Philippine Politics: Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas – The Team To Beat

A couple of weeks ago, Senator Mar Roxas gave up his bid to run for president in 2010 in order to allow Senator Noynoy Aquino to run for president. The move of Mar Roxas was doen with the intention to push what’s best for the country. It was uncertain whether or not Mar Roxas would become the vice-presidential running mate of Noynoy Aquino, or whether he would just seek another term as senator.

However, it is now official – Noynoy Aquino for President, and Mar Roxas for Vice President in 2010. Mar Roxas made the announcement at the historic Club Filipino in Greenhills on September 21.

Speaking in Tagalog, Mar Roxas stated, “I am wholeheartedly accepting the responsibility to be Noynoy’s partner in our fight for change.”

Mar Roxas for VP and Noynoy Aquino for President

The Aquino-Roxas team has vowed to put a stop to corruption and to fight for a change that will overcome the greed of politicians.

“It’s bigger than the two of us, it is bigger than the Liberal Party. It is about our collective third for change. It is about our thirst for change finally overcoming those who want to continue the tayo-tayo system, the horse-trading, the greed, the self-interest, the transactional politics that has been the biggest roadblock to progress and prosperity for all,” Mar Roxas said.

“This is about what is straight and what is crooked. This is about the honest against the corrupt. This is about right versus wrong, ” he continued.

On a personal note, although their jump from the starting gun may be a bit late, considering that several other presidentiables have already begun their campaigns much earlier (i.e. Manny Villar, Dick Gordon), it is not at all a lost cause for Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas. Actually, I think the fact that they’ve announced their team puts them ahead of everyone else. Senator Manny Villar has already stated his candidacy a logn time ago, and has prepared diligently for the upcoming elections. However, Manny Villar has not yet announced a running mate to be his vice-president, and maybe he has to do so soon if the Filipino people are to seriously consider his presidential campaign.

At the very least, despite their late intentions – Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas have come up with a team, which is more than the other presidential aspirants have done despite their early head-start at campaigning. The common goal of Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas to fight for change in this country gives both of them a solid foundation to embark on issues that will improve the country’s governance, and eventually pave the way to progress that will be for the Filipino people.

Incidentally, Noynoy Aquino‘s father – national hero Ninoy Aquino – and Mar Roxas’ father – former Senator Gerardo Roxas  – are both members of the Upsilon Sigma Phi. Ninoy Aquino is from batch 1950 while Gerry Roxas is from Batch 1946.

One other thing that Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas have in common – Korina Sanchez, but that’s a different soap opera altogether.

Mabuhay si Noynoy and Mar!

Philippine Politics: Nonoy Aquino and Mar Roxas To Be Running Mates In 2010 Elections

Noynoy Aquino for Philippine President in 2010

Philippine Senators Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas looks to have joined forces in the campaign for the Presidential race. To what capacity is yet to be known, but what has been announced is that Mar Roxas is giving his aspirations to become the next Philippine President, and instead has vowed to support the candidacy of Noynoy Aquino, who has shared his intention to run for President.

Mar Roxas already has television ads regarding his campaign for the Phlippine Presidency in this coming 2010 national elections, but after discussions with Noynoy Aquino, he officially withdrew his candidacy. According to Mar Roxas, “Today I am announcing my support for the candidacy of Noynoy Aquino for President for 2010″ for reasons he stated as “putting country before self.”

It’s still unknown if Mar Roxas will be the Vice Presidential running mate of Noynoy Aquino, but he will certainly be supporting Noynoy Aquino.

Now, the decision of Noynoy Aquino to run for President may have certainly been affected by recent historic events, especially that of the death of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino. The millions who poured onto the streets during Cory Aquino‘s funeral cortege can be taken as a huge sign of voter turnouts for Noynoy Aquino, and probably influenced his decision to run for President. Whether the Filipino people will translate their fondness and respect for Cory Aquino to a vote for Noynoy Auqino for President remains uncertain. But then, it seems that both Mar Roxas and Noynoy Aquino recognize that the situaton could be a better gamble to win the Presidency, especially if it becomes a popularity contest. Because as it stands – the popularity contest is being won by Presidential aspirant and former Senate President Manny Villar.

And maybe – since the poll isn’t going the way of Mar Roxas, then his giving way to Noynoy Aquino is a prudent decision. However, it’s pretty difficult to imagine what kind of miracle strategy Noynoy Aquino is going to pull in order to become the next President. Other Presidential aspirants already have their campaign machinery mobilizing throughout the nation, and Noynoy Aquino has yet to put his foot on the starting block. But then, if there’s anyone else who is certain to make it happen – then perhaps Noynoy Aquino can, and Mar Roxas recognizes that.

After all Noynoy Aquino‘s father is national hero Ninoy Aquino and his mother is the iconic mother of Philippine democracy Cory Aquino. Noynoy Aquino actually carries the name Benigno Aquino III, which will look great on a Presidential sample ballot. And it might even actually help that his younger sister Kris Aquino is one of the most popular TV personalities in the country, despite the natural controversy that follows her around.

