The Aquino family and, by extension, the LP have always been adamant about how the Aquinos changed the country for the better. However, once one looks past all the propaganda and media support, one will be forced to question the veracity of their claims. Truth be told, over the years, we are spoonfed with silly ideas like “Ninoy is a hero” and “Cory is a saint” but, upon closer inspection, one has to wonder where such statements come from and how they came to be. Moreover, we are told repeatedly ad nauseum of the Aquinos’ contribution to the improvement of the Philippines even though, if you’ll actually take a little look around, said improvements are at best superficial (such as just renaming certain places and establishments like NAIA) and, at worst non-existent (such as the freedom of speech and expression which is largely censored and biased).
Now, I know I’ve spoken of the matter before in a previous article but I’m bringing up the issue again because of commenters who keep insisting that we should all “move on” from the death of the SAF44. Of course, I also think that we should finally allow the families of the SAF44 a break from all the drama but the big problem here is that the SAF44 aren’t the only victims of the Aquinos and their LP cronies. From the hapless Chinese nationals of the Luneta Massacre, the devastated families left in the wake of Yolanda to the Lumads who have been driven from their homes by dangerous gunmen led by greedy organizations, the Aquino administration and its allies have done nothing for anyone that didn’t somehow advance their own cause.
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I already know that there will be a lot of you who’re going to disagree with me. Well, to be honest, I’m more than ready for whatever you might throw at me. All I’m asking is that you first read and then think about my three points below.
We Don’t Really “Owe” Them Anything
Now, media outlets who are aligned with the Aquino family bombard us with propaganda that suggests that we owe the Aquinos our alleged freedom and much more.
However, one has to ask the question: Are we really free as a people?
Day after day, I tire of news about OFWs. Not that I have anything against OFWs, mind you. But look, a lot of the usual misery and violence that break out among middle-class families are OFW-related. For instance, affairs tend to occur when one’s spouse is far and away and then, when said spouse returns home to find that their significant other has a child as a result of an affair, they may resort to violence. Also, note how ideas such as morality, kindness and wisdom are lost on many children of today because their parents are off in some distant land and can’t attend to them directly.
Unfortunately, problems with OFWs have become an immutable reality in our country because of our heavily flawed constitution. Yes, the same constitution Cory Aquino signed in 1986 that was supposed to “free” us from the alleged tyranny of the Marcos regime. With its ridiculous protectionist policies, so few of us can live decent lives in our country and that is if we aren’t hoodwinked by local corrupt government officials and other authority figures.
Oh, and before I end this part, let me tell you something: The Aquinos owe us, the common people, for putting them in power and not the other way around. It was we who voted for, supported them and placed them in power. To this day, we allow them to treat us the way they do, that is like peasants, or worse, animals.
They’re Not Who They Say They Were
Granted, as I’ve said before, President Marcos wasn’t an angel either. The Marcos family also has to answer for certain stuff as well. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Aquinos were any better. Indeed, statements such as Ninoy being a hero and Cory being a saint are all questionable and, to be more succinct, overly pretentious.
So Ninoy was shot an airport? Big deal. Lots of people get shot at airports and for sillier reasons. So they say he died for a cause? Well, what did he do to support that cause asides from a few offhand statements, eh? Did he actually try to save the victims of political discrimination and violence at the time? As far as I know he was even President Marcos’ chosen successor which lends credibility to the rumor that it wasn’t Marcos but other Aquinos, namely the Cojuancos who had him killed.
So Cory was a saint, eh? Is having people killed, like at the Mendiola Massacre, something an alleged “saint” would allow? Sure, she was friends with big wheels in the Catholic Church in the Philippines but one of her daughters could easily qualify for the poster child for sexual immorality.
Their Alleged “Achievements” Amount To Nothing
Since the signing of the 1986 Constitution, I can only ask the following: “What changed?”
Well, there’s the idea that a lot of my countrymen are working their assess off in some distant country but that’s not exactly an improvement, is it?
They renamed the airport Ninoy was shot in after him and then what happened? Said airport is now considered one of the worst airports in the world and one foreigners avoid like the plague. Worse still is the bullet-planting scam which the higher-ups of NAIA (also closely associated with the Aquinos themselves) aren’t willing to even lift a finger to solve. Indeed, it has gotten so bad that NAIA has marred the reputation of the Philippines as a tourist destination.
