Will President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino III visit his predecessor former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) where she is currently being held under house arrest? The Filipino public is watching and waiting to see what President BS Aquino does next as various noted Filipinos known to be critics of the Arroyo administration including former President now Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada and retired Lingayen Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz have visited Arroyo. Cruz who was accompanied by former Vice President Noli de Castro was reportedly inspired by Pope Francis’s Christmas message of peace. He follows his fellow religious leader and Arroyo staunch critic Eddie Villanueva head of the Jesus is Lord (JIL) Movement who paid Arroyo a visit on the 14th December and Estrada who visited Arroyo at the VMMC on the 22nd of December.
BS Aquino’s mother Cory was key to the ousting of former President Joseph Estrada in 2001
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“When President Estrada was similarly situated during the Arroyo administration, he was always accorded by the Palace all the courtesies befitting him as a former Chief Executive who has served the country in the highest capacity, and, during his trial, as a person who was presumed innocent under the Constitution,” he said.
By contrast, the government of President BS Aquino is renowned for the shoddy treatment it accorded the former president. This treatment was characterised more by vindictiveness and malice rather than a genuine desire to uncover the truth about allegations of election cheating and high-level corruption that dotted Arroyo’s administration.
A visibly gaunt former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during her arrest at the NAIA in 2011
The usual weapon of choice of the Aquino administration in its vendetta versus Arroyo was the media which it wielded deftly to demonise the former president. A noted artifact that was widely circulated over social media back in 2011 was a purported “list of crimes committed by Arroyo” during her term. My colleague Ilda noted back then…
The list is a long one and is designed for maximum shock value. It should be noted that the only reason the list is long is because many of the items are repetitive. One’s initial reaction upon seeing the list, which goes up to 39 items would be to feel indignant. But some of the items just sound so ridiculous. One which says “200 plus other illegal midnight appointments” during her time in Malacanang does not really have any details or specifics of who they are and what post they got. Another item that is quite suspect says, “Denial of pork barrel funds to Malacanang’s political enemies”. To which one would be inclined to say, the onus is on the accuser to prove the accusation and once again, the list does not provide specifics.
…many of which now come across as a bit ironic considering President BS Aquino himself now stands accused of the very same transgressions — his seemingly dishonest use of various government slush funds to “encourage” Senators and House Representatives to do certain things, his insulation of friends and family in office against accountability for various cases of incompetence and fatal negligence over the last several years, and his prioritising old political grudges to the detriment of the quality of emergency services delivered (or non-delivered as the case may be) in the aftermath of super-typhoon Haiyan in November last year.
For all his talk of walking the straight path (the daang matuwid slogan that was a pillar of his campaign) President BS Aquino, it seems, consistently never failed to exhibit what is evidently the typically bratty upbringing that characterises that of most politicians’ offspring. It is unfortunate for Filipinos — and especially now to former President Gloria Arroyo — that such behaviour is causing unnecessary grief for an entire nation already reeling from decades of economic mediocrity and the pummeling suffered from a continuous stream of “natural” disasters.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
To paraphrase Mr. Roxas: We need to thread carefully here. He is an Aquino and she is an Arroyo. We need a formal request from Mrs. Arroyo.
In the Philippines, the process is the punishment.
Our global ranking for corruption has improved much since Mr Aquinos took office, we have gone up the list every year since his grace took office.
Fact – the world sees Mr Aquinos as a safe pair of hands governing the country, otherwise we would be going down the list, and not up.
It’s been going up since Ms Arroyo was charged.
But GRP would never publish these “inconvenient” truths would they? It gets in their way of a good story, especially one which tries to taint the current president with the sins of the former.
The world now sees Aquino as an incompetent leader after yolanda happened.
Everything you have said regarding your president has been invalidated by his incompetence that was witnessed by the international community.
Of course, since you are a bonafide Aquino asslicker a.k.a malacanang troll, you won’t even accept the truth since you are too busy licking your president’s ass.
You should already be aware that nobody here will believe your yellow propaganda, troll.
Research facts before making inane comments. An economist you clearly are not. you only have to look at m3 money supply and trends in repatriation of dirty money to see what is happening. sorry concepts beyond you. you wouldnt even know where to get the figures
Read forbes economist last month
” why the philippines economic miracle is simply a bubble in disguise”
Forbes and Transparency International – the 2 leading global analysts have both stated that the philippines ranking has been getting worse and now only sits above cambodia in asia. ( dec 2013).
FDI figures also confirms what all international investors know. corruption under aquino has got worse and trophy cases for publicity have gone nowhere. 700 used cars imported into cagayan last week. hello. wake up.
Sounds like you know jack sh!t.
In future make an intelligent contribution rather than making a prick of yourself and try to use facts. am fed up of schoolchildren like you. grow up.
The global ranking for corruption is actually just a perception index, meaning people’s PERCEPTION of the level of corruption in the country. We all know, of course, that the perception of many people outside and inside the country is that the corruption has gone down ever since Aquino became president, but that’s not to say that their perception is correct. Many foreigners and even uninformed Filipinos don’t know the facts surrounding the Arroyo cases (that nothing has been proven and that the only reason she’s been under hospital arrest is that the charges that were brought against her were non-bailable) and the Corona impeachment (that he was impeached not for corruption but simply for failing to declare his dollar accounts in his SALN, which can be explained by the Bank Secrecy Act and which almost all the congressmen who impeached him, and I suspect even Aquino himself, are also guilty of).
and that people’s perception is mostly brought by the effects of how the media has been demonizing GMA before and celebrating now the mediocrity of this idiot faggot.
And drumroll, that proves…what exactly Jess C?
Unless Aquino can improve on most of these problems;
Lack of quality job creation. Should focus not on BPOs but on agriculture and manufacturing. Unemployment currently stands at around 7%, and underemployment, a bigger problem at around 20%.
