Ths real mission of the Second Aquino Presidency is in full swing as the groundwork for the ascent of the next Aquino to the presidency of the Philippines is now being lain. Family newsletter ABS-CBN News reports the almost unsurprising announcement from presidential sister Kris Aquino of her planned foray into politics…
The Queen of All Media pronounced her plan to run for governor of her home province, Tarlac, before thousands of her town mates Tuesday.
“I feel naman na bilang isang Aquino, whatever political career I hope to have in the future, it has to start in Tarlac,†she said.
Kris, along with her “Dalaw†leading man Diether Ocampo and Pokwang, led the gift giving activity in depressed areas in the province. From Tarlac, they went to 8 barangays in Pasig also to distribute gifts.
She clarified that she is only running in 2016 after Noynoy’s term of office.
It all certainly makes perfect sense. Kris Aquino is, after all, the only one amongst the Aquino brood who inherited her father’s charm, gift-for-gab, and celebrity genes. The others — including The Reluctant One himself, current Philippine President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino III — on the other hand, have personalities just a bit more interesting than a doorknob. But why else would a reluctant scion of the powerful Aquino-Cojuangco feudal be made to run for president of the Philippines back in 2009? Perhaps because back then Kris wasn’t quite there yet in terms of readiness for the job — and she wouldn’t be when it mattered, not when the vast Hacienda Luisita teeters on the brink of subjection to the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) which is coming due in 2014.
First the Governor’s seat in Tarlac, next that coveted seat in Malacanang. If the powers-that-be could engineer a national con at a scale that could get a man like BS Aquino elected president, how easy would it be to get Kris’s behind warming the president’s seat within the next couple of decades?
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Too easy.
I wrote in a brilliantly prescient piece back in December 2011 why the prospect of a Kris Aquino presidency is very real…
The nature of Kris’s popularity it seems is fundamentally different from — and independent of — the engineered “popularity” that Noynoy Aquino surfed upon straight onto his comfy seat in Malacanang. What draws people to Kris Aquino is primal. What draws people to her brother Noynoy, on the other hand, is just plain stupidity.
The “magic” in all this lies in the fundamental character of the Filipino, one once astutely described by a modern-day philosopher as hopelessly starstruck…
You are a nation of star-struck ignoramuses. You are easily awed by your movie stars who are usually nothing but uneducated, aquiline-nosed and light-skinned ******** picked up from some gutter somewhere. I have seen what these artistas illusionadas can get away with. They just flash their capped-tooth smiles and policemen let them get away with traffic violations; they bat their false eyelashes and customs officers impose no duty on their suspicious balikbayan boxes.
Worst of all, with the Filipino movie industry taking a nosedive, hordes of actors and show personalities went into politics. It is, as they say, the next best “racket”-there is more money to be made in the politicking business than in show business! (And what is this I hear that in the coming elections, more are jumping into the arena? Mag-hara-kiri na kayo!) How can you expect these comedians and actors, who only know how to take directions from their directors, to direct your nation? For them,politics will just be an “act”. No big surprise here, for they are mere actors with no original scripts to speak, no original visions to share. So what can you expect but a government that is a comedy of errors. Serves you and your star- struck nation right!
In short, there is no magic. Philippine society is basically a con-man’s paradise. Its people are suckers for appeals to emotion, iconic images of “heroes”, no-substance cults of personality, and pedigree politics. It is a perfect environment for breeding the very sorts of politicians that “activists” love to hate. Indeed, in recent times even these very “activists” themselves have started to mirror these politicians; themselves engaging in colourful spectacle, circus freak shows, and publicity stunts to get their “message” across.
We wonder now. Will the forces of “civil society” that supported the ascent of President BS Aquino to power in the 2009-2010 presidential campaign support his sister’s bid to secure her place in the family dynasty? Seeing how even the ranks of the “politically-aware” have themselves overseen the further degeneration of the national “debate”, it is likely that Philippine politics will not get any more intelligent any time soon.
When the money at stake runs in the billions of pesos, no amount of “activist” campaigns to get Filipino politicians to tread the straight-and-narrow path leading to what is right will move anyone of consequence. Hacienda Luisita is certainly a big enough prize.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
With the intellect of voters on a par with josh aquino then anything is possible.
Bam aquino as vice president – and bimby yap ( aquino, once the name is changed!) Heir in waiting.
Joshua can be court jester, and the presidency and politics becomes more of a bad joke/telenovela than it is now.
The aquino’s clearly do not possess a scintilla of integrity, class, or patriotism between the lot of them. Simply self-interested opportunists with a basket case full of psychological issues.
