Doing things differently to end decades old problem of armed conflict

The decision to meet with Murad is a bold and daring one and we throw our support behind it. It shows that the President has guts and is willing and capable of taking risks and placing the office and the powers that flow from such an office in the forefront for the cause of peace.

This development signals the willingness of this govt to do things differently and to take on a new and fresh approach to peace. Indeed for real change to take place we must be willing to do things differently. Clearly the old ways have failed and the old methods have produced results that are far from desirable. This bold and daring move by the President shows his willingness to do things differently, a willingness to try new approaches to end decades old problem of armed conflict plaguing our nation.

We urge the MILF to reciprocate and show its willingness to forge a peace agreement that will bring our nation towards the path of progress and prosperity for all.

It is time we silence the guns permanently and address the root causes of armed conflict. It is time for a just and honorable peace to triumph over war, death and destruction.

On PNoy mediating between Sec. Robredo and USEC Puno

Finally, the President has stepped in between DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo and DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno to iron out their differences. According to an interview with Sec. Robredo, he and USEC Puno met with the President on Sunday night. It was apparently a “very cordial and a very polite meeting.”

We welcome the swift action taken by the President to address the rift between the two. We hope this will be the last time the President will have to step in to mediate between warring personalities in the official family.

This should serve as a signal to all in the President’s team to focus on doing our work, setting aside our differences and uniting behind the President. We cannot hope to solve the serious problems of our country if we are unable to manage our differences by allowing it to get in the way of the work at hand.

My message to PNoy: Crack the whip; no more Mr. Nice Guy

There has been a lot of talk lately about factions within this administration. No matter how much we try to hide it, it is now time to face the issue--and face it squarely.

PNoy himself must crack the whip and tell all those surrounding him that given the serious problems facing the country, without unity there is no way his administration can succeed. I know he has it in him to do so, and now is the time to do it. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

My appeal to those who support PNoy is that we need to learn to work with one another even if we dislike each other. It's about time we acknowledge the existence of all these factions and recognize the need to end it. It will have to start from the top, and I know the President will deliver and act to ensure that all his men will finally march to the same drumbeat.

On PNoy's high trust rating

The high trust rating that PNoy got during the election is unprecedented, so it is no surprise that it carries over after the presidential polls. This political capital is very important in enforcing policies to alleviate poverty, generate jobs, lower prices, and curb corruption--even if the measures are unpopular. This high trust of the people was never enjoyed by past administrations, not even President Cory. But PNoy's men need to keep up and do their jobs well.

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Moving the country forward is a serious undertaking. It requires laser-like precision and focus. Our problems as a country are so serious that without unity we cannot succeed. Without unity we will fail to address corruption and poverty. Our country cries out for solutions, and for sacrifice to see these solutions through. We must all act towards achieving this regardless of the personal costs.

10 Reasons Why There is Genuine Hope for the Philippines

Note: Last week's inaugural ceremonies marked the beginning of renewed hope for the country as we ushered in a legitimate President with a fresh and clear mandate from the People. I couldn't help but feel misty-eyed then as, together with my wife and three daughters, I witnessed the exit of a corrupt regime and the entry of a leader who carries on his able shoulders the hopes and dreams of our people. With our support, it is my fervent hope that President Aquino will be able to carry out the reforms that he had committed during the campaign, so that, together, we can bring our country closer to Developed Nation status and to the abundance that our people and our children deserve.

In light of these hopeful times, I am reposting a blog entry that I wrote in March last year. It it my hope that in reading this you, too, will find reasons to once more hope, dream, and believe.

K

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10 Reasons why there is genuine hope for the Philippines

1) WE ARE LOCATED IN THE 'CENTER' OF EAST ASIA. We are strategically located at the heart of East Asia. North East Asia (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, HK) and South East Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos) combined makes East Asia. Every major city in East Asia is 4 hours or less away from the Philippines by air transport. If ours were a real estate venture in a commercial area, ours is a location to die for. We can be the shipping and air transport hub of East Asia. We can be the top tourist destination of the region. We can be the cultural center of the region for performing arts.