High poverty and income inequality. The poverty rate is at 27.9% Forbes Asia noted that in 2010-2011 the 40 richest families’ wealth grew by $13 billion up to $47.4 billion, representing 76.5% of the country’s GDP growth at the time. GINI is around an embarrassing 44.
Slow rise in per capita income
Lack of quality education
Lack of infrastructure
Lack of press freedom
Inefficient and bloated bureaucracy
Low ease of doing business
Selective justice
Disaster management
Or are these truths too “inconvenient” for you?
If his government is so transparent, what is he waiting for in taking advantage of it? Where are the big infrastructure projects? Why can’t he streamline the government and set new standards of professionalism in civil and public service while raising their salaries? Why not encourage a business friendly environment by liberalizing business proprietorship and cutting red tape? Why not improve on education quality instead of merely the number of years a student has to take? These among other numerous things.
Well he can just focus on poverty and income inequality reduction. If he’s in the process of succeeding in that aspect, he would win my vote and sympathy. So far there is no indication of that happening. How does he address these problems? Through the idiotic CCT. Brilliant. If he was going to opt for the welfare method in reducing poverty anyway, he at least could have improved more on education and health, not a half-assed measure like the CCT.
And perception counts next to nil in addressing the problems this country faces. Did that improved perception brought in additional Foreign Direct Investment? No. FDI in the Philippines remains dismal compared to its ASEAN neighbors. So what exactly are we supposed to celebrate here?
“…his grace…”??? What the heck!
Stop it already, JessC! You’re out of tune!!!!!
Don’t feed the yellow propaganda trolls, guys.
I’m sorry but everyone
who visits Gloria Arroyo , I consider corrupt and dirty.
“I’m sorry but everyone
who visits Gloria Arroyo , I consider corrupt and dirty.”
I’m sorry but what you are saying is completely FALSE and that is a fact that your yellow zombie brain can’t handle.
What an utter and shameful failure of logic! To all GRP readers: Please think first before posting anything here so you won’t embarass yourself and waste anyone’s time….
That comment was for sir chief….
TROLL. 😀
So it’s fine to be vengeful and ignore the fact that corruption is the EFFECT of the people and the politicians who interact in a government that does not work?
sir chief, whatever does this mean??? Please explain. Paki explica!
Our president is enormously popular, and his performance is rated good by most of our country! This is excerpt from a real media source, the inquirer, the rebels here are afraid of the real news sites and the facts so they make up their own! These are rude and dishonest people!
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With President Aquino entering the “last two minutes” of his administration, his allies believe that his “anointed” in the 2016 elections will hold the key to keeping the majority coalition intact for, and dominant in, the next national polls. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
With President Aquino entering the “last two minutes” of his administration, his allies believe that his “anointed” in the 2016 elections will hold the key to keeping the majority coalition intact for, and dominant in, the next national polls.
Iloilo City Rep. Jerry Treñas, who heads the Visayan bloc in the House of Representatives, figures that the President’s enormous popularity will make him a potent kingmaker in the next presidential elections.
“The President continues to enjoy high trust ratings and whoever he chooses as his successor will be a force to reckon with in 2016,” Treñas said in a phone interview.
Based on the Social Weather Stations (SWS) report released last Dec. 28, Aquino got an average net satisfaction rating of “very good,” or plus 55 percent, in 2013, or two percentage points above his average of plus 53 percent net rating in 2011 and 2012 but seven points off his plus 62 percent net rating in 2010.
The SWS noted that the President managed to maintain the “very good” rating in most parts of the country, in the rural areas and in the ABC and E income classes, but slipped to a merely “good” rating in Metro Manila, urban areas and the D class.
Could choose outsider
Treñas said that the President’s choice would be the key to keeping the ruling Liberal Party’s coalition with other parties intact for the 2016 elections.
But he did not discount the possibility that Aquino could very well choose a presidential candidate from outside the LP.
“It’s really not for me to say but I hope that his choice will come from us (the LP). But you know in politics, anything is possible… Only time will tell,” said Treñas.
Anointed one the key
Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, said the President needs to anoint a successor to ensure continuity in government policy.
“The President has set out a good course for the country, as evidenced by our stellar economic growth,” he said.
Aggabao said that the majority coalition—composed of the ruling Liberal Party of Aquino, the NPC led by businessman Danding Cojuangco, the Nacionalista Party led by ex-Sen. Manuel Villar, the LDP led by ex-Sen. Edgardo Angara and the Akbayan party-list group—would hold fast or fragment, depending on the President’s anointed one.
“Major political players within the coalition will bolt if they see [that] the common candidate is unwinnable. There is no secret to that. The challenge for the coalition is to hook a credible candidate for president that has excellent chances of winning,” he said.
Endorsing successors
“Based on past election results, exiting presidents have a spotty record in choosing the candidates to succeed them. While the ruling Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino chose the late Ramon Mitra as its presidential bet, the late President Corazon Aquino endorsed her defense secretary Fidel Ramos, who went on to win the presidential elections in 1992.”
Ramos, in turn, recommended the ruling Lakas party’s Jose de Venecia who lost to Joseph Estrada in 1998, and immediate past President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo endorsed Lakas-Kampi’s Gilbert Teodoro, who was beaten handily by his cousin, Aquino, in 2010.
LP has best odds
Eastern Samar Rep. and LP spokesman Ben Evardone said that with or without its coalition partners, the LP would have the best odds of retaining its hold on Malacañang through 2016 because of its popular leader and its size as the biggest political party in the country.
“I think the President will be a hard act to follow but I believe those who believe in him will also believe in his choice,” he said.
But he said the LP has to evolve into a real principled party, not a party of convenience like Lakas, the LDP and other previously dominant political parties.
