Noynoy Aquino has become the most divisive Philippine president in history

Philippine President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino III has so far proven to be the most divisive president in the Philippines’ history. Ironically, this divisiveness traces its source to the pseudo-nationalist rhetoric on which President BS Aquino mounted his campaign to seize the lucrative seat he now holds in Malacanang. Indeed, rather than foster a spirit of national solidarity in the last several years, he and his feudal clan have all but divided and polarised the country putting within his royal graces (1) those who embrace his Yellow banner and the Laban dogma surrounding it and casting away (2) all the rest.

It is an understatement to say that he is the most polarizing leader the Philippines ever had. He has divided the sentiments of the Filipino people, indeed and this could be his intention. This is perhaps to distract the public from his failure to meet his campaign promises. His use of the blame-game easily deflects from his own incompetence.

No stunt was too low for President BS Aquino in his efforts to secure his popularity.

No stunt was too low for President BS Aquino in his efforts to secure his popularity.

To this rapidly growing sector he classifies as all the rest, he lobs his blanket dismissal of any opinion they might issue, saying that his critics are “hopeless” and deserve to be “ignored”.

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The Philippines has a long history of holding up excuses for its failure to prosper. The sorry state of the country — the least promising in a region of high achievers — has been blamed on imperialism, foreign meddling, dictatorships, bad weather, lack of “freedom”, and corruption. The strongly plausible possibility that the Philippines failed to prosper simply because Filipinos consistently fail to achieve much of anything of consequence as a collective is not palatable to people looking for scapegoats. As such, catchy campaigns were built upon the notion of one crusade or the other against any one or a number of these national demons.

To PNoy, there are only two types of Filipinos: (1) those who wear yellow, and (2) all the rest.

To PNoy, there are only two types of Filipinos: (1) those who wear yellow, and (2) all the rest.

Unfortunately, the notion that the salvation of the Philippines is hinged on some sort of “Laban” — a nebulous fight — cooked up back in the early 1980s by the late presidential father and national “hero” Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr has stuck in the national consciousness. That this “fight” is endorsed by no less than God himself was a concept sealed in 1986 when the late Manila archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin put the weight of the Roman Catholic Church behind the late presidential mother and former president Corazon “Cory” Aquino who is known for her prayerfulness and veneer of piety. The final ingredient was a complicit media, notably the mighty ABS-CBN Network owned by the Lopez clan who are eternally grateful to the Aquino-Cojuangco clan for reinstating their ownership over what is now a vast global media empire.

Then candidate BS Aquino came to the 2009-2010 presidential campaign armed with a compelling populist revolutionary philosophy into which is woven religious mythology all of which is packaged and propagated by a vast media network. With millions of Filipinos beholden to this magical brew, Malacanang was virtually served to BS Aquino on a silver platter.

Fast forward to 2013. Tired, old, and quite frankly embarrassing. That’s what’s become of the whole yellow motif of the Aquino clan and its circle of business cronies, relatives, “shooting buddies”, lackeys, Media outlets, and cadre of bloggers, publicists, and “social media activists”. It was the primary colour of a successful propaganda campaign that started in 1983, peaked in the mid- to late-1980s, then settled into a slow decline that lasted over much of the 1990s and the early 2000s and then got a brief burst of a boost when presidential son, now Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, was, as state mythology would now have us believe, given a mandate by God himself to be leader of the Filipino people.

Under PNoy's watch, Filipinos have come to see Philippine Congress as a den of crooks.

Under PNoy’s watch, Filipinos have come to see Philippine Congress as a den of crooks.

Much of this old magic is now discredited as mere political conjuring. The promised national “unity” has not materialised. As a matter of fact, the national freight train has been completely shunted onto another track. Whatever honour and dignity the Philippine legislature clung onto has since been stripped as revelations of possible bribery, fraud, and influence peddling seemingly instigated by the President himself and carried out by his closest lieutenants emerge. Granted, it is one senator or another spilling the beans in desperate efforts to cover their asses under the weight of allegations of unparalleled pork barrel thievery helping Filipinos connect the dots. But that lack of honour among thieves now rearing its ugly head has become prime time entertainment for a long cynical Filipino public.