Cory Aquino supposedly brought peace to Mindanao, you say? Well, she appointed a rebel leader to a political position, did that really change anything? Well, here we are now with the SAF44. Need I also mention that our insurgency problem is another reason why we are losing our reputation as a good tourist destination?
***
Look ladies and gentlemen, it’s high time we moved on from the shadow of the Aquino and their alleged “legacy” if we want to make positive changes for our nation and people. Let us leave behind the shadows of both the Aquinos and the Marcoses and move on as the Filipino people. Let us move on, not as pro-Aquinos or pro-Marcoses, but as free men and women of the Philippines no longer beholden to cults of personality.
I HAVE RETURNED TO LAY WASTE TO OUR ENEMIES!
@Grimwald,
what is your personal favorite political system and what is your personal fav government abroad?
You prefer the German politics/government, the Danish, the American?
Fine, even if and when such a political system is installed in the Philippines, it wont change anything. The Philippines will stay and be a poor 3rd country.
In other words:
Your future presidents, your future politicians will be and and will stay corrupt (and that is not rocket science).
Does this mean, the Philippines will never be able to get out of that misery. Yes, they can.
But it is only party that is able to achieve that.
my view of things is as follows:
Noynoy: good on foreign policy especially versus China (alliance with Vietnam, ITLOS filing, AFP modernization), sound economic policies (even if some policies are from the later Arroyo period, and wealth distribution is still very lousy inspite of 4Ps/CCT)
credit for the fight against corruption goes to the present Ombudsman alone, she is doing her thing even against LP people, now the Ombudsman was an institution Cory created, but it complements the Sandiganbayan which wa a Marcos creation. So one has to be balanced.
What I don’t like about Noynoy is his policy on the Muslim question (BBL is messed up to say the least and even allows the Sharia)
FVR was a good President in many ways, but also had his issues. Erap and Arroyo – ugh.
Cory had good intentions but was naive, couldn’t stop those close to her from doing nonsense, her son has the same weakness.
Marcos: he basically bankrupted the country, didn’t have the economic savvy to see that he was printing money and overspending.
The protectionist laws that limit foreign ownership date back to President Garcia.
The Philippine justice system is a big issue: antiquated laws that DOJ Secretary De Lima tried to reform but Congress didn’t pass them, and courts that are so slow that justice is effectively not served, making Duterte attractive to so many people.
Hopefully the Philippine citizenry votes a few good Senators: I can see De Lima, Alunan and Walden Bello as earnest people even if they are Liberal, right-wing and leftist respectively. Bam Aquino is a real reformer, he brought the Philippine Competition Act into law, finally, and is pro SME. But I would also welcome it if Trillanes stays in the Senate, he seems relatively competent given the rest of the bunch.
What would also make sense in the long term are real political parties like in Europe, Canada, Australia. Not the power-mongering groups that call themselves political parties in the Philippines, but groups that really think of policies for national progress.
So it isn’t so much the political system that needs changing, it is the political culture that needs to evolve for real progress. Both the old Marcos authoritarian approach and the messianic Cory approach are outdated by now. Only a healthy, goal-oriented political culture will create lasting gains.
“now the Ombudsman was an institution Cory created, but it complements the Sandiganbayan which wa(s) a Marcos creation”
_____________________
The 1973 Constitution (Sections 5 and 6, Article XIII) provided for the establishment of a special court known as the Sandiganbayan and an Office of the Ombudsman known as the Tanodbayan. Presidential Decree Nos. 1486 and 1487 created the Sandiganbayan and Tanodbayan, respectively, on June 11, 1978.
my top 10 of changes, I would like to see in order for your country to be one of the Big Players in Asia.
1. Stop electing famous people and start electing educated people! I cannot URGE THIS MORE!
2. Start disowning landlords, re-distrubte the lands and re-start the agriculture! stop hanging around in Metro Manila which only creates tons of slums!
3. Stop the Filipino Thinking and start thinking out-of-the-box! Pretty much, Ask yourself. Is the Current Filipino Way the best way to live and die?
4. Use your VAST population as an asset! Attract investors with low corporate taxes but introduce better labor treatment and laws!
5. Give Mindanao what they want! after that, start treating Mindanao as your trade partner! The less you administrate the more you can focus on more important things!