“The LP should draw lessons from the debacle of major political parties, it has to reinforce its nontraditional status,” said Evardone, who was one of the dozens of Lakas-Kampi members who jumped ship to the LP in the final weeks before the May 2010 elections.
Evardone said the LP has its work cut out for it in the President’s so-called “last two minutes” and should be projecting itself as an antitraditional (anti-trapo) political party and anticorruption advocate.
Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/557327/aquinos-pick-key-to-coalition-unity#ixzz2pcvYW6Kw
The Inquirer could hardly be called a credible and independent news source, considering the historically tight bond it has with the Aquinos.
You’re obviously not for the truth since everyone already knows how incompetent your boss is.
The fact is that your boss wouldn’t need any of you trolls spreading propaganda if he was indeed doing his job properly but it seems that you guys are still desperately trying to shield your boss from any VALID criticisms on his performance.
The truth is that your boss has done diddly squat and newspapers like the inquirer are hardly considered as credible these days because of their obvious bias towards Mr. Aquino.
Of course, you won’t reply to me because:
1. You’re an idiot
2. You don’t have anything else to throw at us but recycled spiels.
3. You are obviously someone is being paid by malacanang to spread heavily flawed propaganda that can’t hold anything against the reality of what is happening right now in this country.
1. Why respond to bitter GRP trolls? You need attention, seek your family, not us.
2. I am a patriot, I hold my head high in pride of our country and government. I need no payment for duty to my country, These are more lies from you again.
3. Stop trying to discredit established media, and trying to promise your forum as a alternative, you guys are way too biased and unprofessional to ever be compared to a proper media unit, keep dreaming!
Ironic that you, the real troll, is claiming that we’re trolls.
Wow, how hypocritical can you get, troll.
Don’t kid yourself, you’re not a patriot, you’re just a paid hack blindly following your precious president who has done nothing but blame,blame,blame.
The inquirer has already discredited itself by being biased towards your boss.
Like I said before, you guys are not needed by Mr. Aquino if he was indeed doing his job.
By the way, you picked the wrong username since you are just spouting yellow propaganda which is hardly considered as truth.
Troll Harder
“Why respond to bitter GRP trolls?” – why read the so called bitter GRP page??? Why respond to so called bitter GRP trolls? You came to us Braniac.
1. Why respond to Yellow Zombies? If anyone who is seeking attention, it.s YOU.
2. Patriotism is ok, but yours is false patriotism. Yours is a false pride who who believes in a country who blindly follows the dysfunctional culture and a government that does not work. Fact is there are more lies from idiots like you. 😛
3. You don’t have any idea that Inquirer is a BIASED media company, who are allies with the Aquinos. Along with ABS-CBN. Established media MY ASS.
Keep TROLLING, fraudulent prick. 😀
If you’re not a Malacanang troll, then you must be one of the so many unenlightened and intellectually challenged Filipinos. For God’s sake, please do your own research on our national issues if you don’t want to believe GRP. And please use your head or it might disappear as part of the law of evolution.
“The Truth” from as supporter of B.S. Aquino?? A guy who can’t even get a legit date that is not dressed up for the paparazzi? A guy who lied about pork, who has never been accountable for anything in his life? So scared of free speech he tries to weasel a cowardly bill on a Saturday afternoon ?? Unaccomplished mama’s boy at 50 that you geniuses voted in?? You trolls really are scraping the bottom of the barrel.
I read the online newspaper alot, and it has indeed show a more balanced situation to what is happening in our country.. Grp does use alot of lies and insults to manufacture a image of constant drama and crisis… These people can’t see the beautiful things in life, and they strongly attack any patriotic citizen loyal to our government.
This forum has 420 like for a big country…. It means the people that have rebel views is not even 0.001% of the population. No one like them.
The news sites like enquirer are established and respected mastheads, which is why the posters here hate them so much… They hate all authority and crave recognition. Sad to see how shallow people can become in the lust for rebellious acts.
So you will believe a site that publishes an agape picture of Noynoy on what was obviously a satire version of Time on their front page???? You really are on AngelDust along with the other Yellow media.
Sorry, but you’re a TROLL. 😀
And you won’t respond because it’s 100% TRUE. Accept that you are totally BLIND.
You’re just insulting yourself, always resorting to EMOTIONS.
Aquino’s popularity and consistently good rating (if we’re to believe mainstream media) are proofs that the Filipinos have not matured at all politically and are sooooooooo easy to fool especially by the media because they are too lazy to think and to do further readings and research to establish the truth about a matter of consequence. All they want is to stare at the idiot box and be fed information by it, never mind if it’s not true. (The idiot box is not called “idiot box” for no reason.) Any one who has a mind can never arrive at the conclusion that the country has been doing well under Aquino. Even those supposedly high credit ratings are dubious. (I recently saw an American documentary on the global financial crisis entitled “Inside Job” where it was said that Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s gave a triple A credit rating to Goldman Sachs and Merryll Lynch 2 months before these two collapsed; it is alleged that these credit rating agencies are not incorruptible.) We cannot expect any real progress in this country unless and until the Filipinos mature and become wiser.
@ the truth
You claim intellectual superiority just because you read The Inquirer…..?
It doesn’t get more stupider than that.
The Inquirer? Don’t they call that the tabloid in broadsheet form?
Anyone who believes these people, who are all members of the ruling coalition, is either a hopelessly clueless person who has been an unfortunate victim of Aquino’s propaganda machine and the mainstream media or is deceiving himself for one reason or another…. Heaven help him!!!
More truth and facts, from the gmanetwork. Notice how many people like this article alone compared to all the likes and shares GRP has combined in all it’s posts. But of course the GRP hacks will say any media that does not agree with their views are “corrupt”, such is their blindness and bias towards out great government.
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Opinion » Blogs
Why blame President Noynoy Aquino?