Three decades is an astounding amount of time for a large chunk of the Philippines’ “politically passionate” classes to be sporting a yellow motif and dancing around waving a set of fingers shaped in the likeness of the letter “L”. For those of us who were teenagers in the 1980’s that amount of time offers us a useful perspective. That perspective, tragically, is not accessible to the average 20- to 30-year old Filipino today. I’m talking about a whole generation of young Filipinos who had a first experience of awakening to political awareness that involved jumping into a bandwagon for an 18-month ride over much of 2009 and 2010 campaigning and sloganeering under the yellow colour while sporting the Loser salute. It’s the political equivalent of a sexual awakening in the expert hands of professional sex worker.

That’s a national tragedy to the tune of 40 percent of the electorate who (according to “surveys”) supposedly voted an unqualified, unmotivated, and now uninspiring man into the highest office of the land. The 2009 to 2010 Presidential campaign gave witness to stupidity on a scale that is unprecedented (well, maybe if we discount the ascent to power of former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada). Young Filipinos today are likely to later on look back to 2009 and 2010 and shudder while thinking “What was I thinking?” Simple, my young compatriots. Perhaps you weren’t thinking at the time. But that can be forgiven. My generation, after all, sported mullet and cobra hair do’s and wore stone-washed jeans in our youth. Now that is what is unforgivable.

87 Replies to “Noynoy Aquino has become the most divisive Philippine president in history”

  1. I have a share of disappointments to the president but i won’t discredit his contributions to the country. That’s for the sake of impartiality. Impartiality in a sense of positive accomplishments under his administration. Examples are the upgrade and modernization of AFP and the improvement of tax collection, which paved the way to the augment of budget to every department, bureau and office every year under his watch since 2010.

    1. I read the first comment too, about The prez ongoing high popularity and good article and they deleted it.

      Why don’t you delete the comment of the guy who said kill the president and rape his sister instead of a copy of a news article??? It really shows you guys are one sided and have no standards of people as long as they hate the president

      1. If Yellow Propaganda and trolling are what you consider as standards then you very low standards.

        In other words, SHEEPLE.

        1. Your standards of being a mod here is obviously allow people to advocate the rape of Kris Aquino and dismiss any comments by normal people approving of the president with diatribe.

          Hypocrite much?

        2. @Yolo:

          To correct you, I’m no mod and you’re the bigger you’re just any other blind Noynoy fanboy would do anything just to sugarcoat things.

          TROLLING much?

      1. Not just any “ex-US ships,” mind you. They’re aging, DECOMMISSIONED ships that were deemed no longer fit for duty in the US Navy.

    2. true this administration have improved the tax collection but for whom??? For the pdaf and dap of the senators and congressmen/women as bribery for them to follow the whim of the yellow leader!

    3. What modernization of AFP..? Don’t just believe to the false press releases of the administration.. Tax too high for the regular wage earner.

  2. Unaccomplished, nondescript slacker who pole vaulted over his mother’s lukewarm corpse into Malacanang. And people proud to endorse this method. Nothing good can come from this and so far nothing has. This guy can’t govern or lead or decide or handle crisis. He was 50 and never given responsibility. That was a red flag right there. Now that he is president there are what look like choreographed dates to make you believe something else about him. Could be not be accountable if his life depended on it. He sure knows where to point. Point fingers and make the “L” sign. That is all he knows how to do. I am doing something right now with my two hands. Both pointing up and shaking. Care to guess what finger is extended. I will give you a hint. I am not making the “we’re #1 ” sign.

  3. The resilient/well-performing economy we have is actually something inherited by Noynoy and not because of his own unique economic policies. The Keynesian economic fundamentals laid out by Noynoy’s teacher (GMA) 2-3 years before she finished her term take full effect after 5 years or so and well into Noynoy’s 3rd year in office. I’m not a GMA supporter/fan but that’s a fact right there Noynoy doesnt want people to know and keeps getting credit for while also blaming GMA for all other ills. That act alone tells you much about his character.

    1. Face reality, our economy is NOT doing well, despite figures from such and such. OFWs are taking jobs even if it just pays a mere Php 20k. Explain that.

