Historic feat

Finally the peoples’ choice for President and Vice President (VP) has been officially validated with the Congress’ proclamation of Benigno S. Aquino III and Jejomar C. Binay as the respective winners. So all uncertainties and doubts on whether there will be a smooth turn-over of power by June 30, 2010 are now erased.

The proclamation of Noynoy Aquino and Jojo Binay also validates and confirms the accuracy and credibility of the results of various pre-election poll surveys especially those conducted by two of the country’s leading pollsters, the SWS and Pulse Asia. Somehow the results of the last election show that poll surveys are reliable enough in determining the peoples’ preferences thus virtually disproving claims that they are just being used as political tools by some candidates to boost their campaign or to establish a bandwagon effect. Poll surveys will therefore be more useful in future elections.

Once more, the last presidential election proves that voters do not choose candidates along party lines. VP-elect Binay is not the running mate of President-elect Aquino in the LP ticket although some groups in the Binay camp openly worked for the “NoyBi” ticket that eventually won. This is another clear indication that our politics is centered more on personalities than on parties and their platforms. Obviously such a set up is disadvantageous to the smooth sailing of the ship of state which requires a lot of team work.

There is however something good and somewhat exciting aspect in the “NoyBi” combination that augurs well for the country. They come from almost opposite roots. Noynoy undoubtedly belongs to one of the few rich and landed families in our country that has one way or another been part of the ruling class. Jojo, on the other hand undeniably came from the authentic “mahirap”, a social class usually outside the circle of power. A maharlika and a once upon a time maralita as our President and Vice President is certainly something to look forward to with high hopes. By blending and using their own personal experiences in life in the performance of their duties, they may really be able to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.

With his latest feat of winning the second highest post in the land Jojo Binay has really come a long way from his struggling years as a young lawyer. There was even a time when he was chided by the Court for appearing in what the judge thought was improper attire because it does not really look like the required barong lawyers should wear when attending court hearings. But he just plodded on and offered his services as a lawyer especially to the poor and oppressed during the Marcos years. At that time he was one of the more active human rights lawyers who dared to stand up against the iron fisted martial law regime up to the extent of being arrested and spending time behind bars. Somehow, his gritty and dedicated crusade caught the attention of Cory Aquino who called him to government service after the successful non-violent people power revolution of 1986.

Jojo Binay’s victory as Vice President can really be considered historic for it has established many “firsts”. If my memory serves me right, he is the first Mayor or head of a local government unit who made it in his first stab at the national position of Vice President even if the initial survey showed that only 3% of the voters preferred him as VP. This is actually a big leap considering that other local government leaders like him became Congressmen or Senators first before going higher.

The secret of his success apparently lies in his campaign strategy and an elaborate campaign network covering the entire country quietly set up over the years. He enlisted the help of the local government unit leaders who became his friends, former school mates, fraternity brods and even the Boy Scouts movement of which he is the national president. He adopted his method of campaigning in Makati City as model of his style of campaigning on a nationwide scale. In Makati City, he has direct personal contacts with his constituents and kept in constant touch with them even during non-election period. Apparently, he did the same in his campaign for the vice presidency by going around the country and establishing direct contacts with the people long before the start of the campaign.

Jojo Binay has also shown that even Filipinos who do not belong to the moneyed class can rise to power and succeed on a nationwide scale in our kind of dirty politics where money, machinery and the three “G’s” are still the main factors. Of course before playing the game, he also took considerable time and exerted lots of efforts preparing and equipping himself with the same wherewithal possessed and used by the moneyed class in maintaining their control of national politics. How he was able to equip himself with the means to play the same game without being embroiled in any anomaly is another feat in itself. But that is another story. At this time the more significant fact is that 14.6 million Filipinos trusted him and chose him to be our No. 2 leader.

Hence, before furthering his own political ambitions, Jojo Binay should first entirely focus on the welfare of people nationwide who placed their trust in him just as he has attended to the welfare of the people of Makati. He should not follow the footsteps of one who was also elected Vice President but who became too drank with power and wealth that eventually led to his downfall and disgrace. 

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