By Harvey S. KehSeptember 4, 2013 12:19pm
3117 479 11 6144
Tags: Bantay Kaban , Benigno Aquino III , Million People March
After a good turnout during the Million People March protest against the pork barrel last August 26, there are now several groups that are planning to hold another protest rally this coming September 11. According to some messages that I have received, the rally will happen along EDSA and the plan is to form a human chain to once again protest the rampant graft and corruption that happened in the use of the pork barrel. Yet, many of those who went to Luneta are now having second thoughts of going since there are now rumors circulating that the planned rally in EDSA may suddenly be turned into an Anti-President Noynoy Aquino rally.
Unfortunately, some groups are trying to muddle up the issue and trying their best to spin the issue so that they can pin the blame on President Aquino. Yet, if one closely looks at the facts and the pronouncements of President Aquino, we can clearly see here that instead of being criticized, we should actually thank and support him.
Fact #1: This whole pork barrel Scam and Janet Napoles issue wouldn’t have been uncovered if it were not for the initiative of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Department of Justice (DoJ). These two institutions fall under the Executive branch of our government which is headed and led by President Aquino. Without his full backing and support, the investigation wouldn’t have reached this far and perhaps, Napoles and her cohorts would still be enjoying the billions of pesos that they have allegedly stolen from our public coffers.
Fact #2: The people have spoken and our President, who promised to follow his “Boss”, has already made a strong statement that he will push for the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or the pork barrel. This is one very risky political move since it is widely known that many of our Congressmen rely heavily on the PDAF to deliver services to their constituents. Many Congressmen are apparently not very happy with the decision of the President since this will have strong implications on their own political career. Without the support of Congress, the President may have a harder time to pass much needed legislation that can help our country address poverty problems and promoting inclusive growth. Another thing worth watching is that many pundits have said that this move of President Aquino may have also made him more vulnerable to a possible impeachment if the opposition in Congress is able to muster enough numbers. Despite these political implications, we have to commend President Aquino for having the strong political will to abolish the PDAF and create a more transparent and accountable system so that the delivery of basic service to the people especially the poor will not be disrupted.
Fact #3: Many of those whom I have talked to regarding this issue have said that even with the abolition of the pork barrel, corruption will still continue in our government unless several “big fish” are punished and put into jail because of this scam. This is the reason why President Aquino and DILG Sec. Mar Roxas made sure that our law enforcement agencies are able to immediately catch Janet Napoles, who is widely believed as the mother of this billion peso pork barrel scam. The worse thing that could happen is for some political leaders who are currently embroiled to move heaven and earth to kill Napoles and permanently silence her. Now that Napoles is in the custody of our government, the investigation can continue and hopefully, she will find it in her best interest to disclose who the other government officials are who have benefitted from this scam. President Aquino has likewise created the Inter-Agency Anti-Graft Coordinating Council composed of DoJ Sec. Leila de Lima, COA Chairperson Grace Pulido-Tan and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales that is tasked to make sure that there is an impartial investigation of this issue and that necessary charges are filed against those that are found to have taken part in this scam. These actions clearly show that like every Filipino, President Aquino is committed to pursuing justice and to ensuring that all those who have abused the pork barrel are punished whether these are his allies or not.
Clearly, we can see here that the President has not left his promise of following the straight and righteous path towards good governance. Sadly, there are some groups that still continue to try to deceive the public into thinking that President Aquino is also to blame for this pork barrel Scam. The aforementioned facts, his pronouncements and his actions speak for itself, he is one with every Filipino in fighting graft and corruption in our government and the least that we can all do is to support him in this fight and continue to remain vigilant against those who want to bring our nation back to the dark ages.
Comments are welcome at harveykeh@gmail.com Follow me at Twitter: twitter.com/harveykeh
Harvey S. Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo School of Government and is also the Lead Convenor of the Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership.
Harvey Keh is a fierce Aquino loyalist. (I have personal knowledge of this.) I suggest that you be very critical of whatever you read and who wrote it and not swallow everything hook, line, and sinker. You’ll never believe how much manipulation is being done everywhere now in the country. Again, I have personal knowledge of this. I know people in the entertainment industry who swear that all big stars in the industry have handlers who are in charge of “repairing” their master’s damaged image. Companies employ social media experts and communications managers to take care of the company’s image, even if it takes fooling the public. What do you think Aquino’s communications team is for?
So you hate the country, the establishment, the authorities, and our patriotic celebrities. You hate that they love and serve our country with pride and love and don’t engage in your anti government actions?
There is a reason these people do better than you in life, it’s because they know the value of hard work, loyalty, and patriotism.
If you value hard work, I wonder why you adore Aquino, who never did any form of hard work in his life, even now that he’s president? I distinctly remember that he’s the only president this country has had who very seldom figures in the news because of an activity he engaged in, and this in spite of the fact that he’s also the only president this country has ever had who has a full-blown communications team (even two) with millions per month in funding, and which was put up immediately after he became president. Failure of logic or you’re a paid malacanang troll?
I hate Noynoy Aquino for a very simple reason. The guy does not have leadership and managements skills to run a Jolibee let alone a country. So what he does is he tells the country that he is the best qualified which was a lie. To perpetuate the lie he uses TAXPAYER MONEY to pay people like you to unconvince thinking people with brains something we knew all along. The Emperor has no clothes. Don’t think you can describe us when you and I have different agendas. Us to tell the truth, you to hang on to your miserable job at MCG.
“So you hate the country, the establishment, the authorities, and our patriotic celebrities. You hate that they love and serve our country with pride and love and don’t engage in your anti government actions?
There is a reason these people do better than you in life, it’s because they know the value of hard work, loyalty, and patriotism.”