        1. Yes we have alot of ofw in myanmar..

          We even have thousands of ofw in PNG!!

          Even Sri Lanka!! That alone explains the economic situation in our country!! Pathetic

  4. Why the first comment before me on this article is deleted? It was very specific and constructive without using foul and derogatory language in favor of the President’s performance. If i remember it correctly, his name something like “yellowblock”, please, if it can be retrieved, post it again for the sake of discussion.

    1. It was deleted because it is nothing but a verbatim repost of an article published on the Philippine Star which could have been added as a link instead along with the commentor’s own insights. That’s just plain laziness and a non-value-add to this forum.

      Also I am now deleting comments that respond glibly to comments that are obvious spam/troll commentary. So those of you who feed the trolls, be warned as well.

  5. Jigs, GRP is for promoting ant-goverrnment discussion. If you post anything pro government whether it be opinion or from a news website, it’s in the ToC they can delete it anytime as it does not add value to the discussion,

    There is enough yellow propanpganda out there, they don’t need it here.

    1. Oh? I’m surprised because i have seen so much arguments in this website in the other articles both pro and anti-government and yet GRP did not delete it. I thought they will only delete those using bad words. So that one was an exemption then. 😉

      1. I have reposted article per your request. They tend to delete the comments that are too difficult for them to handle, and leave the others to skew the arguments in their favor, Human nature, no matter which side you are on, there are no angels. The government would do the same on their turf.

        1. Playing the victim card won’t work here, TROLL.

          Better enjoy your 15 minutes of infamy because your trolling days are numbered.

  6. BREAKTHROUGH By Elfren S. Cruz (The Philippine Star) | Updated January 12, 2014 – 12:00am
    0 18 googleplus0 1
    I am beginning to be asked, more and more frequently, about my thoughts on the coming 2016 presidential elections. Most of the time, the question is asked with an increasing degree of concern that the gains — economic and social — under the P-Noy administration will not be continued under a post-2016 administration. [comment truncated by admin]

  7. BREAKTHROUGH By Elfren S. Cruz (The Philippine Star) | Updated January 5, 2014 – 12:00am
    10 145 googleplus0 1
    Looking back at 2013, the headlines focused on elections, corruption charges and natural disasters. But closer analysis of the Philippine situation shows that the country continues to move forward in increasing economic growth and in its fight against corruption. [comment truncated by admin]

    1. If I can remember correctly, The “Yellow Brick Road” from the Wizard of Oz lead directly to the Emerald City, which is described to be a city where everything is GREEN. At the gates of the city, a gatekeeper made Dorothy and her friends wear green-tinted glasses to protect their eyes them from what he dubbed the “brightness and glory” of the city.

      When Dorothy and the Gang met the Wizard himself, however, they found out that Emerald City wasn’t actually all green; the wizard (who’s actually just a trickster from Nebraska) just made everyone in the city wear green-tinted glasses. The city was “no greener than any other city”, said the wizard, and that everything looked green because everyone’s been made to wear the green glasses for so long.

      1. In other words, the yellow brick road a.k.a. “tuwid na daan” is nothing but false advertising.
        It’s already been 4 years and everything has actually gotten worse under this so called leader.
        Rising prices of everything(food, electricity, transportation, gasoline), Rising rate of crime and High rate of unemployment only proves that this president has done absolutely nothing to improve the lives of his so called bosses.
        His refusal to take responsibility for all his screw ups is already costing him a lot of allies and his REAL trust rating is actually lower than that obviously bloated figure those biased surveys(survey firms owned by the president’s kin) keep churning out every time the president screws up

        No matter what the trolls do, they can no longer protect their president from criticism.

        1. They never mentioned on the worst Phil president the names of 2 Aquino,they said ,binay is the worst to be not even seating as president yet.Thjese fools are out of this world

    2. @YellBrickRoad:

      Rather than post entire articles here just post the link instead. And rather than just post links, add your own personal insight on said link. Merely pasting entire articles here will result in a deletion of your comment.

