Death wish

The week ended on a sad note, as former president Benigno Aquino III failed to outlive so many monsters.

The news of Noynoy a.k.a. PNoy’s death sent shockwaves across the political and social stratosphere, and tributes came fast and effusive. There were none (as yet) of the normally jaded barbs that were common throughout his and subsequent administrations, and for the meantime, there was that almost-unfamiliar feeling of respect for a leader sweeping through the nation. The positive accomplishments were stressed, his character was praised, and anecdotal tidbits of brief encounters were relished.

I wanted to go through my many columns during his six years of power to refresh my memories, but got stuck in musing on what I could see unfolding before my social media feed.

There was an obvious historical reference as to how the death of an Aquino would lead to a monumental change in the political landscape, starting with the death of his father, Ninoy, which led to his mother’s ascent unto power. Then when Cory, Noynoy’s mother, died, it catapulted him on to the presidency, snatching it from other strong contenders. What harbinger then does Noynoy’s own death mean? The buzzing has begun.

Fertile ground for speculation! Are the lords in power quaking in their Bentleys and Ferraris? What are they thinking might happen to them as a result of this death? What would they do to counter this groundswell before it turns into a tsunami against them? Are the troll farms being activated?

There is no longer any obvious enemy to turn against. The DDS army, defenders of President Rodrigo Duterte, no longer has a live target to shoot their ammunition against. Their favorite insult to brand against perceived enemies was “dilawan”, or a yellow-hued member of President NoyNoy Aquino’s camp. But now a surge of Filipinos has claimed yellow ribbons and yellow umbrellas as their new badge of solidarity. Will that insult still sting as much? Or at all?

Given the sudden popularity and affection surging from PNoy’s death, it may not be the right time to sling mud against the yellows, or position themselves against his administration. Who to demonize then? During this fifth year of Duterte’s presidency, the DDS camp may no longer have the luxury and convenience of blaming all the ills of society on the previous administration. And this sudden outpouring of “feel good” nostalgia will very well drown out any such attempt. So what would be their next strategy? Point to one of their own as a failure, and throw him under the bus?

(At this point, I rub my hands in glee at the potential prospect of that failure of a Health secretary being summarily dismissed - for quite legitimate reasons).

Would they find a scapegoat in one of the many “czars” they have appointed for this and that, including contact-tracing and vaccines, hang him out to dry, and like the Romanovs, wipe out his political future? (I wonder what attraction the label “czar” have for the appointing powers, when they can just bequeath quite sensible titles like “minister” or “secretary”).

The most obvious beneficiaries of all this instant goodwill and popularity, courtesy of NoyNoy’s legacy, would be his immediate family. The former senator, his nephew Bam Aquino. The sister-actress Kris. Of course, past members of his administration and his cabinet, including his teammate for vice president, Mar Roxas. How would they capitalize (if we were to think in such crude terms) on this new development?

Watch and wait. We will see more politicians taking on the cloaks of “humility”, “integrity”, “service” and other traits we knew President PNoy Aquino had, but didn’t quite stress enough. These are the buzzwords that have suddenly emerged from Noynoy’s grave.

But if that is all we get, then PNoy’s legacy might have very well been quite enough to serve his country.