Those who know me will laugh at you for saying that I don’t love my country. I’ve devoted all my life to working for the good of this country, and I’m still doing that. That’s the reason I’m against this government; because it’s not good for our country. Besides, how do you know that others are doing better than me unless you’re just trolling, and I don’t know any celebrity in this country who’s truly patriotic, only in the USA and UK.
Nah, it’s more LIES.
Fact is you’re losing credibility since your source is Inquirer.
Am I right, FRAUD? 😀
For instance, Harvey Keh’s “Fact No. 1” is definitely not true! It was the whistleblower Benhur Luy who was responsible for exposing the alleged pork barrel scam, and not because his conscience bothered him but because he had a falling out with Janet Napoles. Fact is, an auditor from COA had already uncovered such a scam even before it exploded; the auditor alarmed NBI and DOJ regarding the matter, but the two ignored it. When the whole matter exploded thanks to the media, the COA report was exposed, but only the names of the opposition senators were revealed. It is said that there were others even from the administration party, but their names were not revealed. Check out the files from the Manila Times, especially of Tiglao, who always cites credible sources for everything he claims in his article, many times even sources from the government itself, like DBM.
@ the truth
So, you gauge credibility of a source by how many “likes” it has? Great! Just how many idiots click that “like” button because it is just oh so easy just to click “like” without really thinking things through. it only proves that pinoys are getting dumber and dumber by the minute, thanks to people like you.
Harvey Keh has a track record of lying before the Philippine Senate no less.
It’s funny how the troll convieniently forgot about harvey keh’s lying in the impeachment court.
Sure, the troll would say that it was a success for the yellows with keh’s “help” but a year after the trial, it was proven after all to be a fraudulent practice of the justice system since it was proven that the judges in that trial were bribed and that is an impeachable offense for his boss something that he and his fellow yellow zombies don’t realize.
And one more article from the Huffington Post.
This is how the world sees our great president, if you look and the likes and tweets once ahain on these articles compared to GRP articles, you will notice the difference between a unbiased respected media organisation, instead of a homegrown amateur copycat job with little support online or offline.
Without further ado.. This is what HP says about our beloved leader ~
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Why Is President Aquino So Popular? Effective Leadership and Enigmatic Charisma
Posted: 09/26/2013 1:00 pm
Read more
Benigno Aquino, Emerging Economies, Joseph Nye, Charisma, Corruption, Elections, Mindanao, Mnlf, Soft Power, World News
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Under a climate of long-standing political cynicism, fueled by a perennial sense of social injustice and endemic corruption, elected leaders inevitably face an uphill battle for the hearts and minds of the people.
In developing countries where the majority of the population has yet to benefit from the fruits of economic globalization and reap the rewards of new engines of endogenous growth, one can hardly blame people for holding little respect for elected officials — repeatedly falling into cycles of high (unrealistic) expectations followed by massive dissatisfaction.
From Mexico City to Mumbai and Manila, gestures of good will by elected officials can easily be interpreted as an exercise of deception and old-school shenanigans, reforms could be seen as basically the status quo couched in new garment, and displays of humility and contemplative decision-making could be perceived as indecision and cowardice. In short, it is extremely difficult to please the greater public, especially ones the euphoria of elections — and all the accompanying advertisement, colorful events, and fairy tale sloganeering — is over.
Engaging the greater public and sustaining wide-reaching political mandate is even more difficult, when you speak of countries with first-past-the-post electoral systems, whereby anyone with slightly higher votes than other candidates could end up as the president – nevermind he/she only garnered 30% of the votes, and is never given the second chance to reach out to the electorate in a prospective run-off round. Naturally, in such cases you tend to get “minority presidents”, who have limited mandate and struggle to rise above factional politics.
And yet, the Philippine President Benigno “PNoy” Aquino has managed to sustain approval ratings as high as 70 percent, way into the third year of his tenure. By any measure, this is an astonishing record for any democratically-elected leader, especially one in a developing country still reeling from massive poverty, inequality and unemployment. Add to this a noisy and discordant media, where entertainment is held way above information and lambasting elected officials and blaming them for everything is a standard operating procedure.
Not to mention, even though the Philippines is hardly among top world economies, and while it is still bereft of a modern military-industrial complex to boast, Aquino has managed to even rank among the world’s most influential leaders in the 2013 Time 100.
So what explains his massive political capital and global popularity? Are there lessons for other leaders across the world?
The Mystique of Political Charisma
Joseph Nye, the brains behind the highly popular doctrine of “Soft Power” and the author of The Powers to Lead (2008), has defined charisma as “the special power of a person to inspire fascination and loyalty.”
And as Nye aptly points out, charismatic leadership is more apparent “when [people] feel a strong need for change, often in the context of a personal, organizational or social crisis.” No wonder, he tells how fundamentally a popular leader mirrors something bigger, a zeitgeist, a larger public mood, which reflects, “Even more about ourselves, the mood of the country, and the types of change we desire.”
Benigno Aquino is in many ways the Philippines’ ‘accidental president’. After all, he is said to have not only shunned running for the Philippine Senate in the past, preferring to stay as the district representative of his idyllic hometown in Tarlac and taking care of the extended Aquino clan so dear to him, but also hardly harbored any concrete ambitions for the top political office in the country. Despite being a smart and well-educated individual, with good training in economics and banking, he was neither known to be a stellar legislator, nor featuring among the high profile, ambitious, and flamboyant legislators, who fixed their gaze on the top prize.
His decision to climb the ranks of Philippine political pyramid was largely due to the persistent (and ultimately successful) persuasion efforts of family members and siblings, who believed in his leadership qualities and ability to contribute to the nation’s betterment.
In this sense, Benigno Aquino III had a unique conception of political ambition as a moralistic fulfillment of a larger obligation to the collective. After all, he always lived in the shadows of his parents, who are deeply revered for their personal integrity and contributions to Philippine democratization.