      1. Personal insight. Any poster should post that instead of regurgitating what some central Politburo feeds out to them. Malacanang trolls have as much as personal insight as their idol has testosterone.

        1. In any organization the followers take on the image of the follower. The leader is a national figure who in 4 years exhibited behavior of “me me me ” “now now now” “I am not your friend”. “you are not very nice!” . You can be President even if you have not matured past the playground.

        2. Personal insights? What if their personal insights were opposed to the propaganda that they post here? It could be? Just saying.

  8. Above article too difficult to handle so will be deleted; so ignored, and commenters attacked instead. Standard GRP procedure

    1. Yes, because TROLL and SPAM comments did not adhere to GRP’s Terms of Service. Your username says it all.

      So yes, it will be deleted. Fact: it’s YELLOW PROPAGANDA.

        1. Maybe its also the color of their underwear since they keep pissing themselves each time we beat them at their own game.

    2. Your “article” is full of lies and yellow propaganda and it’s already considered as SPAM since you posted it again.

      Like I said, your president doesn’t need fools like you to spread his propaganda if he was indeed doing his job yet here you are showing your face every time so that only means that he’s not doing his job.

  9. I’m glad the Poll showing 70% of the people approve of the president show that you dozen posters are living on a island with your views.

    The majority are not sheep or stupid. The majority are your countrymen who love their president and the PI.

    Delete all you want, it doesn’t change the real world of 70% approval.

    1. Nah, your so called 70% approval is obviously bloated.

      Fact is that there are a lot of people now unimpressed by the empty promises your president has made over the past 4 years.

      1. Please link a poll showing otherwise, one dated in 2014 preferably to be more accurate.

        It has gone down 6%, but that is the ebb and flow of all polls.

        This was taken a couple weeks ago. Alot of people perhaps unhappy, but the vast majority love their president. Is it really hard to accept that?

        1. “Alot of people perhaps unhappy, but the vast majority love their president. Is it really hard to accept that?”

          Surveys are BIASED.

          Is it really hard to accept that?

    2. Were do U get that number,no!not on a crony newspaper and media and SWS..Maybe -70%. To probe your point, do some rally for P-noy wearing yellow in Tondo and other hungry stricken places and see If U can come back in one piece..

  10. Exhibit A: news media websites biased. Surveys biased, everything pro government is biased. The world is biased. Loves conspiracy theories. Calls 70% of his own countrymen idiots. Considers himself a enlightened special minority.

    1. Nice trollling, Conyo. 😀

      Exhibit A: A Yellow Zombie. Takes any biased media like ABS-CBN, Inquirer, Philippine Star as credible source. So does SWS and Pulse Asia. Everything pro-Aquino is good. The world is dumb. Being much of a hypocrite since he’s a bigger conspiracy theorist due to Yellow Propaganda. One who is butthurt about the truth. Loves to fool the majority.

    2. It’s really pitiful how you keep being so delusional in spite of every single screwup your president makes, you still blindly support that incompetent fool.

      Your propaganda won’t work here, fool.

      1. I am only posting my views. I merely one of the 70% of the PI you call idiots and fools.

        Our country has problems like everywhere else, but the filipino spirit will endure!

        1. Same guy wh sad that. Not to mention that you and the guy who said that have the same IP address.

          The Filipino spirit will endure, but not its incompetent government. Oh, and the substandard bunkhouses, too.

        2. If you think the filipinos are not to blame for our rotten government, you need to wake up. Our troubles can simply be solved by electing good officials. But we just can’t seem to do it. We are indeed idiots.

        3. Dirch,

          There’s actually no evidence that electing “good” officials will be markedly better than choosing incompetent or self serving ones. The best we can expect is that they won’t screw up as badly as Penoy Aquino. What really needs to be changed is our culture and system of government.

        4. YellowBrickRoad–So U want us to closed our eyes and embraced the way your boss running the country..Bribing will gonna be a way to become a silent dictator, so the next president will just copy and paste these administration idea and U have no problem beacuse for now on ,any president will not implement any project to avoid being charge of corruption, instead he’ll just pass the money to senators and as for a hidden commission and promise not to be audit like what pnoy was doing..The Aquino government is the smartest of all kind to avoid being detected for corruption.

