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What do I think, should Noynoy run for president?
First let me qualify. Should Noynoy run for president because he will make a good president or should he run simply because he can win? The questions are separate. They do not necessarily follow after each other. The way I see it, Noynoy could win but he will not necessarily make a good and effective president. Though he follows after the lineage of Ninoy and Cory, his potential for winning stemming chiefly from the outpouring of sympathy for Cory displayed at her funeral, Noynoy is a candidate coming out of nowhere, at least, in the historical sense. Still, I might vote for him if worse came to worse and my only other option was a priest (of any religion), but would I endorse him? No.
If not him, would I endorse Kris? Again, no.
But I do believe the Aquinos especially Kris and Noynoy should be active in the coming presidential candidates, not as candidates for president but as campaigners for one candidate. They should sit as a clan and choose who would make the best president using those criteria their parents historically set. Once they have chosen, they should as a united clan do all they can to see that their candidate wins. They should devote whatever resources they can afford to achieve this end. This, I believe, would be the best way to preserve and enhance the reserve of good will and respect our people hold for their family.
This reserve of good will and respect for the Aquino family name is the true legacy of Ninoy and Cory. Noynoy and Kris should do everything they can to keep it alive for posterity. They should find it in their hearts to understand the value of doing this and be prepared to sacrifice their own ambitions in order to see to it that it will never be eroded. They should see in the most pragmatic sense the dirtiness of Philippine politics. Political survival here requires before anything else the ability to compromise even those principles that Ninoy died for and for which Cory dedicated her remaining life to pursue. They need only look to Butz and Tessie for proof of this.
If either Noynoy or Kris ran for president, we would see immediately the legacy of Ninoy and Cory placed at the betting table subject to the whims and caprice of political fate. People will ask immediately if either Noynoy or Kris are big enough to fill their parents' shoes. On the other hand, if they led the Aquinos in a concerted effort to put a good person into the presidency then the Aquino legacy will be ensured. It will not even be placed at risk even if their candidate eventually lost.
But if their candidate won they would have everything to gain. They would gain unprecedented moral influence not only on the president and our people but also on the future of our country. I refer to this as unprecedented influence because it actually is. Some countries of the world specifically England have monarchs who hold political influence thought they don't hold actual political offices. In the United States, former presidents like Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton still hold a measure of moral authority over their nation though they do not have official political functions. Still, their influence is considerable and they can keep the sitting president from abusing his or her powers.
In the case of Noynoy and Kris, they could continue the great work that Cory did while she was and even after she was president. I hope they would do even more. After all, there is tremendous work that still needs to be done here not just along the lines of issues Cory pursued. The great work is really keeping our people together above and beyond the realm of unpredictable traditional politics.
For now, there seems nothing above and beyond the realm of traditional politics. There used to be the Church but since they're running for president they sort off fell from that pulpit. Kris and Noynoy could put the Aquino name there but that would involve a bit of understanding and a lot of sacrifice. One can only wonder: Are the Aquinos up to it?