“His father was the Philippines’ most famous political martyr, his mother its most beloved President,” wrote Time’s Howard Choa-Eoan on Aquino’s stellar pedigree, and how this ultimately sealed his destiny as the next Philippine president. “[He] inherited that legacy and, boosted by national mourning at the death of Corazon Aquino in August 2009, won the presidency in 2010.”
Grasping the significance of the moment, PNoy sought to carve out his own place in history by translating widespread public sympathy into a formidable campaign to rid the country of its recent troubles: a decade of massive corruption, economic imbalances, and political instability under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration (2001-2010).
Lucky enough, his ‘good governance’ (Daan Na Matuwid) initiative not only struck a chord among the electorate, but also eventually came to impress global investors and leaders, who credited Aquino’s much-awaited crackdown on corruption and abuse of public office. And this proved to be not only a precursor for an unprecedented period of political stability and economic growth in the country, but also a cornerstone of Aquino’s charisma anchored by an untarnished image of personal integrity and sincere leadership.
Riding Manifold Challenges
What’s fascinating with Aquino’s popularity, not exactly his policies, is his ability to maintain public support despite repeated crises questioning his leadership.
Beginning with the botched rescue efforts at a hostage crisis involving a dozen Hong Kong nationals, to China’s repeated encroachment into Philippine-claimed features in the South China Sea, to a shooting incident involving a Taiwanese fishermen in the disputed maritime waters that sparked unprecedented levels of bilateral Philippine-Taiwan tensions, to reports consistently mentioning the Philippines’ failure at providing inclusive and sustainable growth, and ultimately recent revelations suggesting massive corruption implicating dozens of legislators and government officials, Aquino has still managed to stay above the fray and enjoy public prestige.
He has astutely shifted blame to other parties, skillfully portrayed his administration as sincere and committed to reform, and doubled down on his tough stance against China to ramp up his nationalist credentials.
To demonstrate Aquino’s popularity on a global scale, Time magazine has for instance portrayed Aquino as the “the face of the regional confrontation with Beijing over its claim to virtually all of the South China Sea” and praised his “brave stance” on this issue. Meanwhile, the giant credit rating agency Moody’s, which is currently reviewing the Philippines candidacy for an investment-grade status, has praised Aquino for placing “the economy on the right course via infrastructure development, with a focus on upgrading transport links; an anticorruption push; a drive to halt tax avoidance; and improved government coffers,” while emphasizing how the Philippines’ continued success as a new brightspot in Asia “will depend on who takes the reins when Aquino steps down in 2016.” In short, Aquino is seen as the pivot of the country’s economic and political comeback.
Recently, when a number of rebels, belonging to the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), decided to launch a coordinated attack and lay siege on Zamboanga city in early-September in order to protest their exclusion from ongoing peace talks in Mindanao, Aquino still managed to ensure massive public support and avoid criticisms over his approach to the peace process, which has excessively focused on one group only, the MNLF’s breakaway group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Although known for his soft demeanor, Aquino, few days into the Zamboanga siege, flew to the crisis-ridden city and went as far as warning the rebels to lay down their arms or face the full force of the state: “There’s a thin line that can’t be crossed, putting civilians’ lives at risk… When that line is crossed, I will be forced to not only show, but use the full force of the state.” By displaying iron determination to quash the rebellion, Aquino was able to, at least in the meantime, repel criticisms over his administration’s inability to foresee and forestall such crisis.
Overall, what is increasingly clear is that Aquino’s popularity has much to do with the combination of his unassailable pedigree and a serendipitous confluence of favorable factors, ranging from economic revival to political stability and a broader zeitgeist, which favors (reluctant but seemingly) effective and humble leaders such as PNoy. The key to his success, so far, is his ability to hold back, to contemplate, to demure, and to humbly change course when necessary — avoiding hubristic tendencies that have afflicted other popular leaders across the world. And this is why, despite all his faults and continuing problems in the country, many still see Aquino as the best leader they have ever had.
Like
145k
When has the number of likes an article gets ever been a measure of the article’s veracity?
@ the truth
As I always say here…. such a long post and all BS.
Besides, isn’t it obvious that the article who cited above is just a bluff (maybe a paid article)? I don’t know anyone in this country who will not laugh when you say that Aquino has political charisma. That actually explains why his own mother purportedly claimed that they had to mobilize their entire clan and all their political connections just to get the guy elected representative of Tarlac way back. Also, no one took him seriously and even considered him from the presidency until his mother died and ABS-CBN sensationalized it. Kim Jong-Un of North Korea has more political charisma than Noynoy Aquino does.
@ chrissie
The article was opinion based.
Figures…. thanks for the info, joeld!
Firstly the troll negated to attribute the article for obvious reason. Richard heydarian is a filipino writer in manila predominantly writing in philippine daily inquirer
Secondly the 145 likes is not for the article! – the idiot – it is for the hp website itself. More duplicity from someone who seeks to deceive.
Guilty of trolling again – and badly
Wow, thanks for the info, libertas! And they say GRP is just biased against Aquino? Who’s trying to fool whom?
If the guy was charasmatic we would have seen evidence of real accomplishment at age 49. Of course this is the Philippines where death and emo= accomplishment. The only reason you are here is you fear GRP. Stop reminding us how insignificant we are 45 times a day. Well writhe in my cage of torment my friend. Troll harder.
#1- nice link
#2 – ” you will notice the difference between a unbiased respected media organisation,”
Unbiased? I listen to American Sunday morning talk shows.Ariana Huffington is very left leaning. Let me think who is very left leaning locally? They owe their presence in Malacanang to who??
For somebody who thinks we don’t matter you sure argue a lot here. Go to someplace where you fit in. Like Justin Bieber’s fanpage.