    3. Your surveys are hardly indicative of Pnoy’s performance. Instead of staring googly-eyed on those surveys, why don’t you look around and see how much of your kababayans are still in poverty due to lack of jobs and rising costs of utlitities and major commodities. Increase in number of your president’s Panatawid Gutom or whatever shows this clearly.

      Instead of you dwelling on your survey and posting your articles, why don’t you explain the reality of what is happening to your kababayans.

      1. The thing is that he can’t explain since he has no spiel for every argument that we throw at him.
        He only relies on biased as hell surveys that have questionable credibility since they are in fact owned by the relatives of the president himself.

  11. I think you guys triggered something when you put presidents name on your post title, somewhere in the PI it must of set off alarm bells on some media hack! 😀

  12. We were young then; we grow old and wiser; not like the YellowTards. They grow old and become mentally retarded.

    The Aquinos; placed a vicious mindset, in the Filipino subconcious minds. To become a retarded person is okay. It can make you President. Then, there is his sister harlot: Kris Aquino, who fornicate openly and have children with various men. She is in the Media. Remember, she is a Harlot; and she is influencing the young by her antics. The Catholic Church and other churches, mosques are silent. Lopez ABS-CBN is vigorously promoting her, to the public, this immoral woman; who happens to be the sister of the President.
    The Aquino era is now coming to an end… so far, so good. We hope we can start to build and put in the right place and proper order, what are needed in our country…

    1. Remove d all memories about Aquino, start with 500 pesos, NAIA back to MIA,some street ang govt,school bldg name must be change..and get rid of ABS CBN for good

  13. The Voodoo economic policy being practiced by pnoy aquino administration is obviously doomed to failure.
    It is simple economics, stupid.

    The bribery and corruption which pnoy aquino is now shown to be guilty of is illegal and impeachable
    It is the law, idiot

    According to independent survey only 35% trust pnoy aquino.
    and businessmen experienced more corruption in 2013
    It is the truth, troll

    1. Combined total of the FF. Rich and famous people,Oligarch,govt officials, Yellow follower that received allowances from tax payers money incl trolls,total of 35%
      Hampaslupa at maralita not included

  14. In over 3 years of pnoy aquino

    Poverty up
    Unemployment up
    Underemployment up
    Corruption up

    Illegal gambling up
    Illegal smuggling up

    Crime up
    Sex offences up

    Human trafficking up

    foreign investment down

    Pnoy aquino a bigger disaster, and has caused more misery than 5 yolandas.

    Pnoy aquino’s failure, hypocricy and outright lies/deceit reflect someone with no ability or integrity. A 3rd rate individual ensuring the philippines remains a 3rd world country.

    The only silver lining is that the majority of the people now distrust pnoy aquino, and buffoon mar roxas.

    1. If you expect people to take you seriously you wanna provide some reliable factual evidence for all your claims? I’m not an Aquino fan but there are no facts to support most of your claims!

      1. Do your own research, or better still read more.
        The precise figures and sources have been previously stated.
        Backread articles
        Clearly you are uneducated from your language alone, apart from obviously knowing nothing and too lazy to learn.
        dont display your ignorance all the time.

      2. You want “reliable factual evidence?” How about going out and take a look at the areas where bums and squatters live?

        Ask them if their lives have improved during PNoy’s leadership. I know I did. 9 out of 10 people said PNoy’s leadership SUCKED.

        How’s that for personal and reliable evidence?

      3. HawKeye–Get out of your aircondition mansion,walk around where no rich people will live..Then U shout and say “Noynoy is a very good president we ever had” If U made it and comeback in one piece then we are wrong

  15. I am really disappointed when my son and daughter in elementary say that the Aquinos are heroes (or something to that effect) because that is what their school is leading them to think so. This should not be allowed in any way. I have sent e-mail to their school already, stressing the fact that they should not have any political affiliations, instead they should tell history as it is and allow the children to think freely. This is in a private school, how much more wrong in government schools.

    I have had enough of the Aquinos, they have caused too much suffering in our country.

