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At Large
Just Say NoyNoy
Philippines chooses bland new president — and nothing will change.
Benigno Simeon Aquino III (aka Noynoy), the latest in his family’s leadership line, won last week’s Philippine national election by a commanding 40-plus percent of the votes cast. It appears he will begin his term as president with a relatively broad mandate for change. Not bad for a man who has rarely left his family estate or businesses since 1998 to act in his elected capacity as a congressman and senator by attending congressional sessions. He will need every bit of his popular mandate.
Noynoy’s father, the late Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. (Ninoy), after being imprisoned by Ferdinand Marcos and suffering two heart attacks, was allowed to leave the Philippines for the United States in 1980. He tried to come back in 1983 from his safe haven in Newton, Massachusetts, but was assassinated as he stepped off the plane in Manila. While he was in the U.S., Nino had tried hard to explain to his American hosts the essential frailty of the Philippine polity that he believed the various American leaders had never been able to fully comprehend. It has been said that part of this drive to explain the complicated aspects of his homeland was tied to his seeking justification for his own father’s collaboration with the Japanese during WW2.
Ninoy Aquino wrote and spoke of the difficulty in reforming the Philippine political system. He often referred to the endemic socio-economic character in Philippine culture of the acceptance, and even need, of the trickle-down functions of “gifts, advantages and wealth” built into the tradition of his nation’s life. Ninoy emphasized that until wholesale change of this deep-rooted, tribal-based system occurred there never could be a real reformation of his homeland’s political existence.
Corazon Aquino, Ninoy’s widow and Noynoy’s mother, was swept into the presidency in 1986 on a wave of emotion, but she did little during her administration to alter the power of the oligarchs. This is now the same problem that faces the new Aquino in her old job. The mild-mannered, consistently uninvolved Noynoy, however, has an additional obstacle to overcome.
The departing president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who left office due to term limits, was elected to a congressional seat, and is said to seek the position of Speaker of the House. From there she could push through legislation of interest to her and her allies. Some speculate she might seek to gain passage of a constitutional change creating a parliamentary system with a prime minister as head of government; thus diminishing the power of the presidency, and allowing her to regain ascendancy
While Noynoy won an impressive plurality of the vote, he still will have to negotiate with other parties for his supposedly anti-corruption program. That immediately suggests a weakening of such a program. Even within his own Liberal Party compromises will have to be forged that will tend to undercut the new president’s ability to press for anti-special interest legislation.
The additional complicating factor of family allegiances tends to instruct or simply override political actions on all levels. One of the most striking examples of family control exists in the predominantly Moslem Maguindanao province of Mindanao. In this region, 600 miles south of Manila, the Ampatuan clan holds sway. As far as federal authorities are concerned, their private army ensures protection against criminals and anti-government rebels.
> The Ampatuan also guarantee elections for their chosen central government power players in Manila. In return federal money flows back to Maguindanao Province to be distributed as desired by the Ampatuan. This exercise is repeated with other clans throughout the various key communities of the Philippines — as it has for generations.
While the Philippines has a well-established democratic system of elections, aggressive press, and what has been referred to as a “nominally independent judiciary,” the reality is that violence pervades the nation and landowners exercise feudal power and privilege.
This is the world that Benigno Aquino III has inherited. The longing of the Philippine voters for a cessation to endemic corruption and the obvious inability or unwillingness of the various post-war governments to do so does not bode well for Noynoy’s new administration. The voters have invested greatly in their hopes for a drastic change in the Philippine world that Noynoy’s father delineated in the years of his exile.
Failure to achieve at least a modicum of success in altering the path of traditional Philippine politics will certainly create the environment for a military coup along lines that have occurred previously. Protestations by Major General Gaudencio Pangilinan, head of the Army’s “military affairs division,” that such things were in the past and not the present has convinced only the most innocent. After all, the Army and National Police remain the only even passing disciplined elements in the national structure.
The elections were successful. The Philippine people love elections and all the excitement that goes with them. The question remains, however, whether the studiously uninvolved Noynoy Aquino will have the desire and inner strength to challenge the previously unmanageable herd of politicians.
Or is it that the power brokers — family, business, religious, tribal and military — are counting on his weaknesses to keep the nation’s many powerful factions in balance? Neither Washington nor Manila really knows.
About the Author
George H. Wittman writes a weekly column on international affairs for The American Spectator online. He was the founding chairman of the National Institute for Public Policy.
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Melvin| 5.21.10 @ 8:28AM
Being physically present in the Philippines during martial law, Ninoy's return and subsequent assignation, I large part of my life has been involved with with wonderful Country.
Noynoy is not only weak but he is flaccid, the sharks are already circling Nonoy's lifeless body in the water and Nonoy doesn't realize it yet.
Nonoy is a lovable liberal who lives and feeds off the emotion of the Philippine people. The Oligarchs who Ferdinand Marcos kept at bay are now openly whistling, " Happy Days are here again." Gloria, "Judas" Macapagal Arroyo exits and reenters politics as a Senator with her and her family's personal coffers well stocked with the secret deals with China by selling off her Country bit by bit to them.