2) WE ARE NO. 1 in AQUAMARINE RESOURCES WORLDWIDE. We have the most diverse aquamarine ecosystem in the entire world that if managed properly will feed not only our hungry people but will be a source of huge revenue coming from a world in dire need of aquamarine resources such as fish, seaweed and other similar products. The Seafood basket and aquamarine resource center of the world. We can be the aquamarine resource powerhouse of the world.


3) WE HAVE A HUGE TOURISM INDUSTRY POTENTIAL. Our people are by nature extremely friendly and hospitable. We are only doing/achieving some 3M tourist arrivals annually while our neighbors are doing four or five time more with 12 to 15 Million tourist visits annually. It has been said that other countries in the ASEAN are doing so much more with so little in terms of natural wonders and beautiful sites while we are doing so little with so much. With the right infrastructure such as highways and airports and seaports in place we can be the number one tourist destination in Asean if not Asia.

4) WE ARE NOW NO. 2 IN THE BPO INDUSTRY WORLDWIDE AND CAN BECOME NO.1. We are, I am told currently second to India in the Business Process Outsourcing Industry. I am told as well that this industry expects 30 percent growth this year despite the worldwide recession as foreign companies look aggressively to lowering costs of doing business and therefore look to business outsourcing.

5) WE ARE AN EXTREMELY CREATIVE AND ARTISTIC PEOPLE. We have been called the songbirds of Asia. Our reputation as performers is legendary throughout the world (although we have never been boastful about it). We can be the center of performing arts in Asia wherein millions would visit the country annually to marvel at our cultural performances and our artistic productions.

6) WE HAVE THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW GENERATION OF PROGRESSIVE AND RESULTS ORIENTED PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERS. Since the restoration of democracy in 1986 and the passage of the Local Government code in 1991 (or some 20 years now), public officials have began to work with new resources (40 percent of national taxes are now plowed back to LGUs compared to less than 10 percent in 1986) made available by decentralization. Today a new generation of public sector leaders is emerging that is empowered, that is vision driven and results oriented. This explains why we have successful Local Government initiatives in Marikina, Makati, Naga City, Davao City, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Calbayog City and General Santos City among others. Hence from a generation of public sector leaders that by and large was corrupt, lacking in vision, lacking in creativity and innovation, we now have the emergence of a new generation of public sector leaders with integrity, with proactive leadership and with a commitment to reform and genuine change. New governance models and templates that are solving age old problems in the field are being forged, being tempered as we speak. A new brand of political leadership is emerging focused on solving age old problems in governance. The old, failed methods utilized by the trapos will soon be crushed and defeated.

7) INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT IS ENHANCING OUR SENSE OF NATIONHOOD. We are fast becoming one nation, rather than a 'country' of many languages and many islands, now being connected by information communication technology. The ethno-linguistic barriers that used to keep us divided are being shattered by the interconnectivity of information technology. Today an entire generation of Filipinos fully understand and can connect with the Filipino language because of 2 decades of television news in Filipino (all TV news used to be English until 1986). The 3 elements of nationhood are common language, common territory and common economy. We are now becoming a nation because information technology is breaking the barriers that have prevented us from becoming united as a people. It is also now reconnecting some 10 Million Filipinos overseas to the motherland. We are becoming one nation and one people.

8) WE HAVE A RE EMERGING MIDDLE CLASS MINDSET. After over three decades of the OFW boom, we now have a new generation of citizens steeped with modern ideas coming from the highly successful host nations like Japan, Honh Kong, Singapore and the United Sates. Europe too has become host to hundreds of thousands of OWFs. The OFWs who have experienced life in these highly developed nations can now compare and contrast these experiences with the experiences in the motherland. In highly developed nations there is to a greater extent, a greater sense of accountability and a greater sense of justice and fair play.Our OFWs bring all that back home and having been enlightened by the experience will demand greater of their leaders back home. People are beginning to say enough is enough and are actually doing something about it.

