Noynoy Presidency Signals A New Dawn
The spectacle of a sitting president stuck in traffic is instructive of the inherent obstinacy in the man about things he perceives as decent and upright. It is also a microcosm of the enormity of the problems and obstacles the new administration faces.
That P-Noy opted for time management instead of the easier way out -- that is, to start early for appointments instead of just installing a "wang-wang," which he is legally entitled anyway -- to bully through Manila's chaotic streets is emblematic of the thrust that the new administration is geared for. It signals the determination to do away not only with this symbol of urban excess but of the engrained palakasan system. "Kayo ang boss!" becomes not just a populist battle cry but of how things are to be henceforth. Hopefully.
To be sure Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III was installed as 15th President of the Philippines at an auspicious time when 88 per cent of adult Filipinos are giving him an all-time trust rating, according to a pre-inauguration survey conducted by pollster Social Weather Stations. It also capped an election that had him securing over 15 million votes, nearly 42 per cent of the total number cast. The nearly six million edge over the closest rival made it the most emphatic voters' endorsement ever in our history as a nation. To think that the bachelor, low-key legislator was not even a contender for the presidency months before the May elections.
Having said that, the peoples' euphoria at finally having someone at the helm of government who they believe will make immediate difference in their lives and retrieve the sorry mess of a country from the bottom pit may experience the jolt of a rude awakening. The sobriety of the morning after confronts us with the reality that unlike fairy tales, the chief executive is not fitted with a magic wand to banish bad vibes in a breath.
We heaved a sigh of relief that the prospect of GMA extending her term by means fair or foul didn't occur. We jubilate that nine agonizing years of corrupt and illegitimate rein had finally come to an end. We are flooded with optimism that a new dawn has come to ameliorate a long suffering Philippines and the Filipinos.
The fact is that in our form of government the presidency is just one of coequal branches that have power of oversight on each other. For P-Noy to succeed in furthering his promised reforms and rescue the suffering madla, the legislative and judiciary need to be in sync with his goals. More than political skills and partisan compromises, the new president needs the continued support and vigilance of the people if only to remind miscreant office holders that it would not be a good idea to continue obstructionism; that in a democracy the people hold the key to power.
It has only been weeks since the new President assumed office, inheriting a nation grappling with poverty, rampant violation of human rights, decades-long Muslim and NPA insurgencies, and numerous shenanigans intended to sabotage smooth succession. In taking his oath, P-Noy acknowledges the difficulties of the task and the problems to be resolved. These are responsibilities he has to shoulder on behalf of his constituencies because it is a legacy passed on to him by Democratic icons who happened to be his parents. As he stated in his inaugural speech, "Saan ba nakasulat na kailangang puro pagtitiis ang tadhana ng Pilipino?" (Where is it written that all there is in the fate of Filipinos are sufferings?). In this seemingly Herculean job ahead he looks upon us, the people, to lend a hand. -- As published in Famegate Global News, by Dionesio C. Grava
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Dionesio C. Grava - Part-time community journalist based in Los Angeles and editorial writer at Forum Asia. 
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