A trailer trash ‘monarchy’ beckons.
It is Kris Aquino’s constitutional right to run in government. Please don’t say that she must not run or not qualified just because she belongs to a good family and a part of the show business industry.
That is incredibly naive for you to say that those are the only reasons for the opposition to a Kris Aquino governorship (or a Kris Aquino presidency). Although, to be fair, given her domestic situation and outlandish personal behavior, it is questionable how “good” her family is. To start with, she is heir to and a beneficiary of the Marcos dictatorship. Apart from being an endorser for numerous companies, she has not exhibited any kind of business acumen, knowledge of economic policy or administrative ability. Aside from being on the receiving end of canned applause and mindless adulation on camera, Kris Aquino has not exhibited any kind of leadership skills that would enable her to run a household, much less the province of Tarlac.
Let’s look at it from the opposite angle. What evidence is there that show business personalities have contributed to the Philippines by entering politics? There has NEVER been any substantial proof that actors or so-called news personalities who enter the political arena — having much to criticize in Filipino society and government — perform any better than traditional politicians.
If those are your standards for the ruler of a country then it goes some way to explain why the philippines is in a mess.
Do you think she, or her ilk, could manage even a department in a global corporate, be president of the US, or a 1st world country.
Why set such low standards for the country, and yourself.
You might as well vote for donald duck, mickey mouse, or lito lapid!. Oh, wait, you most probably did!
I have watched her on TV and the woman cannot stop talking!! But does she actually say anything? No doubt she thinks she can “act” at being President, but surely this is yet another international embarrassment for the Philippines just waiting to happen. You need someone with ethics, work and moral. And a track record of sorting out problems and getting things done, would not go amiss. Having media pin-ups as your head of state, well, better not say anything!!!
P.s
The constitution also bars dynasties.
Any comment on that issue
Libertas,
There is a misconception about our constitution and political dynasties.
Article 2, Section 26 states “The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”
The constitution doesn’t impel the passing of a law prohibiting dynasties. This ban is already built into the charter. What it asks for is the enactment of a law defining “political dynasty.” However, since Cory Aquino, no congress has even begun to craft the legislation.
exactly.
the principle is there
but in practice nobody wants it
Just tell people not to vote for her.
Your tears are delicious.
Typical Aquino worshiper. 😛
@rj
Kris is NEVER fit to run for office.
She can’t even take care of her own marital problems.
Do you seriously expect us to vote for someone like that slut?
You are seriously need of a brain lobotomy if you think she’s a suitable leader.
P.S
Your tears are delicious to me.
TROLL HARDER
I always thought that the goal of landed Families in the Philippines was to take over the whole country.
They already do. Cielito Habito, the former NEDA chief, made the observation that, in 2011, the wealth increase of top 40 richest individuals in the Philippines was the EQUIVALENT (in value) of 76 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Even compared with neighboring Asian countries, this glaring inequality is highly unusual.
Whatever the technical nuances, the message is clear: the rich are getting richer, getting an ever greater share of the fruits of economic growth. The growth BS Aquino is so fond of pointing out, as measured by our GDP, is not trickling down to the majority of our people. It is being cornered by our (landed) elite.
After this, I think each family is vying for complete control of the country. As in, one family controls everything. Remember that guy claiming the Tallano family owns the Philippines?
The last one who actually attempted total control over everything in the Philippines was Ferdinand Marcos and even he had to concede part of that power to his gang of cronies including Enrile and Danding Cojuangco (who kept Ninoy and his family afloat in the US). In today’s fractious political climate it doesn’t appear possible that any one family can dominate the entirety of Philippine society.
hay mangangamote na naman tayo niyan, hayaan niyo kapag ako yumaman na, hindi ako magiging makasarili at magpapaaral ng hanggang sa makakaya ko at ng tumalino naman tayo at hindi na mauto ng mga putang tulad ni kris
She could have contributed to the Earth Hour movement by not even thought of running for public office. STD might become a pandemic.
Jessica Zafra once quipped that the reason why Filipino entertainers are entering politics is because there’s no money in the Filipino movie industry anymore.
It’s a nice battle cry, actually: “KEEP ENTERTAINERS AWAY FROM POLITICS. GO WATCH A LOCAL MOVIE TODAY.”
I would like to watch a local movie but the thing is.. they are too shitty to even be considered as a proper movie. Filipino movies nowadays tend to suck… ESPECIALLY the ones from star cinema.
Yep… Frak me. At this rate, things are going to get worse.
