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Partial Unofficial Tally as of 2010-05-20 12:23:27 90.26% of ERs

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Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino III (born February 8, 1960) is a Senator of the Philippines and a candidate for President of the Philippines in the 2010 election, intending to represent the Liberal Party. He is the only son of former President Corazon Aquino and Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr.

A graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, he was seriously wounded by rebel soldiers in a failed coup attempt during his mother’s presidency. In 1998, he was elected to the House of Representatives as Representative of the 2nd district of Tarlac province in the 11th Congress of the Philippines; he was reelected twice, eventually becoming Deputy Speaker. In 2007, he was elected to the Senate of the 14th Congress of the Philippines.

He is also the brother of TV host and actress Kris Aquino.

Early life and education

Benigno Aquino III was born on February 8, 1960. He is one of five children of Benigno Aquino, Jr., who was then Vice Governor of Tarlac province, and Corazon Aquino. He has four sisters, Maria Elena (“Ballsy”), Aurora Corazon (“Pinky”), Victoria Eliza (“Viel”), and Kristina Bernadette (“Kris”).

Aquino studied in Ateneo de Manila University for his elementary, high school, and college education, graduating in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. After college, he joined his family in Boston in exile.

In 1983, shortly after the murder of his father, Noynoy had a short tenure as a member of the Philippine Business for Social Progress. From 1985 to 1986, he was retail sales supervisor and youth promotions assistant for Nike Philippines and later an assistant for advertising and promotion for Mondragon Philippines. In 1986, he joined Intra-Strata Assurance Corp. as vice-president of the family-owned corporation.

On August 28, 1987, eighteen months into the presidency of Aquino’s mother, rebel soldiers led by Gregorio Honasan staged an unsuccessful coup attempt, attempting to siege Malacañang Palace. Aquino was two blocks from the palace when he came under fire. Three of his four security escorts were killed, and the last was wounded protecting him. Aquino himself was hit by five bullets, one of which is still embedded in his neck.

From 1986 to 1993, Aquino was vice president and treasurer for Best Security Agency Corporation, a firm owned by his uncle Anolin Oreta. He went to work for the Central Azucarera de Tarlac in 1993, the sugar refinery owned by the Cojuangco clan. He started out as an executive assistant for administration, before becoming field services manager in 1996.

Political life

Aquino is a leading member of the Liberal Party. He currently holds the position of Vice Chairman of the Liberal Party, having assumed the post on 17 March 2006. He was previously Secretary General of the party (1999-2002), Vice-President of the Luzon Liberal Party (2002-2004), and Secretary General of the party (2004-16 March 2006).

Aquino is associated with a faction of the Liberal Party which opposes the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, citing alleged human rights violations.

House of Representatives

Aquino was elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, representing the 2nd District of Tarlac. He won re-election in 2001 and 2004, and served until 2007.

Aquino served on numerous committees as a member of Congress: the Public Order and Security, Transportation and Communications, Agriculture, Banks and Financial Intermediaries, Peoples’ Participation, Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, Appropriations, Natural Resources, and Trade and Industry committees (11th Congress), the Civil, Political and Human Rights, Good Government, Public Order and Security, Inter-Parliamentary Relations and Diplomacy committees (12th Congress), and the Banks and Financial Intermediaries, Energy, Export Promotion, Public Order and Safety committees (13th Congress).

Aquino was also Deputy Speaker from November 8, 2004 to February 21, 2006.

One of Aquino’s key legislative initiatives was to make requiring the procurement of the petroleum, oil and lubricants requirements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to be done by public bidding.

Senate

Barred by term limits from seeking a fourth term as the Representative for the second district of Tarlac province, Aquino was elected to the Senate in the May 14, 2007 midterm elections under the banner of the Genuine Opposition (GO), a coalition comprising a number of parties, including his own Liberal Party, seeking curb attempts by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to amend the Constitution. In his political ads, he was endorsed by younger sister, TV host Kris Aquino, and mother, former President Corazon Aquino. Although a devout Roman Catholic, he was endorsed by one of the largest Protestant churches in the Philippines, the Jesus is Lord. With more than 14.3 million votes, Aquino’s tally was the sixth highest of the 37 candidates for the 12 vacant seats elected from the nation at large. He assumed his new office on June 30, 2007.

