Noynoy Aquino continues to surge, critics in panic

Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd again led all candidates for president in next year’s elections in a survey that sought to determine the top three candidates most preferred by the public to succeed President Gloria Arroyo.

Six in 10 Filipinos (60 percent) mentioned Aquino when asked who they think should become president in 2010, Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported on Wednesday. Noynoy, the only son of late former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and late former President Corazon Aquino, also topped a survey on the preferred president conducted last month by SWS.

In the latest survey, he was followed by Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. (37 percent). Respondents were allowed to give up to three names of leaders who may possibly succeed President Arroyo. Candidates tailing Aquino and Villar were former President Joseph Estrada (18 percent), Sen. Francis Escudero (15 percent) and Sen. Manuel Roxas 2nd (12 percent). Candidates who got single-digit preference rating were Vice President Noli de Castro (8 percent), Sen. Loren Legarda (5 percent), Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro (4 percent), Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Mayor Jejomar Binay of Makati City (2 percent each) and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando and Brother Eddie Villanueva (1 percent each).

SWS said that 6 percent could not give an answer while 4 percent had no one to recommend. The survey was conducted from September 18 to 21, 2009, using face-to-face interviews of 1,800 adults. Margin of error is plus or minus 2.3 percent. SWS said its latest survey on the best leader to succeed Mrs. Arroyo was noncommissioned. Malacañang said that it was not worried about the latest SWS survey topped by Noynoy.

Now Aquino critics dont like to see the numbers. They are like vampires who see the rays of the sun. It will melt them in envy. While the candidates they are desperately rooting for are in the bottom, Noynoy Aquino without making so much fanfare is leaving them by the mile.

photo from wagnalang.wordpress.com

In the typhoon aftermath, while other presidential candidates took the opportunity to cash in on publicity at the expense of the suffering public, Noynoy chose to quietly send his assistance to the victims. While other candidates are distributing food with a shameless inscription of their names on the packed meals or using government resources to visit flood stricken areas, Noynoy Aquino used social networking sites to invite volunteers. Thats very personal and honest effort as opposed to the hypocritical and insincere way of helping the victims.

And the anti Aquino opinion writers are now busy churning the issues against Ninoy. Most of them twitted that Noynoy is banking only of the legacy of his dead parents, that Noynoy is weak and is indecisive etc., the very same allegations they used against her mother, Cory, before.

To tell you, these writers are repeating the same issues on daily basis. They cannot wait until campaign period to unload their bombs on Aquino. But theres a good thing to it. They keep on repeating it and people will get tired of it during campaign period. It will be like a broken record.

The pro administration media is peddling the idea of a leader of the future, a forward looking leader who will be concerned more about progress and development.  There is nothing you can question about this campaign strategy.  It is a common aspiration to attain progress and development so no one will argue with this. It is a safe proposition of the administration.

However, if one analyzes deeply, the administration is just evading the 2010 elections to be a referendum of Gloria Arroyo’s governance for the past 9 years.  It does not want to defend the issues against Gloria Arroyo, hence the thrust of parading a forward looking candidate kuno.  The administration is twisting the heads of the Filipinos not to look back but to look ahead to hide their misdeeds. Subtle and the administration hopes it might work.

But it is not lost in every Filipino’s heart that before even beginning to talk about progress and development, for the future, there must be a cleansing first of the government bureaucracy.  In other words, before we can move on, we have to introduce reforms. The problem with our bureaucracy today is that it is heavily infected with a virus. The virus of corruption. So destructive is the virus that it leads to the disorientation of the nation, where wrongdoings are acceptable and lying and cheating is becoming a virtue.  Progress and development can never be attained if this culture is effectively cleansed from the bureaucracy.

In 1986, it took a morally upright Corazon Aquino to cleanse the government bureaucracy of the Marcos bacteria. Since then, our country was moving forward until in the time of the populist and wants-to-please-all Gloria Arroyo that the virus of abuse and corruption came back with a vengeance.

Thus, reforming the bureaucracy and restoring the Constitutionally enshrined system of checks and balances will be what Noynoy Aquino and the Liberal Party will worked on from Day One once elected.  It may not be the cure all answer but definitely it will become the starting point for reforms.

Majority of our voters today are first time voters. They are young and idealistic. They witnessed how the Gloria administration bastardized our democratic values. They witnessed how corruption after corruption was committed by the people in power. They witnessed repeatedly and watching helplessly, how our constitutional system are abused and corrupted over and over again to favor the people in power today. These are not naive voters. These are voters raring for payback come election time.

The administration is boasting the solid support of the Congressmen, Governors and Mayors which will lead their candidate to victory.  Not long ago, in 1998, then Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr., was enjoying overwhelming support of the local leaders.  As election day comes near, the local politicians, vultures as they are, abandoned De Venecia and secretly support ed Joseph Estrada instead.   In 2007 election, the Team Unity senatorial slate of the administration again enjoyed that overwhelming support. Election time came, and the Team Unity was virtually wiped out.  The opposition won overwhelmingly.  The vaunted local government machinery either wilted under the onslaught of the opposition votes or was simply non existent at all.

Thus no matter what the  anti Aquino media is spinning, twisting and distorting everything to discredit Noynoy’s candidacy and the  much ballyhoed support of politicians to their side, the surveys would show otherwise. Despite the negative propaganda this early against Aquino, the people never listen to their cheap tirades and Noynoy still surged ahead with 60 percent vote, higher than the 51 percent earlier when Noynoy announced his acceptance. They kept on attacking but never mind, Noynoy is kept on rising.

Not knowing what hit them, anti Noynoy opinion makers, are now questioning the surveys. They remain baffled that despite their untruthful accusations, Noynoy is still ahead. There must be something wrong with the surveys. Thats how pathetic and desperate they have become.

Anyone, all this focus on Noynoy is not unexpected. When you are on top, everyone wants to shoot you down. As for the surveys, it will never lie. 2007 elections showed that what the surveys indicated is the expected outcome.

Noynoy is destined to become President of this country.