1st reason why Noynoy is clueless: he thinks that if there is no corruption there will be no poverty.Reality check:Corruption certainly contributes to poverty, but corruption is everywhere, even in the greatest democracy and the richest country in the world, the USA. President Obama has surrounded himself with many senior appointees who have been proven to be tax evaders. Large US MNCs give out bribes as a regular way of doing business. Corruption is a way of life in the USA, but it is a very rich nation. While reducing corruption certainly is important, economic progress comes when those at the helm of government know what they are doing and have political will, like Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore.
Noynoy has no experience and will be quickly overwhelmed by the complexity of governance.
2nd reason why Noynoy is clueless: he thinks that since he is not corrupt, then there will be no corruption.Reality check:Corruption is unfortunately deeply ingrained in the Philippine political system. That is not to say that we should not do something about it. But it is to recognize that it is not only the President but those around him/her who matter. Cory was quite saintly, but Kamaganak Inc. rampaged through her Presidency. Frank Drilon, the President of the Liberal Party, is himself known as corrupt.
Noynoy has no governance experience, whether in business or politics, and those close to him can easily run circles around him.
3rd reason why Noynoy is clueless: he believes that poverty would be eliminated if only there is clean governance.Reality check:There is widespread poverty in the Philippines not because of corruption, but because of social injustice. That is, the rich grow richer, and so the poor grow poorer. There are enough resources in the nation for everyone to have a decent life. But the rich elite, a very small part of the population, has taken a very large and disproportionate share of the nation’s wealth.
How do we eliminate poverty? By sharing. This is what the first Christians did. The rich shared their wealth with the poor, and the result was that there was no one in need (Acts 4:34). This is not just about giving handouts. Part of sharing is sharing the opportunities to make money, giving just compensation to employees, giving land to the landless.
The social injustice is perpetrated by the entrenched elite economic and political families, such as the Cojuangcos, Roxases, Aranetas, Madrigals, etc. A prime example is the case of Hacienda Luisita, where the farmers have been deprived of what is rightfully theirs. In fact, they have been killed for asking for what is due them.
Noynoy is part of this social and economic elite, and cannot be expected to stand against them in favor of the poor. He has already shown this in the case of Hacienda Luisita.
4th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he does not understand the poor.Reality check:The poor make up the overwhelming majority of our people. They make up the greater part of a President’s national constituency. Thus care for the poor should be a primary concern of any President.
Perhaps we cannot judge Noynoy harshly, because he has not experienced deep material poverty. If you have not been poor, you cannot truly empathize with the poor. That is why social workers at times live with the poor, to somehow become one of them, to experience what they experience.. He does not understand how the poor care for their relatives, even to the point of going into debt, or perhaps, even stealing. He does not understand the nobility of the poor. As with many who are rich and elite, perhaps he looks on the poor with disdain, considering them lazy, dirty, of no good to society. This might be unfair to Noynoy, but did he not in fact show no concern for the farmers of Hacienda Luisita? He even accused them of being communists when they rallied for their rights.
The most urgent need for our nation is the eradication of poverty. Noynoy cannot accomplish this because his heart is not with the poor. In fact, in desiring to eliminate corruption, would that not benefit the rich businessmen most? Then they will only grow richer, and the poor poorer.
5th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he does not understand that reproductive health means abortion.Reality check:Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, said it again quite clearly: “You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health. And reproductive health includes contraception and family planning and access to legal, safe abortion.” It is the goal of the US government, together with powerful forces such as the European Union, elements of the United Nations, billionaire philanthropists, liberal media, homosexualist forces, to force abortion on the whole world as a human right.
If Noynoy claims to be against abortion but for the RH bill, then he is either being naive or deceptive. Reproductive health promotes condoms, condoms fail and result in unwanted pregnancies, then women procure abortions. That is how it has happened in the US and elsewhere. It is a clever step-by-step process that the anti-life forces promote. If we accept the RH bill, abortion will not be far behind.
6th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he believes that EDSA is his birthright.Reality check:EDSA was a miracle of God. It belongs to all of us. It was a work of the Spirit that resulted in the dismantling of the Marcos dictatorship. God used Ninoy and Cory, but the glory belongs to God and the honor to the whole Filipino nation.
But Noynoy has appropriated the EDSA spirit for himself and his campaign. He is using the Laban sign, the color yellow (this is not the color of the Liberal Party), the songs, the slogans, even what his parents had done. What a blatant theft of what belongs to us! Now many Filipinos are distancing themselves from EDSA symbols simply because they are automatically looked on as pro-Noynoy. What a shame! What a disservice to the nation. Noynoy is destroying that most loved Filipino treasure that is EDSA.
Further, Noynoy is clueless in thinking that because his parents are revered, he now deserves to be President.
