the challenge.
