The time to say goodbye to Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino is finally here. It is hard to believe it has been six years. To some, it has been the most unbearable six years. The number of people who couldn’t wait for his term to end grew significantly throughout his term. In the beginning, there were only a handful of people who agreed with the view that “Daang Matuwid” is just a scam sustained by the Liberal Party to stay in power. Nowadays, the slogan has become synonymous to cheating and a group of people even changed it to “Dayaang Matuwid” after the recent Presidential Elections when alleged tampering of votes by a Smartmatic technician occurred. The said tampering was dismissed as “cosmetic” in nature by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) headed by people allied with the Liberal Party. Despite outrage from the public, the government agency has yet to open its system for investigation.
Noynoy Aquino has so far been lucky getting away with breaking the law.
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BS Aquino managed to divide the country between those who want to uphold the rule of law and those who turn a blind eye to illegal activities as a means to an end. This was evident in a lot of cases, starting with the illegal detention of former President Gloria Arroyo, followed by the alleged bribing of Congress in order to secure the removal of the late former Chief Justice Renato Corona from office. There were many more cases when the BS Aquino administration violated the law, but the icing on his cake was the claim that outgoing senator and Vice Presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos became the victim of electoral fraud by what some say is a criminal syndicate in cahoots with the government just over a month before the President stepped down. BS Aquino did once say that he will do anything to prevent a Marcos return to Malacanang.
With the help of mainstream media allied with BS Aquino, the President and his minions managed to rile up the public by demonising his perceived enemies. This resulted in some sectors of society giving him the thumbs up whenever he denied the accused the right to presumption of innocence. There may have been some people who eventually realized that BS Aquinos just played them for fools, but unfortunately, the reputations of his victims had been damaged permanently in the eyes of others especially those who are gullible and easily swayed by negative propaganda. They are mostly Liberal Party supporters and those who are still beholden to the Aquino name.
While his supporters credit the BS Aquino government for introducing some reforms that they say will benefit the economy like the Sin Tax law, the amended Cabotage Law, and the Philippine Competition Act among others, their benefits remain to be seen. Besides, they are only as good as how seriously and consistently they are implemented. As they say, some laws in the Philippines are seen to be mere guidelines, but hardly ever implemented to the fullest. This was also evident when a money laundering scam involving the illicit transfer of $81 million from the Bangladesh Central Bank to a local bank, the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), by hackers exposed weaknesses in Philippine banking institutions. Aside from the RCBC, the scam also involved a local remittance agency, PhilRem Service Corporation, casino operator Solaire Resort and Casino, Midas Hotel and Resort, and some casino junket operators. It was apparent that the the Anti-money laundering Council were not on top of money laundering scams in the Philippines. That is enough proof that the country has become a haven for international criminal syndicates during the BS Aquino regime.
As mentioned before, BS Aquino and his supporters cannot take sole credit for the gains in the country’s economy since reforms started with former President Gloria Arroyo. She introduced the value-added tax (VAT) reform and expenditure compressions. She also saved the country from the effects of the 2008 global financial crisis by using Keynesian principles — government spending on infrastructure projects to stimulate the economy. This was a policy the BS Aquino government copied using the unconstitutional Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) initiated in 2011.
After putting Arroyo’s projects on hold out of spite in 2010 as soon as he came to office, the Philippine economy grew only at an average rate of 3.9 percent – below the six percent forecast due to government under-spending and an unfavourable world economic environment. This compelled Budget Secretary Butch Abad to come up with a scheme. He pulled all the “savings” from those cancelled projects and used it as pork barrel to “accelerate” spending to stimulate the economy. Some of the funds were said to have been used to bribe Congress particularly the senators who voted to oust former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.
The DAP may have helped BS Aquino look like an economic “genius”, but it was not sustainable. Since the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional, the next government will not be able to maintain the unprecedented accelerated “spending” unless President Rodrigo Duterte comes up with another scheme to copy Abad’s DAP. If he doesn’t and economic growth is not sustained or goes down, the public will think the Duterte government is not handling the economy well. In other words, BS Aquino’s illegal use of funds to stimulate the economy through DAP, is not good for the incoming administration. Duterte will not have access to a similar amount of funds to spend for infrastructure projects. He will have to find more innovative ways to sustain economic growth. It’s too bad not a lot of people can comprehend this elaborate scheme. Some just know through propaganda that economic growth was due to BS Aquino’s “hard work”.
But despite the economic growth that BS Aquino keeps harping about, the public still rejected the continuation of Daang Matuwid. The people instinctively know that economic growth only benefits the few – those who can afford to spend disposable income in a consumer-driven economy. They include people who get remittances from abroad and the middle class who get approval for bank loans. The rest of the population do not feel the change. Besides, exposure to too much credit puts the economy at risk of people defaulting on the loans when fortune change. There’s a good chance BS Aquino and his supporters ignore that risk because they are still high-fiving themselves over the so-called accolades they received from foreign economists touting “the fastest growing economy in Asia”.