I am rooting for chiz escudero as president, heart evangelista as first lady, kris aquino as vice-president and the flotsam and jetsam of manny pacquaio, lito lapid, bam aquino, nancy binay etc. ( and thug jack enrile as the villain of the piece)
Let’s just watch and enjoy the car crash. People want trash entertainment not serious politics – so be it. There is no point in casting pearls before swine.
And if they want kris aquino as a role model then they deserve what they, and their children get.
They will certainly not get sympathy or financial aid from the west, or me.
Best to tell anyone who asks you for money just to f@ck off and watch their idol kris on tv, and keep buying the trash food she promotes – but obviously doesn’t eat.
and as a mother she sets new lows in parenting but obviously abs-cbn/mainstream media do not even discuss how atrocious she is. she makes lindsay lohan seem normal.
a cockroach scurrying round in her despicable little world.
no wonder those from the west look down on the country if she likes to portray herself as part of the ‘royal family’ and the best that the country has to offer.
God save us from the Queen Bitch of the Philippines indeed. Why can’t it someone more sensible than that CLAPtrap?
Kris Aquino graduated BA in English Literature, 1992 at the Ateneo de Manila University. She is also an actress, talk show host and products promoter. How can she cope with the intricacies of running the government and this country when the time comes? Here is some sound advice… stick to show biz kid! You know nothing about the dog eat dog world of politics!
Just for once… I would like to see real and serious politicians and genuine government administration. Please not the following:
1. Artista Politicians
2. Bank Politicians
3. Clown Politicians
4. Dumb Politicians
5. Echo Politicians
6. Fake Politicians
7. Glitzy Politicians
Name your own…
Not that’s easier said than done…
Sorry, “Now easier…”
I see people are just as outraged as I am 🙂 i thought i was overreacting. Whew 🙂
goes to show how the one and only Kris can bring such strong emotions out from both her star struck fans and the GRP. Even here, she is queen. lol
Kris Aquino doesn’t get a rise out of anyone who spends a couple of minutes to think. Except maybe for a momentary pang of disgust.
I’ll tell you what does get ME going — the fatuous adulation of her pinheaded fans. You’d think that people might have a shred of dignity and not subject themselves to that kind of slavish admiration.
I like to be in politic…she is beautiful…
There’s a pattern though in order for Kris to win the presidency: An Aquino must be “sacrificed” aka die. Ninoy died became Cory president, same with Noy with Cory dying.
Does that mean Noy will have to…die?
if he doesnt keep hacienda luisita for his uncle – prime suspect in ninoy’s assassination – then anything is possible with those barbarians!
They even willing to eat their own. Animals.
So what else can the country do to make itself the political ‘laughingstock’ of the WORLD, nevermind just Asia.
Chick can not even emcee a television show without stammering like an imbecile, BAAAHHHH, DUH, BAAAHHHHH…..just hysterical,LOL!!!
She’s like the Kim Kardashian of the Philippines who has a huge influence on the country. Sure she’s charismatic, has that charm to convince people but she’s no leader. It’s possible that Kris is going to be the president of the Philippines BUT then when things don’t go well, she will be hated just like her brother Noynoy. I hope that happens.
People in the Philippines are just unbelievably stupid. Even I have an amount of common sense not to vote for her brother. They take the whole starstruck thing way too far. It’s like having Tiger Woods, Lebron James, and any other athletes or Hollywood celebrities be the president of the USA. At least people here in the US are not that stupid.
Holy Mother of God, save this poor, helpless country from further damnation! Could never fathom such a thing (Kris as Prez) from ever happening. No wonder this country will never, ever move forward as a “truly” civilized and respected nation. All that these ‘inutil’ politicians think of are themselves & how they can further enrich their families. Change needs to happen from people themselves. Filipinos need discipline and a discerning mind to actually make sound decisions, most especially when choosing our future leaders. Why choose someone who can’t even manage her personal life & talks about her problems on national tv just to get sympathy? I would definitely pursue migration to another land than stay here if & when this actually happens!
The very fact she was a mistress, a home wrecker, and a husband chaser – which she did very publicly so! (Just google Joey Marquez). Then again Erap Estrada was voted in and rose to power despite of the fact that it is public knowledge he had many mistresses and illegitimate children. I wonder why do these immoral people get into office, then I look at my neighbour who is juggling two families, a acquaintance who is having an affair with a married man, and a coworkers who are corrupt and steal from their company.
Then it came to my realisation that many MANY Filipinos vote people with no integrity and morality because they themselves have none.