Corrupting in the Philippines, my God that is a understatement. It is beyond rampant, it has become a way of life for the elites. The people of the Philippines are worse off now then when Marcos was in power.
Marcos was demagogued by the elites. But truth be told the average Philippine citizen was better off under the Marcos regime than all the subsequent regimes since his ouster.
Marcos kept the oligarchs in check. Yes, there was corruption but Marcos kept it manageable, because he knew he couldn't stamp out corruption entirely.
The Philippines is controlled by factions of wealthy families that go back to the days of the Spanish. Marcos broke up or extremely weakened these factions by dividing up huge swaths of land and allowing every day Filipinos to own land.
But since the fall of Marcos these wealthy families have been slowly bit by bit reacquiring their land and power and it has gotten to the point that Filipinos are just as poor & destitute as they were before Marcos took power.
Farmland has been turned into resorts and theme parks. Once extremely fertile land just outside Naga City in Camarines Sur Province has been turned into a water park for the elite from Manila. This water park sits on the most richest earth in the entire Philippines and now is worthless because an elite from Manila wants to sun themselves on a chaise lounge.
My wife made the comment to one of the representatives of the water parks which is controlled by the Governor of Bicol Province, "My father and I used to grow peanuts here, what happened to the farmers who used to own this land?" The representative replied, "Oh we hired them to keep the park clean."
The Aquinos past and present are up to their elbows in this corruption and power to. To be sure Ninoy Aquino is not the patron saint as he is protrayed. He just figured it was his turn to get his piece of the pie back, and now his feckless son who hasn't a clue to what he is doing, who ran for President on the shirttails of his mother's yellow dress will drive his nation further and further into debt and poverty all the while the oligarchs continue to send their children to French Universities in Paris.
To rub more salt into the Filipenos wounds. There is another Aquino waiting in the wings Chris, who is the crème de la crème of Manila's elite and talk show queen.
May God have mercy on those poor peoples souls who live under the bridges of Manila because their pitiful lives are going to be made worse by the Aquino family.
Marla Escobar| 5.26.10 @ 10:56AM
Mr.Melvin,thank you for your feedback,but sometimes when things just look so drab,it may be wiser to remember to hope. Afterwhich, we help in whatever way we can,to reach change,even little by little.Give Noynoy a chance and give all the support you can give as a true Filipino who believes in his country and his people,and yes,this nation shall be great again. :)
Orville Nim Rosillo | 5.21.10 @ 8:59AM
Based on Philippine Presidential Election Facebook Application As of May 2010 | 8:58pm ( TOP 3.
31% Gilbert Teodoro
25% Noynoy Aquino III
20% Eddie Villanueva
Allan| 5.23.10 @ 2:41AM
i voted for gibo, my family did. as well as my siblings and their families. a lot of my friends did too. i'm part of the green team cebu. we campaigned vigorously all over the province of cebu (and also bacolod) but unfortunately, most of the people who voted for noynoy do not have FB accounts. we underestimated noynoy. i, we, became so confident that gibo will win, looking at his well attended sorties all over the nation and sadly on FB. sigh....
Sherlock| 5.24.10 @ 4:01AM
as a former active volunteer of Green Team Cebu, I myself could not believe that the result of the elections were contrary to what I have witnessed during the campaign sorties. I never thought that those enthusiastic crowd would not translate into votes. Oh well, lessons learned... That is why the credibility of the recent elections should be established so that we would know how to properly conduct campaign the next time around.
Gr0w1er| 5.21.10 @ 9:02AM
Nothing will ever change in that country. The sharks are indeed circling. Just don't get caught in the water.
michigander_sandusky| 5.21.10 @ 10:04AM
I just returned from three weeks in Luzon. You can't find more friendly and hardworking people than you can in the Philippines. However, the corruption and political assassinations are beyond belief. During my three weeks there just prior to the elections over 65 political assassinations took place. Despite the average Filipino's honesty and integrity, the place is an absolute mess. America should take stock. As the U.S. moves further and further away from the rule of law and our politics becomes more polarized the more we will resemble the Philippines. God help us.