During the campaign, Aquino reached out to his former enemy, Senator Gregorio Honasan, supporting his application for bail. “I endorse Honasan’s request for bail para parehas ang laban. I was hit by bullets from Honasan’s men in the neck and hips but that’s past now. The principle of my father was, ‘ Respect the rights even of your enemies.’ Ito ang nagpatingkad ng demokrasya. Genuine reconciliation is democracy in action,” Aquino told Job Tabada of Cebu Daily News on 5 March 2007. He was referring to two bloody coup attempts against his mother in 1987 and 1989, in the first of which Aquino was seriously injured.

2010 election plans

In the Liberal Party, Aquino has held various positions such as Secretary General and Vice President for Luzon. He is currently the LP Vice-Chairman.

After the death of President Corazon Aquino, calls for him to run for higher office reached its highest and he has decided after the retreat that he would run as a candidate for Presidency at the 2010 elections.

A group of lawyers and activists formed the NAPM — the Noynoy for President Movement — and a nationwide campaign led by the son of the late influential businessman Chino Roces began to collect a million signatures in order to persuade Aquino to run for President. In the last weekend of August, Senator Aquino and his fellow partymate in the Liberal Party, Senator Mar Roxas and an unnamed presidential aspirant commenced days of talks to decide what to do for next year’s elections.

On September 1, 2009, in a press conference at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan City, Senator Roxas, a leading candidate for the Liberal Party nomination announced his withdrawal in the presidential race and expressed his support for Aquino’s candidacy. Sen. Aquino later stood side by side Sen. Roxas, but did not make a public statement on the said press conference.

On September 9, 2009, 40 days after the death of his mother, Aquino officially announced his bid for the Presidency in a press conference at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan City, which also served as the site of his mother’s Presidential Inauguration in 1986.

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(quoted from Rob (thinbastard) blog: )
http://thinbastard.livejournal.com/88775.html

No-no to Noynoy

It's always nice to come home after a long day at work and write something non-legal in my blog. Something like:

Conrado de Quiros is Senile.

And as I write it, there comes not a small amount of glee, that when someone googles for the words "de Quiros" and "senile", this post will be the first on the list.
For good measure, I think I'll do it again.

Conrado de Quiros is Senile.

The thing is, I like senile people. They break the monotony of life.
So it comes as no small surprise that when you part the Philippine Daily Inquirer in its sumptuous middle, you will see Conrado de Quiros, in all his glory, proudly proclaiming to the damn world:

Noynoy runs and this country’s youth in particular will be galvanized into action, a wondrous sight we have not seen since the days of love and activism. He is the one reason the youth will vote, he is the one reason the aged will vote, he is the one reason the idealistic and pessimistic, the hopeful and cynical, will vote. He is the Cory we’ve been waiting for, he is the Obama we’ve been waiting for. He is the Good that will do battle against Arroyo’s Evil.

And then you realize, he just made your day.
Now you have a reason to live. Now you can rush home and write a blog entry you've always been dying to write.

Noynoy for President. Wowowee.
Making Noynoy run for president is like making Yoko Ono sing for the Beatles.
Like making Paris Hilton run the family business.
Like George W. Bush being the presid...Oh..right.

It's actually pretty funny when newspaper articles TRY to write an inspiring piece about Noynoy.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20070821-83752/Noynoy_Aquino_also_rises

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090809-219381/Why-Noynoy-Aquino-is-not-married

According to these "favorable" news clips, Noynoy has the following achievements:

1) Retail sales supervisor and youth promotions assistant at Nike.
2) Protected his mother during the 1986 coup attempts.
3) Provided security details for his sister.
4) Worked in the firms of his uncle.

