PROFILE: Democracy icon's son electrifies Philippine voters

Cebu City, Philippines - Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III is no rock star, but the crowds turning out to see him campaign for president of the Philippines might make one think that he is.

"Oh, I'm so excited to finally see him in person," Malou Garillos gushed as she snapped photos during Aquino's visit to the municipal hall in Cebu City, 585 kilometers south of Manila.

The city employee also brought her teen daughter along see Aquino, the frontrunner in the presidential race.

"He looks very simple," the 40-year-old said. "I really hope he wins because he represents the change we all are aspiring for."

In the nearby city of Talisay, a young woman and her friends waited for more than seven hours in scorching heat just to catch a glimpse of Aquino and take a blurry picture of him on top of a truck.

"That's good enough," she said as they ran towards the truck.

Aquino smiled and waved at the crowd that spilled into the narrow road, halting traffic. People cheered, giggled, jumped and applauded.

The 50-year-old bachelor joked that his trademark yellow T-shirt, quite tight at the start of the day, was already loose because of all the people pulling at it.

"Everywhere we go, there are so many people. I'm happy to be swimming in a sea of people who love me," the scion of the country's most famous political family said. "We are already winners."

Latest polls show Aquino winning the May 10 elections with 39 per cent of the vote. His closest rivals, Senator Manny Villar and former president Joseph Estrada, are tied in second place with 20 per cent.

Aquino is running on an anti-corruption platform, his main slogan proclaiming, "Without corrupt people, there will be no poor people."

He has vowed to not raise taxes and instead increase state revenues by stamping out corruption in government and going after tax evaders and smugglers.

Before he decided to run for president, Aquino was just a legislator with no stellar record as a politician.

One could say that his only claim to fame is that he is the son of two Philippine heroes who played key roles in toppling the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos after a 20-year-rule.

His mother was democracy icon Corazon Aquino who was catapulted to the presidency by the "people power" revolt that ousted Marcos in 1986. His father was opposition senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, whose assassination in 1983 galvanized opposition against the former strongman.

But analysts said the Aquino legacy is a "very compelling story" that Filipinos can relate to in their continuing struggle for change in government.

"The father died as a martyr for democracy and the mother fought a dictator and won," said Jun Salipsip, president of the Institute for Strategic and International Studies. "It's an unfinished business so let the son finish the legacy the parents left behind."

Salipsip said efforts to put down Aquino for his lack of experience and alleged psychological problems have failed to discourage voters.

"The more (his rivals) say that this guy doesn't have experience, the more people say we are not looking for a manager, we are looking for somebody who can lead," he said. "And leadership is all about inspiration."

"He's a guy who we think can lift us because somehow his parents left a ennobling legacy and sacrificed for the people," he added.

While Aquino is almost sure to win the vote on May 10, the presidency "will not be an easy crown to wear," according to research firm GlobalSource Partners Inc's quarterly report on the Philippines.

"The new leader may not have a harmonious relationship with Congress initially," the report said. "Such a scenario would not bode well for fiscal reform."

The US-based think tank said Aquino must "navigate through transaction-driven Philippine politics to take control and neutralize, co-opt, or cooperate with the forces aligned with the current administration" to be able to push for reforms.

"Failing to do so skillfully, he and the country may end up in a stalemate, meaning lost years for getting the economy finally moving forward as it locks horns with Congress," GlobalSource said.

Salipsip agreed that with the high expectations, Aquino could face a "big problem" if he fails to deliver on his promises and provide a strong political leadership.

"When people have put a lot of faith and hope in his leadership and if nothing happens, he's going to be a big disappointment," he said.

"If he has the moral suasion, if he acts the first few days that he sits on the position when the population is still euphoric, he can probably swing (the support of) a lot of congressmen and the senators."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322039,profile-democracy-icons-son-electrifies-philippine-voters.html.