Generation change in 2010

A week or so after Noynoy declared he is running for President under the banner of the Liberal Party I chanced upon Paul Aquino, the younger brother of Ninoy, in a business gathering. We live in the same subdivision and we often talk politics when we bump into each other.

So I asked about Noynoy. Paul smiled and remarked, “hindi daw kami kasali.” That took me by surprise. What did he mean by that? Paul explained that his generation of uncles and aunties were requested to stay in the sidelines for this election and just be supportive.

“This is our generation’s fight,” a Noynoy cousin was supposed to have explained. This is why the young people in the Liberal Party had to disown a reported attempt of Peping Cojuangco to forge a backroom deal with cousin Danding. Peping failed or refuses to realize that he belongs to the past and must now quietly retreat to the background and give the young ones room to do their thing.

To the credit of the “oldies” in the Aquino clan, I understand they are taking the admonition of their children pretty well. An aunt and an uncle have given up political ambitions and cut off political ties with other parties in support of Noynoy’s bid. They too realized the wisdom in the request of the next generation…

I was looking at two charts Pao Pangan shared with me that were the subject of this column last Friday. The first chart was about the on-line “friends” of the presidential candidates. The other was about Twitter tweets. It was clear from the charts that Erap was the odd man in the group… he was obviously still of the old generation that miserably failed to lead this nation to economic development.

Manny Villar, who belongs to my generation, was keeping up with the young ones — Noynoy and Chiz — but is obviously on his last trip. Manny and I belong to the same batch in UP Diliman and we will both be claiming our senior citizen cards next year. If Manny makes it next year, our generation will have a chance to lead this country for the first and the last time.

But all the excitement seems to cluster around Noynoy and Chiz. And some of the older folks are clearly confused and unable to see the reason why. I was seated next to Jullie Yap Daza last Wednesday evening in a dinner function at the old Legarda house near Malacañang. When the talk veered towards politics, Jullie made the comment I hear all the time from people of her generation: “but Noynoy is not ready to be President!”

Jullie’s generation has this ingrained notion of what looks presidential… a brilliant lawyer or economist who is politically savvy with some Machiavellian streak like Marcos. That someone must have paid his/her political dues and gone up the ladder the way Quirino, Garcia, Macapagal, Ramos, Erap and Arroyo have.

But two past presidents did not meet the traditional mold: Magsaysay and Cory Aquino. They came on the scene at a time when people were more disillusioned with politicians than usual. Filipinos elected them because the people felt they were the only ones worthy of their trust. It didn’t matter that the former mechanic and the housewife didn’t seem “prepared” to be president. They are also the most beloved of our Presidents thus far.

That is apparently the Noynoy phenomenon today. Our people, the youth in particular, have been disillusioned by Presidents who came to office with great credentials, a PhD in Economics no less for Ate Glue, but delivered little. After suffering a President they absolutely hate (sub zero popularity rating), people are apparently looking for someone they can trust. And the only track record they consider important is one with no taint or even hint of corruption. The number of bills he has sponsored in Congress or his ability to spellbind a crowd are of no meaning.

Conrad de Quiros summed it up well: “Above all you need someone you can trust. Someone who can unite the nation, rally rich and poor alike behind a vision, unleash the people’s energy toward a common goal, specifically survival.”

Conrad is right. A leader can’t ask people to make the greatest sacrifices to battle want and hunger unless they see that leader lead by example. I think even the humblest clerks in government agencies who have an opportunity to extort bribes and commissions do so simply because they are just following their leaders. And people are sick of it.

The signs of this strong longing for a new kind of leader are all around us. This Noynoy thing is viral… affecting all demographic groups but particularly the young. There is this unexplainable yearning for change that they see him to represent. Nonong Cruz was telling me last week that there is this restaurant he and Mar frequents and when they had Noynoy with them, it took them almost an hour to get seated as people stood up from their tables to get close to Noynoy, exchange a few words or even just touch him.

I guess it isn’t Noynoy the person but their hopes personified in Noynoy that people are emotional about. People know about the country and its problems in their own shattered dreams. But they have been energized by this glimmer of hope that they and their country can be better than its present sorry state. They are ready to take the risk on Noynoy simply because he has kept his record spotlessly clean… proving himself very much Tita Cory’s son and for now, that’s good enough.

And it is a big burden for Noynoy because he must prove himself equal to the hopes and dreams people attach to him. He cannot disappoint. People are rallying to him simply because they are hoping that like his mother he will bring us together to repair the damage from years of misrule and build anew.

Today, it seems that Noynoy is it. But if he is not careful, he can easily lose it and Chiz, who I was told is Noynoy’s best friend in the Senate, could be the next big cheese. Chiz like Noynoy, from the view of older generations, is also not ready to be President… or at least not as ready as Manny Villar or Dick Gordon. Can sheer youthful enthusiasm deliver the next president?

The youth are expected to make a big difference next year not only in terms of voting their generation’s candidate to Malacañang but more importantly in guarding their votes. The strong response to Boto Mo I-Patrol Mo Ako ang Simula reflects the proactive stance taken by our younger generations. Our young people will use all the resources they know best in the digital world to make sure that the usual political scoundrels will not have a chance this time.

And don’t think this is just an urban upper class phenomenon. With access to the Internet as cheap as P5 an hour in Internet cafes in the provinces as well as in Mega Manila’s working class neighborhoods, our young people in the lower socio economic classes are as connected with this emotional movement to ensure the victory of change over business as usual… of good over evil.

It is time, anyway, to pass on the baton to the younger generations. Generation change happening next year was an idea I first heard from Alan Ortiz over a year ago. It was a reason why Alan was upbeat about the future of our country in that European Chamber forum we attended. I must confess I didn’t see it then and was even skeptical of Alan’s thesis. But it is about to happen and not a moment too soon for our poor country.

New disease

Buried in Dik Pascual’s column the other Sunday is a good current joke from another colleague NonnieP that’s now being texted around.

Some Ondoy evacuees given temporary haven in Malacañang reportedly went home fearing contamination with Kleptospirosis, a disease manifested in the compulsive pocketing of things of megavalue, such as bribes, commissions and public funds.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. This and some past columns can also be viewed at www.boochanco.com