ShareThisPresident Benigno Simeon Aquino III commenced his administration with a declaration of his commitment to the Filipino people, “Kayo po ang boss ko” (You are my boss) in his inaugural speech. Using the language of the common “tao” (people), he swore to listen to them who had elected him overwhelmingly, handing him a landslide victory and a clear mandate like no other.
Great pledge, isn’t it? For, indeed, how can a leader go wrong when he listens to the voice, pulse and heartbeat of his fellowmen, especially those from the grassroots? They are his constituents who, on the one hand, are comprised of mostly the working class and the underprivileged, men, women and children whose fate is greatly affected by the pronouncements and decisions of their president and the lawmakers in Congress. And on the other hand, they are the educated middle class who pinned their hopes on this president to see good governance happen in their country.
So, President Aquino, buoyed by this overwhelming vote of confidence of his people, pledged to do what’s right and vowed to eradicate poverty through clean government in his slogan, “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap” (Without corruption, there will be no poor). Honesty will finally reign supreme in this rotten system! Or so they thought.
In the recent past, however, President Aquino seemed to have forgotten his pledge to his “boss,” as he chose to listen more to his close circle of friends who didn’t seem to care much about how his loyalty to them had been giving this president a bad rap. These friends, who would rather stay in their position of power and influence despite public clamor for their resignation, unless P’Noy fired them, gave this president a credibility and sincerity issue with who he claimed to be his so-called “boss.”
But P’Noy’s “boss” will not give up that easily. On issues that are highly important to these people, they will not hold back their voices.
Most recently, two issues prompted a strong reaction from his constituents. One issue concerned the burial of Marcos in Libingan ng mga Bayani and another on appointing candidates to highly significant government positions such as Ombudsman, Head of PCGG and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court.
The decision on the matter of Marcos’s burial was transferred by P’Noy to Vice President Jejomar Binay to avoid what he thought would be a perception of bias on the president’s part. It was a decision that did not sit quite well with some people, one of whom was a group called, US Pinoys for Good Government. Fearing a historical presidential faus pax and a decision that will wrongly confer Marcos a hero’s burial, many called on P’Noy to take charge and prevent such a mockery of history, among them, the USP4GG. A position paper produced by said group and signed by its officers and members from all over the United States had been sent to this President and was published in Philippine and U.S. newspapers. In addition, the leaders of the group have been interviewed on television and radio networks, making the impact of their position on Marcos’s burial stronger than when it probably started.
Meanwhile, famous and fearless journalist Winnie Monsod started endorsing people of impeccable integrity, intellect and experience, like Catalino Generillo, Jr. for Ombudsman or PCGG Head and Maria Lourdes “Meilou” Sereno for the Supreme Court. Monsod’s endorsement of Generillo gathered steam among many sectors of Philippine society and was overwhelmingly supported by overseas Filipino organizations. And Sereno’s extraordinary and highly impressive credentials are sure to win large grassroots support.
The question is, is P’noy ready to listen to his “boss”? Perhaps the better question is, “Who is P’Noy’s real boss?”