6. Start giving more budget in Education and agriculture! Subsidise the farmers and teachers!
with all the 6 points being completed, you can now move on to the following points:
7. Re-furnish and clean the Phillipines. Use the natural beauty of the Phillipines to attract tourists! Your country is very beautiful! Use it!
8. DO NOT EVER ELECT AGAIN FAMOUS PEOPLE! KEEP ELECTING EDUCATED PEOPLE!
9. Treat Philippines as a Company! Think about growing! The world is full of possibilities.
10. Listen to the voice of the people. Introduce Direct Democracy!
I am not inventing this whole thing. Im just relating what my country, Austria, did after the First World War and as a Business Analyst of a Multi-Million Dollar Company in Switzerland, I have the insight and knowledge.
Greeting from the Alps.
A Half-Filipino-Guy
@Half-Half,
your #8 equals your #1, so that leaves just 9 points.
You emphasize agriculture in both #2 and #6.
I can also make a 10 point list but my list will be more to the point and not as vague as your list.
– I would re-design, re-shape and re-invent the entire PH agricultural landscape. The Philippines is not in the top 20 of global largest countries with highest output.
– The total PH population must be decreased so that a strong and big middle class can be established
– Subsidies must be avoided and prevented as much as possible
– As a tourist, I wouldnt know why I would want to visit the Philippines.
Half Half, I agree with everything except the subsidy. Subsidies may be well-intentioned, but they never, ever work. Agriculture in the US is messed-up in many ways because of subsidies that keep inefficient (and downright destructive) business models in place, when the market should have eliminated them long ago.
you may want to add 11.: Sell the Philippines lock stock and barrel to the Chinks
As long as we are still led by God-fearing, family-centric Filipinos, we won’t get out of this rut. Face it, the average Filipino cannot even run a gas station to profitability
The Aquinos’ legacy is: Feudalism, the power of the Oligarchy, KamagAnak, Inc., Hacienda Luisita, SAF massacre, DAP, PDAF, Pork Barrel Bribery, etc…
Ninoy Aquino, Jr. a hero? …My Ass.
Cory Aquino , a Saint?… My Ass.
” You shall know them by their fruits”…the Christian Bible states.
Their fruits are: Sexually promiscous , Kris Aquino. Corrupt to the bones, Benigno Aquino III.
It is like the Nazi Joseff Goebbels propaganda. ” A Lie repeated over and over, will soon become a Truth…”
and who do we want to guide the Pilipinos to properity? the yellow army, the communist, the bangsamoro, or Grace Poe? the first three is one. they’re the ones making people crazy with their stage shows. just look at the P2,000 increase proposed by some good gentlemen in the congress and pnoy said in 13 years the foundation will go bankrupt. why not include it in the GAA? pnoy will leave his rule soon with the taxpayers money nowhere to be found and he’ll keep on banging the next administration for all his unfinished projects. the stolen people’s money should be return to the treasury.
The Chinese already owns most of the Philippines.
is the 87 constitution legally ratified by Pilipinos? no, it’s a de facto constitution never ratified by the people.
The 1973 Constitution was legally ratified by Marcos through 1971 Con-Con.
But 1935 Constitution was legally ratified under Commonwealth era.
The evil that men do lives after them. The good is oft interred with their bones.
Well here’s my response to that:
The Problem Of “Basta Aquino, Iboto Ko” Mentality
Yes, let the country move on from the ‘legacy’ of the Aquino’s and lets elect another Marcos or Arroyo or Estrada !!! Go one step forward and five steps backward, ITS THE FILIPINO WAY !!!
The Aquinos” did not make the Philippines move forward. They made our country move ten (10) steps backward. Protecting their Hacienda Luisita is their primary interest.
Had PNoy didn’t run, Erap would have got the second Presidency. So that’s his legacy – preventing another Erap’s mess.
Apart from that, all his achievements are pretty much non-stellar.
It is a choice between two evils…
The Filipinos were also given the choice of the Richard Gordon/Bayani Fernando option back in 2010. Both of whom were effective managers of their towns by the way.
Instead sympathies predominated the voting populace, and they elected the nonperformer BS Aquino III because his “saintly” mother died recently.
Maturity in choosing candidates to run this country is like that of electing elementary school officers. A bland dog and pony show to say the least.
tangina para kasing mawawala ang demokrasya kapag nawala ang mga dilaw na iyan. pfft! NO to Liberal Party!