PNoy in 2010: Loyalty, frugality, immaturity

Click here for the full video and transcript of Jessica Soho's exclusive, hour-long interview with President Aquino.

Pardon the parody of the French motto, which came to mind while looking back to the year when the country finally made the transition from a widely distrusted ruler to a popularly elected president. If not for the surprising political ascent of Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III, the biggest story of the year would have been the end of the scandal-ridden administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. For a while, Filipinos were not quite sure she would even step down, with rumors of “no-elections" cropping up every so often. And even after the speedy results of the May elections showed Aquino’s overwhelming victory, many were still skeptical if he would make it to Malacañang. Not until he made his famous “wang-wang" inaugural speech and installed himself in the palace did Filipinos realize that after nine and a half years, the country finally had a new president. So what has the year been like for the only son who has no choice but to carve his political path in the shadow of his famous parents? Has Aquino attained the gravitas so necessary to show his constituents that he is a leader, and not just someone seemingly destined for Malacañang? GMANews.TV takes a closer look at the year of PNoy, with excerpts from the exclusive interview that Aquino granted to Jessica Soho of GMA News shortly after he marked his first 100 days in office. Loyalty to friends and family Love for country, that’s what he says, but many PNoy-watchers have observed otherwise. From the Hacienda Luisita issue that hounded his campaign to the Aug. 23 hostage tragedy that should have marked a turning point in his administration, it seems that Aquino has consistently chosen filial and fraternal loyalty over love of country instead. When he kicked off his presidential campaign last February 9 in Tarlac, then-Senator Noynoy Aquino said his family’s land holdings would be distributed to farm workers by 2014. But after he became chief executive, Aquino changed his tune when the Cojuangco clan forged a compromise deal with Luisita’s claimants in August. Similarly, Aquino took the cudgels for his shooting buddy, Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno, and close family friend Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim when they were heavily criticized for the August 23 hostage tragedy at the Luneta that left eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage-taker dead. A report from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism claims that “from day one," Aquino wanted to save his political allies from administrative and criminal sanctions recommended by the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) tasked to look into the hostage tragedy. In the end, the president made no mention of Puno and merely gave Lim an administrative slap on the wrist when he released the palace review of the IIRC report, squandering the chance to demonstrate a firm grip on the bureaucracy at a time when it was most needed. Still, Aquino defends what many perceive as weak leadership by describing his style as that of a "consensus builder." He shrugs off the various factions in his administration – the so-called “Balay" group of his defeated running mate Manuel Roxas, the “Samar" group of vice president Jejomar Binay, and even the supposed Kaibigan and Kaklase Inc. – with a dismissive, "Pare-pareho naman yung gusto naming patunguhan." That may be so, but as the president, Aquino has to learn to put the country’s interests above everything else, especially those of his family and friends. Frugal with time and money Indeed, one of the things the Filipinos are discovering about Aquino is that he puts a lot of value in the use of his personal time. For one, the laidback Aquino has admitted his reservations about putting the go-getter and multi-awarded Jesse Robredo in a permanent position at the Department of Interior and Local Governments because he was irritated when the latter crammed his sorties with several activities during the presidential campaign. And after 100 days as president, Aquino still seemed to have only a grudging acceptance of the demands of his job. He bemoaned having to attend to eight engagements on a Sunday trip to his home province of Tarlac, saying, “'Yung idea na may one day rest, pati sa Bibliya nakalagay at sa batas natin, that does not apply to this job." In the same vein, he has repeatedly railed in his State of the Nation Address and various media interviews against another pet peeve: wasted government funds. From the generous perks offered by government-owned and –controlled corporations to the lavish expenses of his predecessor, Aquino has not minced words when it comes to corruption. Thus, it comes as no surprise that some of his proudest early achievements are in the area of fiscal management. In the exclusive interview with GMA Network, he cited several instances when his new administration managed to save public money:

• the Department of Agriculture saved P30 million from the procurement of a machine that was previously estimated to cost P60 million
• the Department of Public Works and Highways saved P2.5 billion from its P3-billion budget for slope protection by using coco coir technology that only cost P500 million
• a proposed P18.5-billion loan for the dredging of Laguna Lake to remove heavy siltation was reviewed due to lack of mechanisms to address the causes of the problem – deforestation and informal settlers on the lakeside

After suffering from the excesses of the Marcos and Arroyo regimes, most Filipinos welcomed the campaign platform of Aquino to weed out corruption in government. He has made good on his promise in his first six months in Malacañang – cutting back on public spending, setting an example in traffic behavior with his “no wang-wang" policy, and going after excessive perks in government corporations. This is one of the few bright spots in his governance that has so far earned him high marks in surveys. Mishaps and mayhem Despite Aquino’s good intentions, however, the mixed signals coming from the palace have often caught the ire of the public this year. Some of the more glaring ones: Misguided executive orders and proclamations – since July, many of the issuances prepared by Aquino’s lightweight legal team have met harsh criticism; yet, he stubbornly gives more weight to his personal choices rather than competence in selecting his staff Miscommunications group – aside from the presidential spokesman, there are two cabinet secretaries handling the messaging and information requirements of Malacañang who often make conflicting pronouncements; who’s really in charge here? Mislang – despite Mai’s disparaging remarks about the wine, traffic, and men of Vietnam where she accompanied her boss using taxpayers’ money, she managed to keep her job; this left Aquino’s supporters wondering, so that’s what “tuwid na landas" means? There is only one solution to the messy state of affairs in the palace, of course, and that is to exercise more maturity in Aquino’s decision-making process. Some say a suitable mate might help lessen the emotional burden on the country’s first bachelor president, and as long as the more urgent demands of running the government sensibly does not take a backseat to his romantic quest, that may be well and good. The important thing is to make substantial progress in moving the country forward, instead of just baby steps. Farewell Gloria, hello Noynoy 2010 marked the end of a depressing political era and the transition to a more optimistic government under Aquino, who seemed more of a sentimental choice for many voters after his much-loved mother passed away last year than a firm leadership preference. Aquino has shown he is the exact opposite of his predecessor in terms of ethics and media accessibility, even as he has to curb the instinct to follow the “foot-in-mouth disease" his younger sister Kris is notorious for, as well as the tendency to ramble on and on when giving interviews. He has also displayed a commitment to rooting out injustice, granting freedom to both rebel soldiers and the left-leaning Morong 43 detainees. However, Aquino admits that he remains “fixated" over the lost opportunities in the past nine and a half years under Arroyo. “Ano bang trabaho primarily ngayon? Rebuilding so many institutions that were really severely damaged by misgovernance," he says. But if there is a sell-by date for blaming the Arroyo government for the country’s lack of progress, maybe that should be Dec. 31, 2010. As 2011 ushers in the Year of the Rabbit, Aquino has to craft a new year’s resolution that would see the Philippines making a great leap forward, buoyed by the trust that Filipinos have placed in his administration. The signing of the national budget on time, and the start of new peace talks with communist and Muslim rebels, augur well for the fresh start that the country needs badly. Liberty, equality, a sense of community. The ideals of the French revolution are within reach for the second Aquino government, if only PNoy follows his own sage advice: “It’s not the wang-wang per se. It’s the idea of following the law. I just want to set the example, then everybody else feels even more compelled to follow the law." To use the president’s favorite cliché, at the end of the day, what matters is that the people running the government are using the money of the taxpayers wisely, not just in saving funds but in making sure that officials are truly working for the welfare of the public and are not just there to keep Aquino ensconced in his comfort zone. - With a report from LARISSA MAE SUAREZ, GMANews.TV