Stephen Zierak| 5.21.10 @ 10:13AM
The political situation in the Philippines continues to be a tragic one. Despite the remarks justifying Marcos, he was a disaster for his people. The Philippines had an opportunity to be one of the Asian tigers post WW2, but the Marcos "crony capitalism" made sure that would not happen. Cory Aquino may have been well-meaning, but she was totally incompetent and spent most of her attention protecting the first families of the Philippines (of which the Aquino family was a prominent example). She was succeeded by former General Ramos, who, almost unbelievably, turned out to be the best post-WW2 president the nation has had. He understood markets and he understood the bar to development created by crony capitalism. He was encouraged to try to repeal the one-term limit so he could stand for reelection, but decided this was not to the best interests of his country (he would have won in a walk). He was replaced by Estrada, who was nothing more than a celebrity. Then came Arroyo. I had hopes for her, as she had been educated in economics in the US, but, alas, she too has turned out to be a dud. And now Noy Noy. I fear he will be a hopeless case. It is true that the culture is somewhat tribal, although the local machine politics would not be unfamiliar to those living in such American cities as Chicago or Boston. The problem in the Philippines is that the local machines are alive even in less populous rural areas, and they can be brutal (not only in political favoritism but in political violence). My wife is from the Philippines, and I pay attention to their politics. I fear that the promise of progress seen in the Ramos administration will continue to depart ever further from fulfillment. Why should Americans care about this (to justify an article on this website)? I can offer no good reasons other than the historical ties of the US to the Philippines, and the hope of all Americans that liberal (in the good sense) democracy can succeed elsewhere in the world. Unfortunately, it is dark days for liberal democracy in the Philippines, despite Filipino enthusiastic participation in the electoral process. What is particularly distressing is that there was no better candidate than Noy Noy this time around.
anna| 5.23.10 @ 2:34AM
some nations think Noynoy is the right choice but he's not,have u checked his background?did his l;ate mom did something to this country?Ninoy might be good but he has done nothing,the Philippines will never change until people are ready to have a leader who will win because of popularity or cheated on elections,we have more qualified than Noynoy surely way more QUALIFIED,wish people thought about it or considered better like Gilbert Teodoro or Dick Gordon but not Noynoy,and with a greedy front runner vice president Binay the Philippines will have its biggest nightmare...poor us,i just hope and pray that he will survive his one year with all the greedy alliance he has right now,former Cory cabinets who did nothing but steal money..no corrupt?we will see Noynoy the Filipino are watching YOU!!!
Expat| 5.23.10 @ 4:13AM
I'm a retired American "kano" who now lives in the Philippines. I congratulate the Filipinos for a successful and relatively peaceful election, and wish Noynoy well. Having said that, the cult of celebrity is very much alive and well here. Were it not for his mother Corazon's passing this past year and the subsequent public mourning, Noynoy would have never have been considered presidential caliber. He has accomplished little if anything during his Senate term, and doesn't strike me as the brightest bulb on the tree. Nonetheless,it could have been worse, like in Thailand. At least the Philippines is taking democracy to heart, in it's own way. God Bless America and the Philippines!
philfl63| 5.23.10 @ 1:15PM
The Filipino people are a very respectful people, at least all of them I have ever known. However, like all tribal, heathen peoples, who survive by way of corruption, they will never achieve any measure of law and order such that exists in America. We have always deluded ourselves by thinking that foreign peoples can become civilized, democratic peoples. This has been a costly delusion.
baluca| 5.23.10 @ 9:08PM
Had Aquino III not run, the president that was deposed - Joseph Estrada, who also ran - would have won. The other two guys, Sen. Manuel Villar and Sec. of Defense Gilberto Teodoro weren't even close.
Aquino's vice-presidential mate, Sen. Mar Roxas (grandson of a president himself), was supposed to be party's presidential nominee. But Roxas gave way to public sentiment for Noynoy owing to nostalgia of his mom, former president Cory Aquino, who died a few months ago.
This nostalgia was derived, in part, by anti-incumbency directed at Pres. Gloria Arroyo (herself a daughter of a president) with more than its fair share of corruption stories, intrigues for changing the constitution to keep her in power, arrogance and callousness.
(Roxas, the highest vote getting senator a few elections ago, will likely lose the race for VP to a mayor of Makati, Jejomar (JEsus, JOseph, MARy) Binay)). The VP election is independent of the Presidential race unlike the US.
Binay owes his political career to the Aquinos, who was appointed mayor of Makati - part of Metropolitan Manila, after Marcos was deposed in 1986.
Of all of them, I am most impressed with Binay. He came from nowhere to take down Roxas and is a mayor who ran against a pedigreed and popular senator (on top of that, Roxas married a top TV news personality, which also goes a long way in Philippine politics).
This is like Hillary's supposed coronation which didn't turn out to be.
Anyway, Binay is the founder of his political family dynasty, not its scion as most others.
With Noynoy, people just want a breather. They personally don't expect much. Gloria totally stressed them out, not unlike the way Bush II stressed out everyone here, which gave way to Obama and his "Yes, we can! Audacity of Hope! McCain is Bush's third term" rhetoric.
I wish the Philippines the best. For me, who needs to watch the soap operas on daytime TV, when I go to the Philippine newspaper websites and get my fix on the drama. It, too is a storyline, as anything produced by Procter and Gamble.
jd| 7.1.10 @ 3:21AM
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Lou del Rosario| 7.1.10 @ 1:51PM
I am a Filipino, and proud to be one. I pray to God everyday that He will make right what went wrong. I know and believe, that He who did not spare His own Son, will do just that