Noynoy Aquino the Petulant Candidate

Following is a letter I sent to Inquirer Publisher Isagani Yambot Feb. 18,2010


Sirs:

I wonder in the interest of balance and fairness, if my attached
letter can be published in full to set the record straight on what I
really happened at the PCCI forum Feb. 16.



Mr. Isagani Yambot
Publisher
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Allow to clarify your front page story of Feb. 17, regarding Senator
Benigno Aquino’s allegedly being annoyed with me because of my bias as
the moderator during the PCCI forum with the presidential candidates
February 16.
I deny I was biased. On the contrary, I introduced Noynoy Aquino, the
frontrunner presidential candidate, as one with “a very good pedigree,
the grandson of a national hero and a son of national heroes—former
President Corazon Aquino and slain opposition leader Ninoy Aquino, a
congressman for nine years and senator for three years.” “He will
tell us what he is going to do,” I said.
No candidate was favored and the order of speaking and their replying
to the two sets of questions were clear from the very start, except
perhaps to Noynoy who was one of the latecomers.
The other presidential candidates were: former President Joseph
Estrada, Senator Richard Gordon, former Defense Secretary Gilberto
Teodoro, Bro. Eddie Villanuev, and Senator Manny Villar Jr.
The forum consisted of four rounds—a five-minute presentation by each
of the candidates, two rounds of questions, and a two-minute summation
by each candidate. For the opening speeches, the order of speaking was
drawn by lot an hour before the show. Gibo Teodoro picked No. 1; so he
was the first to speak. Villar was No. 2, Aquino No.3, Estrada No. 4,
Gordon No. 5, and Villanueva No. 6.
I introduced Gibo is a bar topnotcher, has a Harvard masters in law,
and seven presidents were bar topnotchers; Villar as “someone who is a
self-made tycoon, former speaker, former Senate president and former
future president, probably”; Estrada as the most popularly elected
president ever with the biggest number of vote-margin over his rival;
Gordon as mayor, builder of Subic, action man, and senator; and
Villanueva, the last presentor, “is someone who wants to produce a
miracle”.
In the second round, for the first six questions, the candidates were
to reply in alphabetical order, from A to Z starting with Aquino
first, each time, and Villar the last.
The third round, for the second set of six questions, was in reverse
alphabetical order, with Villar the first to speak each time, and
Aquino, the last. Candidates were given a minute to reply to all 12
questions. The open forum lasted for more than 72 minutes.
For final round, the two-minute closing spiel, since, in the previous
round the speaking order was V to A, I went back to alphabetical
order, A to V. After the second round, a staffer of Noynoy Aquino
handed me a note which said, “the format is getting boring. Pls.
shuffle the respondents.”
That is exactly what I did for the final round.

Aquino was asked to
speak first and Villar the last. Noynoy complained but I told him “a
President should be prepared for surprises,” to which he replied
sarcastically, “especially with an unbiased moderator like you.”
In the PCCI script given me, it was clearly stated, “moderator to
determine the order of closing statements.”

 Noynoy had no reason to
complain about the alleged bias of the moderator, myself. I understand
from press reports, the senator showed clippings of my columns to show
my bias.
What I have been saying in my columns is that: one, Noynoy has had a
lackluster record as a congressman of nine years and senator for three
years; two, he has had very little management experience, except for a
brief period as a salesman of Nike shoes, shirts and shorts; three, he
has not even managed a household, because he has none; and four, yet,
this is a guy who wants to manage the Philippines—the 12th largest
nation on earth in population, with a government budget of P1.5
trillion and a work force of two million state workers, making it the
country’s largest corporation; $54 billion in foreign debts, and two
insurgencies—communism and Muslim separatism, both of them the
longest-running in the world.
Also, I have scored Noynoy about the 6,400-ha. Hacienda Luisita. This
huge estate was acquired with government loans (from the central bank
and GSIS) by the Cojuangco family of Corazon Aquino, using their
political connections, under the condition that it would be subdivided
later on and given to its tenant farmers. After half a century, the
estate still is owned and controlled by the Cojuangco family. Cory’s
share of the Hacienda, about 7 percent (or 448 hectares), has been
divided among her children, with Noynoy getting 1/7 or 62 hectares.
Noynoy keeps harping about corruption.
Please note that corruption is not simply the direct stealing of
money from government coffers, thru kickbacks and commissions and
overpriced sweetheart deals. It is also about abuse of power like
using connections for aggrandizement.
Abuse of power is a more pernicious form of corruption. Abuse of
power is like rape using a condom. It gives you a feeling of security
while you are being—you know the word. I am biased for the victim of
that rape— you.
Tony Lopez
Editor, BizNewsAsia
biznewsasia@gmail.com