7th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he thinks his good intentions are enough to govern the country.Reality check:To be an effective President, one needs experience, political will, intelligence. One cannot just have good intentions. One cannot just be uncorrupt. One must be prepared, with a working platform of governance. One must hit the ground running on Day One, and not have to learn the ropes while in office. One must not just rely on subordinates and hangers on, but must have a clear vision and know what to do.
Noynoy has no executive experience. His legislative experience includes not passing any bill at all. He has no performance to speak of. As Congressman and Senator, he has not made any positive impact on behalf of his constituencies or the nation. Simply put, he is a non-performer.
8th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he does not understand that to be effective as President, he has to work with other powers-that- be, and so he should show respect.Reality check:The Presidency does not exist by itself in the political system. In fact, the legislature and the judiciary are equal partners in governance. Then there are other economic and social forces.
Noynoy belittled the Church when Cardinal Vidal took him to task for being pro-RH bill. He threatened the Supreme Court justices with impeachment if they accepted the appointment of a Chief Justice. He attacks President Arroyo even if she is not a candidate for President (and blatantly claims that he is the only real opposition). He maligns his main political opponent, making wild and unfounded claims, with half-truths and outright lies. He ridiculed a political pollster when the findings showed Villar closing in on him. He accuses the Comelec of imagined irregularities. He stokes conflict between the chiefs of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police. He makes it his priority to prosecute GMA.
Noynoy is a divisive person. He attacks and maligns, often without good basis. He creates enemies instead of trying to win them over. He is disrespectful, of good people and important institutions. In a political system as we have in the Philippines, that is a sure way to division and disunity.
9th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he still has the EDSA hangover and has no qualms about not following the rule of law.Reality check:The rule of law, flawed as it might be at times, is crucial to a democracy. EDSA is an extraordinary experience, perhaps never to be repeated again.
Noynoy has no qualms about not following the rule of law. In his disagreement with the appointment by GMA of a Chief Justice, he has resorted to threats and demonstrations, instigating his followers in the latter. He has threatened the justices with impeachment. In contrast, the Nationalista Party, also disagreeing with GMA’s potential action, took the issue to the Supreme Court as an appeal to its decision.
Noynoy does not see that an extraordinary extra-judicial move is not a first option, but the last. When we discard the rule of law, we are well on our way to chaos.
10th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he does not know what is good for the economy or the nation.Reality check:Taxes are the lifeblood of the nation. Without adequate taxes, there would be no resources with which to run government and serve the people.
Noynoy immediately announced that he would not raise taxes (he later backtracked) . He was either playing up to the businessmen and the people, or he was totally naive. After GMA, the coffers would be empty. He would first enforce collection, and cut down on tax evasion and corruption. But if these were not enough, he would have to raise taxes. Now that is being open, sincere and wise.
Noynoy either does not know how to run the government, or is impulsive and does not think issues through well enough, or practices the old politics of making promises that cannot be kept. In any way, he is not fit to be President.
11th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he does not know what the Presidency entails, how awesome a task it is.Reality check:Being President is an awesome responsibility. While many are legally qualified to run for President, only a few can really do well as President. Part of being qualified is the actual experience of governance, preferably from the bottom up.
Let us look at Hacienda Luisita. It is a large piece of land, it has economic activity, it has poor people working (or out of work), it has a social system, it has the entrenched elite (the owners), it has management-labor problems. It could be a microcosm of the Philippines. Now what good has Noynoy done, as one of the owners and as the scion of the Cojuangco clan? He claims he owns only 1%, but that is evading the moral responsibility that would be expected of someone who aspires to be President of the Philippines. And in fact, was he not head of their security agency when there was the killing of farmers? Did he not malign and fault the farmers as being communists? Did he not oppose the granting of land to the farmers as was the original agreement of the Cojuangcos with the government?
Now he says that if elected President, he would look to distributing the land. What? Elect you first before you act? Why not do it now? This is just another empty promise, playing up to the gallery, just like the vow not to raise taxes.
Noynoy looks to his own and his family/clan’s well-being, not to that of the poor farmers. He looks to the interest of the small minority rather than the greater majority. He cannot be trusted to be able to run the nation, or to do justice to its poor.
12th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he does not realize that in resorting to half-truths and lies in his effort to malign his major political opponent, he is acting in a very unchristian way.Reality check:The Philippines is a Christian nation. Noynoy professes to be a Christian Catholic. As Christians we are all children of God. But one who lies becomes a child not of God but of Satan, who is the father of lies.
It is wrong to say that anything goes when it comes to politics. That is what makes politics dirty, which it should not be.
Noynoy’s political opponents has kept the high ground in this campaign. He sticks to issues, not malicious attacks. He does not retaliate, even in the most blatant lies thrown against him, but just patiently and calmly explains. It can be done! Even in disagreement, there should always be respect.