All the other achievements like additional classrooms and expansion of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program are nothing to boast about. They are simply part of his responsibility as an administrator. They are not something that can be regarded as original ideas to begin with. The previous government already had a CCT program. It’s basically a dole out program that the government continued for lack of better ideas to address poverty. It remains to be seen if the beneficiaries actually benefit from the program, ideally learn to become self-sufficient rather than simply get used to relying on the government to survive. In a recent study by ADB, it turns out that 30 percent of recipients don’t even belong to the poor:
The ADB study said nearly P19 billion of the conditional cash transfer program’s P62 billion budget did not go to the poor.
It also said the CCT program needs to improve the selection of its beneficiaries.
“The inclusive growth study notes, however, that improvements are needed in the program’s targeting system to reduce an estimated leakage rate of 30 percent,” the report said.
One thing is for sure, BS Aquino’s programs will not have long-term positive effects because they do not involve a change in attitude. BS Aquino did not inspire people to become better citizens. This is evident in the little things, like the way majority of Filipinos still disobey rules on the road and throw garbage around indiscriminately. Ignoring rules is also evident in big things like the way the COMELEC ignored their own “final and non-extendible deadline” rule to accommodate the Liberal Party’s late filing of its Statement of Contributions and Expenditure (SOCE).
If there is any legacy BS Aquino is leaving behind, it is ignoring rules. No amount of economic growth can offset the negative effects of ignoring rules, unfortunately. Filipinos should get rid of this habit of ignoring the rules by saying goodbye to BS Aquino.
In life, things are not always what they seem.
Thank God! Good riddance! I hope you’re the last of your tribe. Here’s hoping the incoming administration will fare better and will plant the seeds for a change in Filipino attitude. Let’s bring discipline back.
Aquino needs a “kick on the rear”, as he exits from Malacanang Palace. He left, Leni Rob redo, who cheated , to become Vice President. Hoping Leni Rob redo will help him, save his Hacienda Luisita, and become the next President.
We need a thorough investigation of the 2016 election cheating. Whatever illegal activities, Aquino, Abad, etc…did in their term. They have to answer , for them. The Mamapasano massacre must be investigated. And, if they are accountable for the death of the 44 SAF Police…they have to answer for them.
The DAP, PDAF, Conditional Cash Transfer scam, must also be investigated.
The “Lag lag Bala” extortion scam, must be investigated. Who was the head of this scam ? Who profited from it ? Were Aquino, Honorado and Abaya involved, in the extortion scam?
Who allowed the Bilibid Prison, to become a Shabu Mfg. Company ? Is De Lima and her driver lover, involved ?
Who protected those Chekwa Drug Lords ? Were Aquino and the Cojuangcos, involved ?
Hacienda Luisita must be distributed to the tenants/serfs of Aquino. This is the main cause of why , Aquino cheated in the 2016 election ; and wanted to have an influence on the incoming administration.
All illegal activities, done by Aquino and his cahoots, must be investigated. Those who committed these illegal activities must be prosecuted and jailed…we must not tolerate criminals !
WHY THE AQUINO’S CAN’T LET GO OF HACIENDA LUISITA??? ARE HIDING SOMETHING THERE??? THE GOLDS AND SILVER COINS OF A LUNA??? THEY KNOW IT’S NOT THEIRS THE LAND BELONGS TO THE FARMERS SINCE PRE-SPANISH TIME. THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT WHO’S THE DECENDANTS OF A LUNA.
Finally the much-awaited exit of The Bald One is just a few days away but as the saying goes, the door of Malacanang for the Yellows is not totally closed now that Leni “Robber” redo “won” the vice presidential race. Plan B is about to begin once that idiot Panot Aquino leaves the Palace. Let us be vigilant for the schemes concocted by these Judases who display the Laban sign might materialize once we are complacent.
In life, things are not always what they seem. You are correct Ilda, your commentary is not what it seems to be.
>> A lot of Filipinos lost their moral compass.
Wait, what? Did they have one in the first place?
The BIR has gone from being a rapacious, corrupt cesspool of thieves to being, erm, a slightly less rapacious, corrupt cesspool of thieves under the BS administration. In other words, Filipinos have spent most of modern history stealing anything that’s not nailed down, given the chance.
To be fair, they probably wouldn’t do this if there were some sensible rules to follow. Since the law and the constitution were apparently written by teenagers on shabu, it’s not really surprising the general populace ignores the lot.
