PNOY

Before the elections, I wrote two articles on PNOY. One was about "A Longing" for sincerity and truthfulness amidst a national government of dishonesty and fraud. The second one was about "Depth of Character" of a presidential aspirant with unquestioned integrity, unbelievable humility and simplicity, strong commitment to principled governance and public accountability, and trust in the power of the people. In the latest survey on people's confidence, PNOY got a trust rating of 80%, the highest in the history of socio-political surveys. If this figure would apply to the entire Filipino population, I will definitely be in this 80%.

What I have written here were some of the ways, simple as they are, that PNOY has manifested glimpses of depth of character and confirmed my longing will soon come true. I shall focus on the inauguration day of PNOY as our 15^th President. He left his house 45 minutes before his appointment, arrived in Malacanan early and patiently waited for the outgoing president. At the bottom of the Malacanan stairs, although the latter never looked at him in the eye while they shook hands for the press, he stood there courteously, glancing humbly at his predecessor every now and then. At the Quirino Grandstand, although the outgoing president never took his hand while they went up and down the platform, he politely offered his hand every time. One issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer posted on their front page a close-up photo of the shoes PNOY wore while was standing at the presidential platform. It was well-worn and again, simple.

And of course, what I can say of his inaugural address? I am sure many of us Filipinos have chosen one or two lines to remember from his speech, the most popular of which were "Kayo ang boss ko," and "There can be no genuine reconciliation without justice." For me, his address bared it all - mapping out his plans toward sincere, transparent and truthful governance, pooling together people's talents and competencies toward collective action, establishing major tenets of his administration's programs and policies for the poor farmers and working class. His entire speech radiated a passion for change and reflected his vow for public accountability.