PNOY: THE BENCHMARK WE DIDN’T APPRECIATE UNTIL WE LOST IT

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May kasabihan na “We don’t truly appreciate what you have until it’s gone.”

At parang iyon mismo ang nangyari sa pamumuno ni Noynoy Aquino.

Noong panahon niya, sobrang daming reklamo. Mabagal daw. Kulang sa tapang. Walang charisma. 

Pero ngayon, fifteen years later, history is asking a very uncomfortable question:

Kung ganoon pala siya kapangit bilang presidente, bakit parang mas maayos ang kalagayan natin noon?

Noong panahon ni PNoy, tinawag ang Pilipinas na “Rising Tiger of Asia.” Investors were coming. Credit ratings were improving. The economy was growing. Government debt was manageable. Institutions were gaining credibility.

Hindi perpekto ang bansa noon.

Pero may direksyon.

May compass.

At higit sa lahat, may malinaw na pagkakaiba ang politics at governance.

Noong tumaas ang presyo ng langis sa world market, hindi naghanap ng alibi. Hindi gumawa ng teleserye. Hindi nag-imbento ng kalabang multo.

Government focused on solutions.

Because competent governance understands a simple truth:

👉 Hindi mo kontrolado ang buong mundo, pero kontrolado mo kung paano mo poprotektahan ang sarili mong mamamayan.

At doon pumapasok ang pinakaimportanteng slogan ng kanyang administrasyon:

👉 “𝐊𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭, 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐩.”

Marami ang tumawa noon.

Pero habang lumilipas ang panahon, mas lumalalim ang kahulugan nito.

Because corruption is not just about stolen money.

Corruption is a hospital not built.

A classroom never opened.

A flood-control project that exists only on paper.

A farmer left without irrigation.

A patient forced to choose between life and bankruptcy.

Every peso stolen is a future stolen.

At marahil iyon ang pinakamalaking lesson na pilit ipinapaalala ng kasaysayan.

Ang tunay na laban sa kahirapan ay hindi lang ayuda - It is accountability.

Then came the years after.

Habang ang Vietnam ay naging manufacturing powerhouse at naging major beneficiary ng China Plus One Strategy, tayo naman ay parang nanood lang sa gilid habang dumadaan ang oportunidad.

A decade that could have built industries became a decade of endless political warfare.

A decade that could have strengthened institutions became a decade of weakened public trust.

A decade that should have focused on the future became a decade consumed by controversy.

At dito lalong lumilitaw ang nakakabinging contrast.

Isang third-hand na 2007 Porsche ang binili ni PNoy sa halagang ₱4.5 milyon gamit ang sarili niyang pera. 

Walang confidential funds. Walang intelligence funds. Walang flood control budget. Walang ghost project. Walang kickback allegation.

Nagbenta siya ng sariling BMW. Nag-loan siya gamit ang sariling pangalan. 

At nang umingay ang publiko, ibinenta pa niya ang sasakyan para matapos na ang kontrobersiya.

At tinawag natin ‘yon na “Porsche Presidency.”

Ngayon?

Allegations involving hundreds of millions in confidential funds.

Questions about unexplained wealth.

Ghost infrastructure projects.

Massive corruption controversies.

At minsan, parang ordinaryong balita na lang.

Parang nasanay na tayo.

Parang tumaas na ang tolerance natin sa dati’y ikinagagalit natin.

At ‘yon ang tunay na nakakatakot.

Because the biggest tragedy is not corruption itself.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞.

Kapag hindi na tayo nagugulat, hindi dahil malinis na ang sistema.

Kundi dahil nasanay na tayo sa dumi.

And that may be the strongest argument in favor of PNoy’s legacy.

Hindi dahil perpekto siya.

Hindi dahil wala siyang pagkakamali.

Kundi dahil habang lumalayo tayo sa kanyang panahon, mas malinaw nating nakikita kung ano ang itsura ng isang gobyernong gumagana.

𝐀 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

𝐀 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚.

𝐀 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲.

At marahil iyon ang pinakamasakit na verdict ng kasaysayan:

𝐏𝐍𝐨𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞.

At kung ang dating minimum requirement ng isang Pangulo ay tinatrato na nating extraordinary achievement ngayon, baka hindi si PNoy ang nagbago.

Baka nasanay lang tayo sa mas mababang uri ng pamamahala.

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