9) WE ARE A YOUNG NATION. Close to 30 million of our 45 million voters are 18 to 35 years old. Very young. If harnessed effectively, these young voters can usher in the political and electoral change that we need to happen for genuine political and economic reforms to take place.

10) WE ARE A PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO LAUGH, WHO LOVE OUR FAMILIES. We are a resilient people. We can draw unimaginable strength and fortitude in times of difficulty in order to move ahead. We know how to survive despite so much pain and suffering. We know how to cope. We are willing to sacrifice so much of ourselves in order to provide for our family, our loved ones. This strength will not only bring us out of the mess we are in but will ensure that we are able to reach greater heights in our collective desire as a people to have a better life for those we truly care for, for those who mean the world to us. Our resilience in the long run will not only make us survive but will also ensure that we will triumph in the end.


We have enough reason to hope. We have, as a people, enough reason to act on these hopes and when we do, the genuine change we all seek will finally see the light of day and yes, by all means, in our lifetime.


K

On Sen. Noynoy's Aquino's topping the polls

Sen. Noynoy AQUINO's survey ratings is proof that people yearn for change. Despite the billions spent by his adversaries, his topping the polls is proof that people want a leader who is honest and who can be trusted. People want change and they see the chances of a better life with an Aquino presidency.

We believe that, as the day of reckoning nears, Sen. Aquino's support will swell further and the public clamor for change will grow louder because his message of honesty in governance will resonate even stronger in the minds of voters angry at the abuses and the corruption that now dominate our politics and governance. The voters are eager to bring about the much needed change for a better future. His message, "kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap," is resonating deeply with the voters.

Our statement on the no-fly zone incidents

Kung totoong sinasadya ng Malacañang ang ganitong paraan, dapat nilang malaman na walang anumang panggigipit ang maaaring pumigil sa pagnanasa ng milyon-milyon nating mga mamamayan na tahakin ang Landas ng Pagbabago, na siya namang tinatahak ng kandidatura ni Noynoy Aquino.

Di natin papayagan na maunsyami ang martsa tungo sa malinis at tapat na pamamahala na patuloy na itataguyod hanggang sa Mayo 10. Nagkakamali sila kung inaakala nilang kaya nilang banggain ang puwersa ng pagbabago at reporma.

Ang payo natin sa kanila ay tumabi na lang sila nang maiwasan nila ang pinsalang naghihintay sa mga humaharang sa tagumpay ng mamamayang naninindigan at kumikilos para sa pagbabago.

On the SWS surveys

Ang mga numero ni Sen. Noynoy bilang presidentiable ay nananatili pa ring mataas at record breaking sa larangan ng pulitika mula pa noong 1986. Kahit pa sabihin ng iba na kesyo bumaba ito o humahabol na ang iba, di pa rin mapagkakaila na siya pa rin ang nangunguna at siya pa rin sa aming paniwala ang pipiliin ng ating mga mamamayan na ngayo'y pagod na sa bulok at mapangabusong mga lider pulitika at nagnanasa na na magtiwala sa malinis at tapat na pamumuno. Unprecedented pa rin ang mga numero ni Sen. Aquino sa surveys. Wala pa ring kandidato mula pa ng 1986 ang nakakakuha ng ganitong kalaking pagsuporta at tiwala mula sa taumbayan.

Record breaking pa rin ito dahil uhaw na at kating-kati na ang mamamayan na makamit ang pagbabago at maunlad na buhay. Dahil dito naniniwala tayo na hindi basta basta maaring matibag ang pagsuporta ng mga botante kay Sen. Aquino. Naniniwala din tayo kapag dumating pa ang TV at radio ads ni Sen. Aquino na maglalahad ng kanyang programa para matigil na ang pangaabuso sa gobyerno at sa paglutas ng laganap na kahirapan sa bansa ay lalo pang lalakas ang kanyang suporta mula sa mamamayan. Taumbayan ang nagtulak kay Sen. Aquino na tumakbo para sa pagkapresidente at taumbayan din na naghahangad ng tunay na reporma at pagbabago ang magtutulak sa kanya na maipanalo ang kanyang kandidatura sa Mayo.