Please state FACTS for once and not empty rhetorics and OPINIONS and crap. -_-
But of course. When something or someone praises one’s master, it’s absolute and must be taken as gospel. When something or someone else points out a flaw, it’s propaganda. Plus, there is something automatically wrong with that entity pointing out the flaw: it is politically motivated, it is overcompensating for a tragic flaw, it is paid by a political opponent, blah blah blah.
What’s more, popularity is taken as a reliable indicator of validity.
These peculiar mindsets have been present in Filipino since time immemorial. It just happens to be very pronounced in this Aquino administration because the one at the top is very sensitive to criticism, and never admits he is wrong.
President BS Aquino is also an overall dishonest person and holds an extensive history of suppressing the truth. After he won the presidency, he and his henchmen stole an FB page from former supporters who worked hard to amass hundreds of thousands of subscribers. More recently, Malacanang under his watch attempted to whitewash Noynoy’s closed-door meetings with alleged pork barrel scam ringleader Janet Lim Napoles and when columnist Kit Tatad exposed this information in an article, that article mysteriously started getting flagged as “inappropriate material” whenever readers attempted to share it on Facebook.
Aquino is the most vindictive person, I have ever seen. It may be because of his upbringing, as a spoiled child of a wealthy family.
Life is too short, to carry such grudges in your heart. They affect your mental well being. Remember Aquino went pandering for PhDs to be awarded to him from foreign universities. If this is not a delusion of grandeur…I don’t know what it is. To forgive and to forget are Christian and Islamic values. In the Islamic Koran…you can read in the suryas:”If God(Allah) can can forgive. Why can’t you.” The higher plane of love and forgiveness, give us peace in our hearts and our relationship with people. So, forgive, Mr. Aquino…
Politics aside, nobody can truly know what’s in the heart of man/woman. He/She may or may not have a forgiving heart, only God knows. Others can speculate to their heart’s content, but it is wise to keep an open mind and not pass judgement. There’s nothing more destructive than human assuming the omnipotence of the Divine.
You should avoid talking in riddles. What the heck do you really mean by this?
Actions or lack of them are often used to measure the heart’s ability to forgive. This can lead to misinterpretation. Thus, it is wiser to leave the business of forgiveness between the man/woman and his/her God. Observers must avoid the temptation to play God and pass judgement. For when human plays God, prejudice ensues and eventually the true character of man/woman is never revealed or worse destroyed: this is the most destructive of human traits.
Ah ok, I understand what you’re saying.
By all means let us open all jails and prisons, and let all the inmates out. As humans, we’re not fit to pass judgment on others after all. We should all let them be and leave them to their, ahem, business…
Say what?
Gloria Arroyo, as a professor at the Ateneo made the equivalent of $10K a year salary. That was less than a fast food chain employee in the US makes. That was below poverty level by western world standards. At that time also, she was the sole breadwinner in the Arroyo household with an unemployed husband and three kids trying to break into showbiz.
Those were tough times for GMA and her family. Guilty for plunder or not, I think Aquino should look at the better side of politics and pardon GMA.
LOOK, she is not even there half the time. Just like the Amputuans aren’t even in the fuckin jail cells most of the time. GMA is going to walk on all charges.
The ZTE Smart-matic scam should have been enough to put the bitch away for decades. She had to give back the $35 MILLION DOLLARS (NOT PESO”S!) in person by going back to China with the suitacases that never left her sight because if she had lost the money she would have been murdered and she could not trust anyone enough to do it for her, not even her own kids! Plus grabbing everything else she could get her hands on before leaving office. AND FOR ALL THAT, WHAT WILL THE LI’L BITCH GET? NO TIME IN JAIL AND NO MONEY WILL EVER BE RETURNED.Just like every other scumbag politician who has ever been accussed and even convicted of stealing/crimes agaiunst the people etc. etc, etc… wake up! Aquino doesn’t dislike her, he is not even going to prosecute her! They are trying to make it look good and next the people will fall for the same old:”We must show compassion for our former leaders”… Bull-shit, just like they always do! You heard it here, it is an act. A well rehearsed act whose ending is always the same: NO JAIL TIME AND NO MONEY RETURNED! Nauseatingly repetitive and predictable.
@ Gerry
Listen, Kobe Bryant makes $25M a year just sitting down. Give GMA a break. It took 9 freaking years for this old lady to make $35M. She worked her ass to make that shit and deserves to keep all of it. You know what I mean? White collar crimes should go unpunished like in the US. Freaking BS Aquino does not understand politics.
@ KROC….IDK how U draw comparisons between a talented basketball player and a li’l spoiled brat whose thinks that because her Father was President that she can subjugate and plunder her fellow-countrymen’s GDP wealth. I really do not know where or how U draw that comparison
I am not as old as GMA but I have never made anywhere near $35,000,000.00 and probably never will. It is far worse, the crimes committed by ‘white-collar’ criminals than ‘street-crime’ as the consequences ,as well as the stakes ,are higher. Aquino and Arroyo are the same people, who do the same thing…and they think that they are good at it, and so do a lot of other people.
I see them for what they are: Lying, thieving scam artists’ that lie every time they open their mouths. They both belong in a jail cell or far worse, but that will NEVER happen.
The ‘Li’l Girl’, will not go to jail and she probably is not in that hospital room at night either. The Amputuans have been spotted in H.K. on several occasions in the last 4 years….think they are in jail? Really? In jail?
Eh, magnanakaw din si GMA. Why should she have my sympathy?
You’ll have to prove that, Dodge. Let’s be careful with our accusations. To date, none of the charges she’s been slapped with has been proven.
What was her track record while she was running the country into the ground again?
There’s a lot of smoke that came out of all the stuff she was allegedly involved in. You can’t have smoke without fire.
That won’t pass for proof. Try again.