Philippine News: Millions Celebrate The Legacy of Cory Aquino

A few weeks ago, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo came back from a trip somewhere, and got quarantined at the Asian Hospital to keep up with regulations of the H1N1 pandemic. At around that same time, former President Cory Aquino got confined at another hospital for her treatment of colon cancer. Also at that same time, former First Lady Imelda Marcos celebrated her 80th birthday. I wanted to write something about how while two Philipine women leaders were in the hospital holding on to the edge of a hospital bed to put on their hospital slippers, an 80 year-old Imelda Marcos was gloating in her birthday present – a pair of Manolo Blahniks (her 10,234th pair in this lifetime.) And then, I wanted to wrap up the blog with something like – masamang damo, matagal mamatay.

Of course, I never wrote it, or otherwise you’d find it here. Fast forward a few weeks after, and Imelda has gotten probably 22 more pairs of shoes, Gloria is out of the hospital clear of the H1N1 (and perhaps allegedly a tummy tuck), and sadly former President Cory Aquino has passed away.

I was in high school when a few friends invited me to take part in NAMFREL (National Movement for Free Elections),  which was the movement responsible for double-checking that there would be no cheating at the time that the elections slated Ferdinand Marcos vs. Cory Aquino for the Philippine Presidency.

As a young teenager at that time, I wasn’t completely clueless as to what was going on with the country. Yes, I was very supportive of Cory Aquino and the whole move to get the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship ousted from Malacanang. But then, I was a teenager, and my real motivation in taking part in the whole NAMFREL process was to get to hang out with my friends, and perhaps a crush or two whom I knew were going to be there.

Of course, there was also something a bit more personal. On the day that Ninoy Aquino was to return to the Philippines, he spent his last mass in Boston, Massachussets, along with my grandfather Jose “Pepe” Calderon and my grandmother Belen “Betty” Fabros Calderon. Back then, Cory Aquino was just a simple house wife, and the dream of People Power was something no one ever envisioned. There is a historic picture of that walk from the church that was in my grandfather’s condominium, and is now at my mother’s house.

Anyway, during the 1986 elections, I was in La Salle Greenhills manning the documentation department, being in charge of collating information on complaints and incidents on cheating, harassment, election fraud, violence and such.  On one occasion, there was a call to our department that said that the Comelec officials resigned from their posts and were headed to the Baclaran Church.I was one of those who hopped in the car and secured the place, carrying pews to block the doors in case the military were to execute and arrest the Comelec resignees.

That entire election was a weird process. On one side – the Comelec’s tally had Marcos ahead. On the NAMFREL count, it was Aquino who was ahead. Crazy times indeed. And, of course, the resignation of the Comelec officials just signified that indeed there was something askew being done to assure a Marcos victory.

Anyway – a few days later, Marcos was seen in television being sworn in as President – and a few hours after that, people went to the streets of EDSA in what the world will remember as People Power. I was there. I took pictures. I put a rosary on the M-16 of a soldier standing by a tank.

Cory Aquino & Doy Laurel in front of the bust of Ferdinand Marcos

And when Marcos fled the country, and when Cory Aquino took her oath as President a few days after, I was dancing with friends on EDSA just in front of the gates of  Camp Aguinaldo.

My grandparents returned from the USA, and Jose Calderon was appointed to the 1987 Constitutional Commission while Betty Fabros-Calderon then became the OIC appointed Governor of Nueva Vizcaya, since the post was immediately vacated by her pro-Marcos predecessor.

There would be moments where I would get to personally meet Cory Aquino at dinners and social events where I had to be the companion of my grandmother or my grandfather. But, of course, I never really was not that much into the whole concept of politics and political social settings. There was a nice privileged feeling at being in a room with loads of important people, but that was about it. In hindsight, I wish that I took the time out to engage in conversation – a polite question or two about the weather, the traffic, the dessert, the Chicago Bulls  – especially with Cory, who was always very accommodating to everyone around her. She conversed with our housekeepers and our drivers. She would be the one to stand up and go to the kitchen to ask for a glass of water refill. Oh well.

A few Presidents after Aquino’s term, and some look down on the Aquino administration as a very difficult one. Her time was marred with a few coup attempts, and a couple of big natural disasters, including the devastation of a Mt. Pinatubo eruption. I don’t really know the yardstick used in measuring the success of a President, especially in a country like the Philippines. Is it because employment rates took a big leap forward, or more laws for the people were enacted, or more infrastructure was developed, or is it the economic growth and the stability of the GNP? Or is it popularity?

Whatever it is they think they know – one thing I do know about Corazon Aquino is that her simple, humble and God-fearing nature as a person who understands love and compassion is what inspires me. She lead by virtue, and that’s more than what can be said of others who have schemed and politicized their way to whatever throne they want. She never asked for the throne, and yet when it came her way in 1986, she did the best of what she could with it, keeping her virtue and God’s love as her compass. That truth is what true freedom could stand for.

Right now, it rains. And the heavens shed their blessings and tears for her as she soon comes to lay to rest beside her beloved Ninoy Aquino at the Manila Memorial Park. And like the millions of Filipinos, all I can say is maraming salamat, po.

Maraming Salamat, Tita Cory!