Who are they to lecture us?

Senator Noynoy Aquino said that if he is elected he will not recognize an illegal appointment. We fully support his position. There is nothing presumptuous about this and he is certainly not ill-advised.

Senator Aquino believes that a President should never tolerate illegal or unconstitutional edicts. How we wish we could say the same for the present occupant in Malacañang.

All that Senator Aquino did was to say what a President ought to do should he be faced with an unconstitutional act. Obviously, Malacañang cannot understand this because for quite some time now it has miserably failed to perform its constitutional duty, which is to uphold and defend the Constitution and the rule of law.

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Now, however, GMA's allies are criticizing Senator Aquino's statements on the Chief Justice appointment, and they themselves are citing respect for the Constitution and the rule of law. Look who's talking. With the NBN-ZTE scandal, payola, and fertilizer scams hounding Malacañang (among many others), who are they to lecture us about respect for our courts, our Constitution, and the rule of law?

Villar and Gordon shouldn't claim to know more than the voters

The presidentiables attacking Noynoy are missing the point entirely. They are misreading the public pulse. They claim to know better than the voters who are now demanding integrity and honesty in government. Voters want an incorruptible President; track record is no longer enough.

They who hit Noynoy for his alleged lack of experience are making a mistake by claiming they know more than voters. Voters are no longer dumb or blind to the empty promises and the rhetoric of politics. Voters today are more intelligent and more discerning. After being repeatedly betrayed by the trapos, they now know what they want and that is inspiration and integrity rather than merely experience.

GMA had the experience. She was former DTI Undersecretary, Senator, Vice President... yet where are we headed today? People know that experience per se has not changed out nation for the better.

The issue in 2010 is not about experience. It is about TRUST. We believe that people want change to take place and want to be able to trust their President not to abuse and enrich himself in office. It is Noynoy who has the track record for honesty and integrity in government. Who among the presidentiables can be trusted to ensure honesty in government? Who among them can inspire our people to go out and be involved in 2010 and beyond for real change?

Now, more than ever, people want honesty and integrity in their President. Noynoy will give them that and, together with a people committed to change, usher in a new direction for our nation.

On the current political situation and our own 2010 plans

Quite a number of our supporters and friends have been asking me about the current political situation and how it affects our own plans for 2010. I thank you for your genuine interest in our preparations for the campaign and I owe it to you to provide some clarity and direction amidst the confusion brought about by the quick turn of events. After all this is what leadership is about: Providing clarity and direction amidst the dizzying confusion.

It has been 4 years since July 2005 when the ‘Hello Garci’ controversy led to the Liberal Party call for the resignation of President Arroyo. Since then I had been searching for an alternative political path for our nation.

From 2000 to the present, our nation has been plagued with grave political crisis after political crisis brought about by leadership that failed to provide real solutions to the country’s ills. To my mind, the old, inutile and bankrupt political order had to give way to a new, dynamic, people driven political alternative. The urgent task for those who wished to see genuine change happening was to help work towards providing a viable alternative to ‘trapo’ politics. The people together with reformist leaders needed to work towards providing genuine leadership that was inspiring and principled.

I told myself then that our bankrupt, mindless, trapo politics had brought us to the political mess we found ourselves in. What we needed to chart was a new direction for the nation provided by leadership with vision, with courage and with principles. It was this type of leadership that would inspire our people and lead us towards the ‘promised land’.

It was this burning desire for an alternative to ‘trapo’ politics or ‘politics as usual’ that led us to assert that we needed to do things very differently if we wanted real change to take place. That doing the same thing over and over again in our politics and our elections would yield the same ugly results and would not bring us the desired change. We needed to experiment, to be creative, to think out of the box, to take risks in order to lead and inspire our people to act.

It is my belief that only when leadership is inspiring can it mobilize a critical mass of our people towards an agenda for real change. Only when the people themselves take on the burden of reshaping our nation, only when they are mobilized, can we move the nation to greater heights. If we are to reshape our communities, if we are to reshape our nation, the people in the millions must be mobilized to actively pursue change.

