Fantastic Perry Diaz stonewalls Noynoy the incredible - Touche!
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Editorial
Irresponsible promises
Presidential candidate Senator Benigno Aquino III is way too fond of making promises. He vows he will not
steal. He says he will continue the legacy of his parents. He even says he will stop smoking once he gets to
Malacañang, even if it is a long way to go from his reported rate of one pack of cigarets a day.
And because the senator has a habit of waffling on some key issues, we have a difficult time taking him—
and his promises—seriously.
Aquino was, for example, one of the authors of the reproductive health bill in Congress. He had been
supportive of the bill until the mighty hierarchy of the Catholic Church threatened to withdraw its support
unless he reversed his stand. Aquino fell silent for a while, denied he was ever an author, but just recently
reverted to saying that Filipino couples needed to have options in planning their families, after all.
But land reform remains the most ticklish issue hounding the senator from Tarlac. The Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program was enacted during the term of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino.
Machinations enabled some families, the former President’s included, to evade the actual distribution of
land to tenant farmers by issuing stocks of the corporation to the farmers instead. The 10,000-acre
Hacienda Luisita thus remained controlled by the Cojuangcos-Aquinos, much to the dismay of the 10,000
farmers that have toiled over it for generations.
Initially, Aquino said he did not enjoy sufficient clout in the company that runs the sugar plantation, given his
negligible percentage of ownership, enough to influence his relatives into acting on the matter. Pressure
from various sectors prompted him to change his stand, this time saying that the land would be distributed
to the farmers—“it will be theirs clear and free,” he told the New York Times—by 2014, or once all debts are
paid.
But Aquino’s cousin, Fernando Cojuangco, chief operating officer of the plantation’s holding firm, says the
family is not going to do what the senator promised. “I think it would be irresponsible...continuing what we
have here is the way to go. Sugar farming is the kind of business that has to be done plantation style.”
We wonder how Aquino will explain his way out of this latest mess, which does not look like it can be
resolved over a family dinner. It is irresponsible for the senator to utter promises for the sake of placating
agitated groups without looking into whether these vows can be realistically met. Who cares about keeping
farmers’ hopes up? What sincerity? The wind can always blow in a different direction —right, Mr. Aquino?
Filipinos are no strangers to politicians mouthing anything just to get the vote. It makes a difference if that
politician happens to be seeking the highest post in the land and is running on a platform of supposed
virtue. Making promises one does not intend to keep in the first place is worse than simply breaking vows
you thought you could keep.
well ngayon alam ko na kung bakit noynoy aquino's numbers are on a freefall.
instead of the supposed "gurus" around him learning and adjusting as the campaign goes, they stonewall
him from reality. kaya pala ayaw na rin ni noynoy ng debate dahil hindi niya mabasa ng mabuti yung mga
politically-correct talking points sa kodigo niya.
but the world out there is neither flat nor constant, and sometimes flukes like the new york times come out of
the blue. well you talk about trust factor taken in february, but today as we speak in march, your pup here is
here is being accused of lying to his teeth. and you say it is a non-issue?
this editorial is a direct attack on his credibility and trust factor. is he or is he not running on the basis of
integrity and honesty?
let us not be smart alecky here, perry. new york times has also issued a statement they will not recant their
story. they even added that if the cojuangcos want to hear their tape recording of the interview, they will gladly
oblige.
so nonoy was and is still lying to the people.
you also say hacienda luisita is a non-issue? well what can be more insensitive than that. desperate stretch
na yata yan. what about agrarian reform then? what about the farmers' goodwill and welfare?
c'mon perry, don't dance around the ring.
you may not buy emil jurado's credibility but his newspaper does. he wrote this editorial, and to us who have
worked in real newspapers, that means a lot.
kno what perry? you never cease to amaze me with your fantastic armchair comments. overnight, you act as
if you are an authority on who is credible in manila and who is not. kung patigasan ng ulo ang paiiralin mo, it
seems you may not even need to go to the bank.
between your credibility and that of the manila standard editorial board sustaining the new york times report,
you know where i stand.
repent, perry and the truth shall set you free!
Manila Standard, March 16, 2010
Editorial
Irresponsible promises
Presidential candidate Senator Benigno Aquino III is way too fond of making promises. He vows he will not
steal. He says he will continue the legacy of his parents. He even says he will stop smoking once he gets to
Malacañang, even if it is a long way to go from his reported rate of one pack of cigarets a day.
And because the senator has a habit of waffling on some key issues, we have a difficult time taking him—
and his promises—seriously.
Aquino was, for example, one of the authors of the reproductive health bill in Congress. He had been
supportive of the bill until the mighty hierarchy of the Catholic Church threatened to withdraw its support
unless he reversed his stand.
Aquino fell silent for a while, denied he was ever an author, but just recently reverted to saying that Filipino
couples needed to have options in planning their families, after all.
But land reform remains the most ticklish issue hounding the senator from Tarlac.
The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program was enacted during the term of his mother, former President
Corazon Aquino. Machinations enabled some families, the former President’s included, to evade the actual
distribution of land to tenant farmers by issuing stocks of the corporation to the farmers instead. The 10,000-
acre Hacienda Luisita thus remained controlled by the Cojuangcos-Aquinos, much to the dismay of the
10,000 farmers that have toiled over it for generations.
Initially, Aquino said he did not enjoy sufficient clout in the company that runs the sugar plantation, given his
negligible percentage of ownership, enough to influence his relatives into acting on the matter. Pressure
from various sectors prompted him to change his stand, this time saying that the land would be distributed
to the farmers—“it will be theirs clear and free,” he told the New York Times—by 2014, or once all debts are
paid.
But Aquino’s cousin, Fernando Cojuangco, chief operating officer of the plantation’s holding firm, says the
family is not going to do what the senator promised. “I think it would be irresponsible...continuing what we
have here is the way to go. Sugar farming is the kind of business that has to be done plantation style.”
We wonder how Aquino will explain his way out of this latest mess, which does not look like it can be
resolved over a family dinner. It is irresponsible for the senator to utter promises for the sake of placating
agitated groups without looking into whether these vows can be realistically met. Who cares about keeping
farmers’ hopes up? What sincerity? The wind can always blow in a different direction —right, Mr. Aquino?
Filipinos are no strangers to politicians mouthing anything just to get the vote. It makes a difference if that
politician happens to be seeking the highest post in the land and is running on a platform of supposed
virtue. Making promises one does not intend to keep in the first place is worse than simply breaking vows
you thought you could keep.
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