” I’m not saying I’m better than you are but maybe I am”
Randy Newman “I’m Different”
Anyone else notice that every event where President Aquino is invited to he makes news? Although personally it would be news that would embarrass me if I was in his camp. Well, it’s fireworks like that keeps us reacting and makes the world a more interesting place.
Personally if Noynoy just said things are fine you will be fine etc it wouldn’t be so newsworthy. What makes his speeches in those events noteworthy is he does one of three things: 1) lambastes the event host regardless of the context. 2) insults his predecessor. 3) chest beats about his administration regardless of their relevance.
There are more recent developments with our fine president like the Cyberact , bailing out Padaca with his own money and the MILF peace pact. I just find this particular event provides insight that he truly views himself as exemplary and even a higher life form. I have been subject to the Noynoy Aquino rhetoric for three years now and I have come to the conclusion how he justifies what I believe to be delusions of grandeur. Some of you might buy BSA III at face value and that is your prerogative. Comparing his past , his present, his words and his actions I personally believe that he believes that the Filipino people have given him the license to do whatever he well pleases. Screw protocol and procedure yet when it suits him he will say phrases like “ impeached for dereliction of duty” when it suits him signing a Draconian law he probably did not read thoroughly but still wants to put appearance that he comprehends and approves. In the meantime concepts like due process and conflict of interest are as alien to him as Martian cooking.
Again just my point of view but Noynoy in the back of his head knows he there were several candidates back in 2010 who were infinitely more qualified to lead than he was. Many wanted to debate him and Noynoy either refused them or he belittled them. Too bad not many questioned his qualifications but to those that did all he could answer was destiny. He never answered with anything resembling qualifications. When he was eventually elected Noynoy then pulled a Tony Soprano.. Nope he was not a bad ass yet sympathetic gangster.Tony Soprano justified previous extra marital affairs to his wife by saying she knew what she was getting when she married him.
Noynoy could have easily rationalized in his head that the voters what they were getting when they voted for him so his bad boy behavior and lack of leadership and managerial skills are actually endorsed and even encouraged by the Filipino people. So the next time you see Noynoy try to deny an accused his right to his day in court or engage in apparent conflict of interest think of Tony Soprano’s logic for cheating on his wife.
As I have said many times before our electorate in the Philippines are less than well informed. They use emotion to build an imaginary bridge between their given vote and their choice for that vote. Maybe it’s just me but that gap should be bridged with logic. But that may be asking too much. I wrote many posts on that topic but none match this classic by Rafterman.
We have the culture we have therefore we have the leaders that we have. Simple as that. Garbage in garbage out. Our voters relate to Erap, FPJ and Noynoy and we wonder why we are Asia’s basket case.
“The best-laid plans can be derailed when rules change and when decisions are based on whims, sometimes to serve the interests of a few. This is what we have tried to change since we took over office; this is the rationale behind our agenda of integrity-based governance.”-
Yes BS Aquino said that. Take your pick what act of his contradicts everything he said here whether it be his primary or secondary choice of CJ or him circumventing Secretary Albert del Rosario. Most recently it was reported that Noynoy used his personal funds to bail out Grace Padaca. Though give him credit, I thought that money was earmarked for video games specially with the Wii U coming out next month. Maybe I live on a different planet but Noynoy personally handling the bail of a Comelec official dissolves any objectivity Ms. Padaca will need to handle Noynoy’s Liberal party along with the other candidates in May of 2013. We have all seen how Noynoy a sitting president goes out of his way for his Liberal candidates. The case can be made these acts of BS Aquino are whims and self serving.
“We believe that a level playing field—in essence, a just society, built upon institutions that are fortified by the people’s trust—is the foundation of sustainable growth”,
So he believes in a level playing field. Not sure why he did not give Renato Corona a level playing field? Maybe Noynoy was scared that he could not convict him under normal circumstances? Noynoy talks about being fortified by the people’s trust. Yet he signed a bill that proves he does not trust the people. Does he think it’s a one way deal? By all accounts the libel portion of the Cybercrime Law to use a sports term, slipped by the goalie. It was not the product of years pain staking detail and craftsmanship. Rather somebody up there tried to pull a fast one. Since it was signed by BS Aquino that only leaves us two choices: 1) He did not know what he was signing which speaks to his attention to detail, and his tendency to give into whims or 2) He is the one who pulled the fast one which speaks to his level of disclosure to his fellow law makers and his constituents. Presidential mouth piece Edwin Lacierda kind of back tracked saying the passed law could use revisions. Which begs the question about any emerging technology , why not pattern your legal framework from governments in first world countries who are more advanced that we are?
Not sure why we would have a better handle on cyberlaw than they do unless our cyberlaw is aiming for something different than what other countries are aiming for in their cyberlaws. I wrote this three years ago in reaction to a list of countries that restrict Internet access to their citizens. The list is not exactly populated by countries known for their human rights benevolence. If RA 10175 indeed makes us even one iota politically closer to the countries listed there what does that say about our nation’s leaders?
Finally, I would like to close my analysis on President Noynoy Aquino’s view of himself and his administration juxtaposed with the reality by borrowing from the world of human resources. Syracuse University’s HR Department describes the role of self assessment as ” To encourage an interactive dialogue between the staff member and his/her supervisor during the performance review meeting.” For somebody to take your words and compare them to what you have done. There is a word that describes that. That term is “life”. Noynoy looks at himself like George Patton or Moses. Based on what he says compared to what he has done his whole life up to now I am reminded of a character that was introduced to me in English class. Walter Mitty.
Noynoy famously said that the Filipino are his boss. Yet I doubt we will ever be given the forum to assess his job the way many of us are assessed in real life with our own work. You have Noynoy’s own words how he views what he has done. I trust you can seek out what he actually did. The wider the gap between the two, the more you should be concerned. If the gap between the two is appreciable, there is a word for that. Yet the government is more concerned about ordinary citizens and their potential to commit libel online.
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