    1. Joeld –totoo pala na talagang communist si ninoy at tama si Marcos, ganyan ang gawain ng mga dating communist state sa mga school at news pang propaganda

  16. What has the do nothing sleeping president done for this country lately? It is very true. BS Aquino is a divisive force in this country. His evil examples of blame games, scapegoating, black propaganda/window dressing, family and friends owned manipulated surveys and stupid mindless trolls are just part of his strategy to divide, fool and deceive the people. He is a trying hard dictator who likes to control government institutions to do what he wants. He obviously believes and leans more on the rule of men than the rule of law. Did he not bribe the lower house and the senate with PDAF/DAP during the CJ Corona Trial? He is a corrupt SOB! There are already plunder cases filed against this do nothing president! Down with the yellow dictatorship! Resign BS Aquino!!!

    1. the results of a worldwide poll show that pnoy aquino is not simply the worst philippine president but the worst leader in the world.
      he has actually won a world award.

        1. for someone who says he is not an aquino fan, you soon become emotional!
          and you will be pleased to hear that my integrity is unimpeachable – unlike pnoy aquino’s.

        2. I can see that a reply I sent to you has been deleted by the admin. But it’s alright. I’m totally fine with it. If they think I’ve I made a mistake, then I won’t be sour and accept whatever responsibilities it should bring.

          And that, my friends, is what we call humility; something Pnoy hasn’t exhibited in his whole tenure.

    2. Ezra Josue Mas OK pa iyong dindikta ng survey na the bad president (pati si Binay0 na wala doon ang pangalan ng mag ina

  17. Pnoy aquino would most probably think of himself, and qualify, as 3rd world upper middle class, but in 1st world context he would only be upper working class, at best.
    No wonder i look down on the little runt.
    not even a masters degree or officer status.

    1. Pnoy would be best remembered by me as the “crybaby who plays the blame game on everyone.”

      Not even his supporters can defend him on that aspect.

  18. Now the question is, what’s going on? Why is there nobody taking action against these monsters that you call men? Is it because filipinos would rather wallow in anarchy? Or are they simply lazy…..

  19. P’noy is truly the best Leader,if not President, the Philippines ever had. To make the Philippines a “Lending country” from being a “Borrowing country” from since it established its independence, is a monumental achievement for any Administration or leadership. If one objectively examine what P’noys leadership has achieved in a very short time, one cannot help but admire President Aquino’s ability, courage and determination to achieve a remarkable economic advancement which even the World Bank and other renowned International economic rating groups have publicly affirmed and validated. Sino sa palagay ninyo ang nagkamit ng kasing bilis at laking pang-unlad sa economiya ng bansa ?
    The debate about politics and economy go only as far as the personality involved and only ,often, dwell on conjecture , biased political opinion and personal matters which ,really, play no part in addressing what the real problem of the country need to be solved. Many in this conversation complain of lack of integrity, incompetence, self-aggrandizement and lack true concern for the nation. The cry for change in leadership has always been the favorite debate among the amateur Pilipino politicians. I have reached the age of 64 years , this year, and I have still have to listen a a meaningful debate about the kind of people who are now holding position of power. Sad to say that ignorance and apathy still exists among those Pilipinos who truly can make a meaningful change in our country. There is a saying that goes ” if you continue doing what you’ve, you will keep on getting what you’ve been getting “. Ang pagbabbago ay wala sa kamay ng mga nahalal. Ang PAGBABAGO ay na sa kamay lamang ng mga NAGHAHALAL. kaya, Juan, huwag isipin na magkakaroon ng malaking pagbabago si paligid ng lipunan mong ginagalawan kung wala kang makabuluhang hakbang na gagawin upang makamit ang sa iyong pangarap. Hawak mo sa kamay mo ang lahat. Think about it. If you want a country of the people, by the people and for the people kailangan na isa ka sa mga people who will make this happen. Huwag kang umasa sa iba. Matagal mo nang gigagawa iyan kaya yan pa rin ang kinabukasang humaharap sa iyo, sa kamag-anakan mo at sa magiging anak, apo at anak ng maga apo mo kung hihintayin mo lang lumagpak ang mansanas mula sa mula sa puno. Kawawa lang kayo.

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