It was this desire for an alternative and the firm belief that we needed to do things differently that led me to run as an independent candidate in 2007. It was this same belief for an alternative that likewise led me to pursue an independent Vice Presidential bid. We needed to be willing to stick our necks out and do things radically different.

It is with all these in mind that I made the controversial yet necessary decision to urge Senator Noynoy Aquino to seek the Presidency. The events that developed and unfolded right after the death of former President Aquino has reshaped the political landscape entirely. The death of the former President, a beloved leader, unleashed a torrent of emotions that pined and yearned for the days of heroic leadership and sacrifice as exemplified by the death of Ninoy Aquino and the simple, unassuming and selfless leadership of President Cory Aquino.

In less than a month, the impact of President Cory’s death and burial snowballed into a clamor for Senator Aquino to seek the presidency in 2010. The reluctant Noynoy did not ask for this. He was literally pushed into the limelight by the sudden turn of events. Yet the clamor for his candidacy continues to grow. It is, to my mind, snowballing. In fact, other prospective candidates have began to make way for his candidacy in recognition of this clamor. The urgent need to have a rallying figure in whom the people will be willing to sacrifice and give of themselves for the cause of change has been filled.

After my own prayer and reflection, I came to the conclusion that it is Noynoy, given the unfolding of recent events, who is in the best position to bring out the massive outpouring of support of a people so tired and exasperated with bad governance and failed leadership. He can, as an icon and symbol of the Aquino legacy of sacrifice and honesty in public service, inspire the broadest support from all walks of life in effecting real change for the nation.

Noynoy alone no matter how well intentioned will not be able to single handedly solve the nations ills. He must inspire the people to do their share in sacrificing and contributing to the cause of reforms and genuine change. Amongst all the prospective presidential candidates, I sincerely believe it is Noynoy, whose family has sacrificed so much for the cause of democracy and freedom, who can achieve this.

What we need to do to usher in genuine change and to effect sweeping reforms is to launch a people's 'electoral revolt' come 2010. It is only in a 'revolutionary atmosphere' can sweeping reforms be effected by a leader with a fresh mandate. I sincerely believe that Noynoy together with committed reformists leaders can and should lead this people's 'electoral revolt'. Only when we win differently by way of an 'electoral revolt' of the people can we hope to govern differently. It is not just about winning in the elections but the manner we secure the victory that will determine how we will govern and effect reforms. It must be a people's victory brought about by a people's electoral revolt.

In effect, after years of searching, I have found the leader who I believe will inspire a critical mass of our people to rise up and act and rally behind an alternative to ‘trapo’ politics come 2010.It is for this reason that I did not hesitate to immediately support his bid for the Presidency early on.

I have also said categorically that I am willing to give up my own independent VP bid in order to help unite and rally our people behind Noynoy’s candidacy. My independent VP bid was meant to pursue an alternative path to politics but now with the outpouring of support and sympathy for Noynoy and the legacy of his parents, I can see that it is in his candidacy that the alternative path to politics, that the people's 'electoral revolt' can best be pursued. At the proper time when I am called upon to do so, I will give way to the Vice presidential candidate who can help unite all reform forces behind Noynoy.

For all those who continue to support us and our bid for higher office, I can never thank you enough for your trust and confidence in our candidacy. But I will continue to need and seek your support and this time to include supporting the bid of Noynoy for the presidency. We will need all the help and support we can get for the 'electoral revolt' to succeed. The battle therefore is not over. It is just about to begin.

Above all else, we are firmly committed to genuine change and are resolutely committed to finding solutions to the problems of genuine public sector leadership for our nation. If someone else will be more effective in resolving the problems and achieving lasting solutions, I will not hesitate to have him or her step up and I step back to be a committed supporter in the background. Our country cries out for solutions and for sacrifice to see these solutions through. We must all act towards achieving this, regardless of the personal costs.