‘Smart Filipinos’ never forget when they have been cheated, says Aquino daughter

Filipinos have such sharp memories that they don’t only remember the good deeds done to them but also never forget when they have been cheated. This was said Friday by the late former President Corazon Aquino's daughter Aurora Corazon "Pinky" Aquino-Abellada during a Mass held at the Don Bosco Church in Makati to commemorate the 26th death anniversary of former Senator Benigno “Ninoy" Aquino Jr. "A Filipino is really matalino. Ang Filipino maaalala kung mabuti ang ginawa mo sa kapwa mo at hindi niya rin malilimutan kung nanlamang ka ng kapwa mo," Aquino-Abellada said. (Filipinos are intelligent. A Filipino remembers when you have done something good for others and he never forgets when you took advantage of someone.) She said when people started criticizing her mother’s term as president from 1986 to 1992, she thought Filipinos "have already forgotten my mother’s sacrifices." But when thousands of supporters poured into the streets during Cory’s nine-hour funeral procession two weeks ago – more than two decades after her term - Aquino-Abellada said she reaffirmed that Filipinos indeed have "a good memory and that they never forget." Cory died August 1 after battling colon cancer for over a year. In Friday’s Mass, Aquino-Abellada urged the Philippine electorate, especially the youth voters, to observe a certain “criteria" for the candidates whose names they would be casting on their ballots in the May 2010 national elections. [See: Boxing champ Donaire gives championship belt to Aquino family] "When you think of who you’d want to vote, maybe try to think about people who are sincere (and) very honest," Aquino-Abellada said. She said voters should support those who are “in it for public service" and not those who are “in it to make their personal lives better." "I think the Filipinos are very smart and can see through that," she said, even encouraging voters to prepare a list of their candidates beforehand. Her brother, opposition Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III, is himself being prodded to participate in the 2010 elections and join forces with fellow Sen. Manuel “Mar" Roxas II, who has been positioning himself to be the standard bearer of the Liberal Party. Mar-Noynoy tandem Noynoy has played coy to suggestions for him to run for a higher seat. Among those who egged him on to run was former Senate President Jovito Salonga, chairman emeritus of the Liberal Party, who wants to see a “Mar-Noynoy tandem." Salonga said Roxas would make a good LP presidential candidate and Noynoy as his vice president. [See: Salonga’s choice: Mar-Noynoy for 2010] Former President Aquino and incumbent Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo share a similarity in their political careers such that both were catapulted to the highest post in the land through a peaceful mass uprising. Cory led the historic People Power Revolution in February 1986 that toppled strongman Ferdinand Marcos, and Mrs. Arroyo succeeded former President Joseph Estrada after he was ousted in 2001 through a similar mass revolt. Mrs. Aquino was among those who led the 2001 mass uprising against Estrada. But in 2005, she severed her ties with Mrs. Arroyo after the President was linked to alleged vote rigging in the 2004 elections. A wiretapped conversation between Mrs. Arroyo and a man alleged to be poll official Virgilio Garcillano leaked after the 2004 elections. In the conversation, Mrs. Arroyo was heard seeking an assurance from “Garci" if she would "still lead by more than 1M (million)." Efforts by the political opposition and other enraged members of the citizenry to impeach Mrs. Arroyo have been repeatedly defeated by the President's allies in the House of Representatives. - GMANews.TV