We are saying good bye (or good riddance) to Pnoy, and I hope its for good. However, the damage done by him, (and for that matter, his late mother) will be felt by us for many years to come. The sad thing is, many Filipinos still believe that PNoy was a good, even the best president we ever had, and that the Aquinos were God’s gift to the country. Heavensent, was how Cory Aquino was described by one misguided churchman. I really hope that one day our countrymen will wake up and see the Aquinos for what they really are. And soon.
Well the oxymoron “goodbye” is a mystery to many. How can “good” and “bye” be in the same word?
But in this case, it’s even better than “good” to finally say “bye” to Noynoy and the host of morons he apathetically kept installed in high places in government.
Let’s just use the superlative… “BestBye!”
Finally! At last! Wheewh! What a relief! Sa wakas! Hay Salamat! Naawa din ang kapalaran sa taong bayan!
NEVER AGAIN to Corrupt and Incompetent Morons in Government.
Siguro naman after THAT horrendous “6-year term”, NADALA na kayo no?
Denouement: “Not so fast” says Leni d’Robber ReDo “I can ReDo what Cory and Noynoy have done to this Yellow FUBR country… only much better.” Abangan…
indeed the problem with Liberal Party is the disobedience to the rule of law.
The clearest way to show what the rule of law means to us in everyday life is to recall what has happened when there is no rule of law.
Problem is for the YELLOW/OLIGARCH’s “THERE Is NO RULE OF LAW” since they themselves think “they are above the law.
Unless these kind of people who are not true Filipino’s since most of them are of Chinese decent, they don’t give a damn about the country or it’s people’s welfare aslong as they get rich and mind control them by monopolozing everything and keeping the Filipino’s average/poor so they can easily be bribed by paying an ample amount of money to support them like the useless EDSA Revolution again and again.
I’m pretty sure they have plans in the forseeable future to bring down Pres.Duterte in whatever ways possible. Especially since they control the media like how they keep stating DrugLords putting a bounty(Don’t be a fool to believe this since DrugLords(criminals) can never be trusted and they would kill you instead). These are all HOAX laid by paid media/journalists under the yellows/oligarch’s so they won’t be blamed.
CHR is another yellow/oligarch controlled agency that is useless and only opposes those people like Pres.Duterte who won’t follow the yellows/oligarch’s way of thinking and is a danger to their money mongering/raping the country hence CHR keeps on attacking and even using Black Propaganda to other foreign entities who doesn’t even have a clue of what is happening inside the country to suddenly budge in and criticize Pres.Duterte’s plans(UN, Pope Francis).
LP members who joined Pres.Duterte’s party in congress, DENR Oligarch Family Member Gina Lopez, the secretary who is against Pres.Duterte to finally bury late Pres.F.Marcos and alot of yellow/oligarch puppet demon’s wearing sheeps clothes are looming to topple him down.
DoJ/Supreme Court also full of corrupts/yellow paid supporters that are keeping silent about the Comelec’s “Breaking of the Rule of Law” which they should have the power to prosecute them but are doing nothing and the junking of cases against the yellows(like NAIA) etc. just makes our country’s Justice System’s Credibility a “JOKE”.
on death penalty, it’s not the congress who will decide. duterte should pass it on to the people thumbs down or up on the street. those who opposed it are the criminals. the pilipino citizens is duterte’s army now, his bosses. they (LP’s) impeach duterte, they impeached themselves.
Good riddance to our most incompetent president we ever had.
Back in 2010, I never paid attention or heard of Pnoy until the campaign period. When he won the presidency, I had doubts since I never fell for the Yellows(you can blame me since I was born after EDSA 1) but I still gave him a benefit of a doubt.
The moment he bungled the Manila Hostage crisis, I called it that we are in deep trouble.
He had 6 years to do anything meaningful but nothing or anything he made are concrete.
He may boast about the economy – GMA started it;
He may have stopped “corruption” – but he was selective and a hypocrite at worst.
He often boast so arrogantly that even his speeches are full of holes or no depth.
In the end, this is one era that is easily described as forgettable or a case study on what not to do being the most Powerful man in the country.
Who knows maybe 10, 20 or even 30 years later, when the next generation of Filipinos would ask about the 2nd Aquino era, we, the millennial generation, would be as divisive as the Cory Era now.
Good bye Mr. Executive chief
But this is not the end, as our calvary ends your’s is just beggining. For this God forsaken country that you and your cahoots have divided and destroyed. We will not rest until justice is served, and this nation will become one again. I hope and pray that the yellow symbol will be forever erased and will be left to the symbol minded.
6 years of mediocrity has finally been ended by a non-yellow president. The yellows are not gonna be relevant for a long long time.
Aquino barely survived his term but he’s NOT gonna be safe from the cases that will be filed against him.
The kicker is that these yellow trolls can’t threaten anybody anymore.