— Aug. 25, 1973 letter from Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., while in military detention, to his 13-year-old son, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III
ON June 30th, for the first time ever, the Filipino people heard their president deliver his inaugural address in their own language. Not even Erap, the “champion of the masses,” spoke entirely in Filipino when he was inaugurated in 1998, the centennial of the Philippine declaration of independence. President Noynoy’s speech, to be sure, should have been polished further and its clunky translation of some English phrases removed or refined. But it did what it was supposed to do: the people heard directly from their 15th president who spoke like one of them, and they agreed with what he told them.
On June 12, 1898, Aguinaldo read the proclamation of Philippine independence in Spanish. The national congress that convened in Malolos, a town north of Manila, conducted its business in Spanish. When the U.S. invaded Las Islas Filipinas and “pacified” its patriots, a national assembly, later known as the Philippine Legislature, was convened. Elected by the people, its members demanded “immediate, complete and absolute independence”…in Spanish. Even the local court rulings were in Spanish. On July 4, 1946, as provided by the 1934 Tydings-McDuffie law enacted by the U.S. Congress and accepted by the Philippine Legislature, the P.I. finally became an independent nation with a bicameral Congress that held sessions…in English. In 1987, then-Senator Erap delivered a speech in Filipino and was ridiculed by some of his colleagues. Since then, however, Philippine lawmakers have been speaking in the national language during sessions and committee hearings.Noynoy’s inaugural address should set a similar precedent.
The most applauded portion of his speech was his pledge not to exempt himself from traffic rules. “Walang wangwang,” he said, referring to the “wangwang” sound made by the sirens used byelected officials and their escorts to run red lights or use the, say, northbound lane even though their SUVs are headed south. (“Counterflow” is how they call it back home.) The law allows top officials to “wangwang” their way to wherever they are headed, but now the chief executive is saying that public officials should set a good example in following the rules. Last week, Noynoy arrived over 30 minutes late for an official event after he was caught in one of Metro Manila’s notorious traffic snarls. He apologized and said he would travel early — like ordinary motorists — to avoid being late again.
Some, however, believe that it is “unrealistic” and “impractical” to deprive the president of his “wangwang” privilege. I think the real problem is the mindset that considers an official’s willingness to follow the rules “strange.” Back home, you can never see the president falling in line with the rest of the other customers at McDonald’s. (Obama.) And no one will dare issue a citation to a presidential daughter for underage drinking. (Jenna Bush, then 19.)
As a post-war Senate president once said to explain the shameless corruption and abuse of privilege in the Philippine government, “Para que estamos en poder?” What are we in power for?
Noynoy, however, believes that public servants must serve the public. “I am like you. [But] you are the boss,” he told the people in his inaugural address. “You are the ones who brought me here…. I will not be able to face my parents and you…if do not fulfill the promises I made.” He said “the first step is to have leaders who are ethical, honest and true public servants. I will set the example. I will strive to be a good model. I will never break the trust you have placed in me.”
Powerful, beautiful, simple words spoken to a people long used to rhetorical flourishes from their leaders who are about to rob them blind.
Noynoy means business. But he should also point out, repeatedly, that the people, too, must do their part. That they, too, must change and should no longer condone or even excuse incompetence, mediocrity and thievery in their society. Otherwise, all we’ll have in the next six years is a decent president we do not deserve.
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