Youth promotions assistant. What the hell is that?
Let's not kid ourselves, please. Noynoy is nothing like his father or mother. Noynoy lives on endorsements. He's Manny Pacquiao's boxing shorts - with glasses.
Noynoy is NOTHING like Obama.
Obama's life story was inspiring because he had to start from scratch. To get to where he was, he had to break racial and social barriers. He had to rise from the muck.

Noynoy, on the other hand, has done absolutely nothing except to gorge himself on the largesse of his parents' "legacy". His four terms as congressman of Tarlac? All from the Cojuancgo side of the family (Danding?).
His stint as senator? Ran solely on the endorsements of Cory and Kris. If you look at his website: http://www.noynoy.ph/ you'll see nothing but endorsements, (heck, he even posts a letter from his dad)
But not a single achievement is listed.
In some ways, I even respect senator-actors more than Noynoy. At least they worked hard in the entertainment industry in order to get to where they are now.
When Noynoy becomes president, he'll do what he's always done: absolutely nothing.

And what is Conrado De Quiros' answer to our very valid objections?

The third is that he hasn’t done much as a senator. Well, who has among the “presidentiables”? But while at this, Noynoy hasn’t stolen, other than the heart of a young lass from Bulacan. He hasn’t lied, other than to himself when he sees himself unworthy. And he hasn’t murdered, other than the inclination to abuse that prominence he is heir to. In a time of universal deceit, said George Orwell, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. In a time of widespread wickedness, doing the right thing is a heroic act.

More than that, I’m looking at Noynoy not for what he was but what he can be. Thrust into the maelstrom of history, some people acquit themselves well. Noynoy did so when his mother died, showing grace and courage worthy of his parents. I repeat what I said the last time: He will be a good president because he has no choice. His legacy weighs on him like the Frown of God, forbidding wrongdoing on pain of hell in this life as much as the next. Who among the other “presidentiables”—Erap, Manny, Chiz, Noli, Mar and Loren—can say that?

Well, if looking tough and greeting guests were all it took to be president, we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

The thing is, Mr. de Quiros is confusing legacy with history.

It is true that history chooses the least likely heroes.
Cory was one such person. Like Noynoy, she had no political accomplishments of her own.
However, she stood right in the middle of a confluence of historical forces which made it possible for her to transcend the line between ordinary housewife and national hero.
There is a reason why we can no longer replicate people power, why we merely approximate it through our rallies.
People power was a unique situational formula which will never be repeated. The loss of a husband. The climaxing human rights abuses. The spiraling economy. A snap election. The despair. The hope.
An equation which we don't have the variables for.
Cory ran with all her heart,with one specific goal in mind: to overthrow Marcos.
And she succeeded brilliantly.The only one who could have defeated Marcos, rebuilt the Constitution from scratch, and restored democracy in the Philippines.
When Cory assumed the presidency against all odds, you knew that the Spirit of History had something in mind for us Filipinos.
Sadly, the same cannot be said of Noynoy. If he decides to run, it will be for all the wrong reasons.

Cory was chosen by history. And her legacy is NOT Noynoy Aquino.

It is the 1987 Constitution.
The 1992 elections.
People Power.
Hope.

And an enlightened newspaper reader, or two.

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quoted from pinoyexchange.com
(http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=443318)

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I am NOT anti-Noynoy. However, I will be doing the nation I live in and my future children a huge injustice if I do not use my right to suffrage wisely. I cannot, in all conscience allow a man so clueless in nation building that he thinks he can win just by banking on his parents’ (and his younger sister’s) fame.

NOYNOY IS CLUELESS ABOUT MANY IMPORTANT THINGS!

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.(Please check on the Comparative Chart below)

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, and should look at everyone as a child of God. 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 other political opponents has kept the high ground in this campaign. They stick to issues, not malicious attacks. They just patiently and calmly explain their platform of government. It can be done! Even in debates, there should always be respect.

We need a true Christian as President of the Philippines, one who has integrity and is a peacemaker. Noynoy unfortunately does not fit the bill.

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