Emo is proof for many pinoys. Chrissie you can read my earlier blogs when it I had my eureka moment with the impeachment hearing. I already had a dislike for that hollow faker Noynoy but if GMA and Corona were really really guilty then they could just go about prosecuting in a matter of fact way. Noynoy had to pull out all the stops because forget conflict of interest or his proper role in the triangle of judiciary, executive and legislative. With Noynoy he wore his intent on his sleeve. On the other hand when it comes to Napoles who many of us believe to be a Noynoy person. You did not see that gusto from him. Just some token words . Again he is a faker. A faker that worked on Mr. Smoke/ Fire.
What really gets to me is that many Filipinos seem to have glossed over all the crimes that were committed by Aquino during the Corona impeachment. Proof that many Filipinos really don’t care much about principles, just personalities.
Are just being emo about gma from what the BS media feeds you?
@ Chrissie, I am still laughing AT YOU, 1st 4 ur assininity (thinking any politician in the Philippines is NOT a lying, thieving, conniving weasel) and NOW 2nd, for thinking YOU can tell ME what to do!
BWAH HA HA HA AHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAH, I LAUGH AT YOU!!!!!!
You’re crazy…. Depart from me, Satan!!!
domo: I’m not being emo about gma or anyone, for that matter. i’m not that kind of person. that’s why i always ask for proofs, precisely because i’m not emo, unlike so many Filipinos….
those helicopters were used and her family accepted payment for them as new…from the Filippine people! just because the 1st gent(?) did not sign the receipt doesn’t mean he did not use those helicpters, arrange the deal, profit from it and scam the filippine people in the process!. So dear Chrissie, defend who-ever it is you want to defend, BUT don’t tell people here at GRP to be careful with accusations. These fuckin thieving politicians know EXACTLY how not to get caught breaking the law, BUT THAT doesn’t mean they are not GUILTY. WAKE UP, they are all thieves and they rely on people like you to get themselves off the hook!
I’m not defending anyone but the rule of law. If you know so much about people’s guilt and have proofs of it, why don’t you help prosecute them by offering the proofs to the courts or the prosecutors? I’m tired of people who behave as if they know everything.
Here we are again, Gerry, the same person who’s always quick to make sweeping generalizations and to damn everyone. It’s so sad that you’ve become so cynical and seem to refuse to believe that there are still some good and principled people out there. (I’m not saying Arroyo’s one of them; all I’m saying about her is I don’t know if she’s guilty because it hasn’t been conclusively proven.)
I laugh at people like you Chrissie, I really do! Still holding on to that ideal that these POS are not thieves.
Exactly who do you think would let ME prosecute any of these whores? The helicopter deal, the ZTE scam the Presidential office funds….these are only the obvious ones!
While these scumbags are busy stealing EVERYTHING they can get their grubby sleazy ass hands on they are hoping people like YOU will have a moral compass (because they don’t) and say:”They have to be proven guilty”, well if the above mentioned examples and the PAL case w/the SC or the ‘Pork barrel’ scam is not enough for you to figure it out, that they are all thieves! Well, there is no hope for you!
They belong in a Jail cell or the end of a noose, or worse! The Fail-ippines is in a position to do something that could really benefit the people (see what is happening in Thailand, Bulgaria, Iceland 4 some examples of what is close at hand), BUT the people are too fuckin dumb to realize it and will let this little sliver of an opportunity slip away…in true pinoy fashion, and it will be , at least in part, because of people like you! Who will never wake up and have a cup of real coffee because that you think that 3-in-1 crap is real coffee. Just like all the politicians are not thieving scumbags!
GOOD LUCK, COZ U DA CHUMP!
I don’t know what you’re talking about, Gerry. Go talk to someone else. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve been fighting for change all my life, and I was part of the 2 people power revolutions. I’m still willing to do that, but I really don’t know where that will lead us. We’re really a deeply troubled country.
I actually pity you, Gerry, coz you’ve become too cynical. I wonder what happened to you…
Save it for yourself.
For a brief milli-second it looked like Filipino’s were going to wake up, but instead it was the Thai people who woke up…
too bad for da pinoy…AGAIN!
The situation in Thailand is different from that in the Philippines. Let’s not oversimplify matters through a lack of critical thinking. While I agree that what has happened so far under Aquino should have pushed us once again to the streets, that’s not really a positive prospect as the same thing may happen all over again because the real problem, the Filipino character or lack of it, is still very much around. Think before you speak.
Please lobby the UN to intervene so that monitor the 2016 elections
Contact us
Corruption and Economic Crime Branch
Division for Treaty Affairs
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Wagramer Strasse 5,
A-1400 Vienna
Austria
Phone:+43(1) 26060-4384
Fax: +43(1) 26060-5841
E-mail: uncac.cop@unodc.org
So “Truth”, copy-pasting news and opinion articles from questionable media sources counts as facts now?
How low can anyone’s standards get?
That’s the whole point with the Malacanang Miscommunications Group formerly under the watchful eye of Truth Minister Ricky. They have high end equipment (Macbooks) and low end people using the high end equipment ( Truth/ Fishball/ Sendong Girl/ Vicente/ PP ). B.S. by any under alias is still B.S. Keep in mind this strategy was in place from Day 1. Because even Noynoy and his cohorts knew that their incompetency will invite backlash. What a lame administration. Low standards for a “standard bearer” and low standards for their trolling.
A year later and it looks like the malacanang trolls are obviously running out of propaganda. They know for a fact that their boss is next to be jailed although the difference is that the cases filed against him are going to be with strong evidences and legit witnesses unlike what happened to their favorite punching bag whose cases are dropping like flies.
You guys(malacanang trolls) are going to be out of a job soon and this site is still going to do its job of educating the masses of the truth behind the aquino frauds.