In the age of Ninoy and Cory, being Noynoy Aquino is not easy

The year was 1987, just one year into the presidency of Corazon Aquino, when her son and his security escorts were shot at by rogue soldiers near the gates of Malacañang.

Three security escorts were killed in the attack—one of the many failed coup attempts against the Aquino administration—but Benigno "Noynoy" Cojuangco Aquino, then 27, survived. He sustained five gunshot wounds, and to this day, a bullet remains lodged in his neck. Could it have been sheer luck, or was it fate that saved Noynoy’s life because he was destined for something far greater than being the only son of the country’s first woman president? If pre-elections surveys are to be believed, Noynoy, now 50 and an incumbent senator, currently stands as the man most likely to become the 15th president of the Philippines. He probably had not even thought of one day becoming a presidential front runner, for Noynoy, even though he comes from the influential and landed Cojuangcos and Aquinos of Tarlac, is one of the most unassuming characters ever to make a mark in Philippine politics. While Noynoy’s late martyred father Ninoy was known for his ability to deliver powerful speeches that resonated with the public, Noynoy’s statements are usually delivered in a low, calm voice peppered with “po" and “opo." “Hindi ko po ninais na magmana ng mga problemang iniwan po sa atin ng taong dumurog sa ating mga pangarap," Noynoy said during the Liberal Party’s miting de avance, referring to the criticisms heaped on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He continued, “Pinasok natin ang kampanyang ito ng walang sapat na paghahanda, hindi tulad ng ating mga katunggali. Pati po ang aking mga kapatid na humiling lang ng sandaling oras para masanay sa pagkawalay ng aming ina ay hindi man lang nabigyan ng kakarampot na panahon at dumamay sa hirap ng laban na ito." “Sa harap ng mabibigat na tungkuling kusang-loob kong pinasan, dinamayan din ako ng taong bayan tulad nyo," Noynoy said. “Maraming maraming salamat po." A “people’s campaign" is what Noynoy calls his current endeavor, which is probably the reason why he often speaks in plural terms when talking about his presidential bid. Without the clamor and support of the people, Noynoy says, he would not have sustained the momentum in the race, much less seek the presidency. Thrust into the limelight after the death of his mother in August last year, Noynoy has often been perceived as a political lightweight despite his three terms in the House of Representatives for Tarlac’s second district and his first three years as senator. Noynoy is criticized for not having led the passage of any significant national bill he principally authored despite his nine years in Congress. Noynoy counters by saying the worth of a lawmaker is measured not just in the number of laws he authored but in other efforts. In his case, he cites the scrutiny of the national budget and participation in deliberations of the Senate committee on local government, which he chairs, and the House committee on political and human rights, of which he was once vice chairman. He also served as Deputy House Speaker from November 2004 to February 2006. It has been said that Noynoy’s strength is not in his legislative history, but in his family name. The Aquinos are arguably the closest to political royalty that the Philippines has ever had. The martyrdom of his father Ninoy and the dedication to democracy of his mother Cory are vividly imprinted in the hearts of many Filipinos, becoming the key to the popularity Noynoy is enjoying today. But what is perceived to be Noynoy’s greatest strength—his family—is also the greatest weakness of his campaign. Ever since he announced his presidential bid in September, he has been hounded by demands for the distribution of Hacienda Luisita, a sprawling 6,435-hectare sugar plantation in Tarlac that is still mostly owned by the Cojuangco family even though the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) which could have given the land to farmer-beneficiaries was one of the key initiatives of Mrs. Aquino. At the kickoff of his presidential campaign in Concepcion, Tarlac last February, Noynoy promised that Hacienda Luisita would be distributed to farm workers by 2014 after its debts were paid. In mid-March, however, the New York Times quoted his cousin Fernando Cojuangco, Central Azucarera de Tarlac chief operations officer, as saying “No, we’re not going to" when asked about giving up the family plantation and the sugar business. Another relative, Noynoy’s uncle former Tarlac Rep. Jose “Peping" Cojuangco, Jr. said earlier that Noynoy’s statement on giving up his family’s rights over Luisita was only his “opinion." Hacienda Luisita Inc. spokesman Atty. Antonio Ligon has said plantation management would comply with whatever decision Noynoy makes regarding the Cojuangcos’ controversial sugar estate if he wins as long as his decisions are in accordance with the law. Noynoy’s critics have also said the construction of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) allegedly benefited the Cojuangcos because of the interchange that directly connects the highway to a private road of Hacienda Luisita’s Central Techno Park. Despite these issues, however, Noynoy has consistently maintained a wide lead over his rivals in pre-election surveys. Not even the release of at least two fake psychiatric reports alleging that Noynoy had mental issues and criticisms of his smoking habit have put a dent on his ratings. A few days before the elections, pollster Social Weather Stations reported that Noynoy has a 22-point lead, a large enough advantage that has been perceived by his camp as a near-certainty that he would clinch victory on May 10 if the first nationwide automated polls in the country’s history do not fail. The positive survey results compared to his rivals—which include a multimillionaire who has long plotted a road to the presidency—seem to have convinced Noynoy that he is well on his road to the presidency. In the early days of the presidential race, he seemed uncertain about his stand on many issues, but over the course of the campaign, the once fumbling Noynoy has learned to speak more confidently about what he intends to do for the country if he gets elected: he will oppose the imposition of new taxes and would instead focus on ensuring efficient tax collection; he will create commissions that would investigate corruption issues in the Arroyo administration and study whether Charter change is needed; he will support the institutionalization of reproductive health education. “There are those, the more conservative, who do not want sex education, who do not want any discussion whatsoever. I cannot agree with that because the problem is already here," Noynoy said in his campaign rally in Albay. But he maintained that “the state’s obligation begins and ends with reminding parents they have responsibilities to their children." In a country hungry for transparency, his supporters believe Noynoy is the best person to take the reins of government from President Arroyo. His relatively clean slate, humble demeanor, and of course, the well-respected Aquino name all work to his advantage. If he clinches the presidency, however, Noynoy would have a lot to deal with: the fulfillment of his numerous campaign promises, the expectations that his government would be transparent, the hopes that he would bring about change. The presidency is not an on-the-job-training, his rivals say. On a deeper level perhaps, Noynoy’s biggest challenge is to be respected and remembered not just for being an Aquino, but because he is Noynoy Aquino. – YA, GMANews.TV