Saint Pio: champion of the spirit - June 4, 2010

We live in an age of comfort and ease. Progress is measured in terms of quantum leaps in medical science that have prolonged human life. Hence, pain and suffering are definitely not considered pleasant topics of thought and conversation. In business, risk is managed and avoided so that stakeholders are assured of a healthy return on investment. Paradoxically, the hectic pace of business also spawns stress and illness. Worse than this, people often turn their backs to the kinder and gentler world that has become almost anachronistic in the face of cutthroat competition.

But what about those who have to live with the reality of pain and suffering that illness and other frailties of the human condition bring about? They have an iconic role model, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (Italy).

Almost eight years ago, on 16 June 2002, declared Blessed Pio of Pietrelcina a Saint of the Catholic Church, 34 years after his death. For fifty years, he bore the wounds of Christ on his hands. He suffered quietly and nobly, regarding himself as a willing victim. Unlike Simon of Cyrene who carried Christ’s cross, he voluntarily carried his own and other people’s crosses as he endured five decades of stigmatization.

At his shrine in San Giovanni Rotondo in southeast Italy, the erstwhile Padre Pio is honored by thousands of pilgrims who find solace and inspiration in his shining example of saintly perseverance. Nestled on top of a hill with a panoramic view of the fertile plains of Mount San Angelo in Foggia, the new shrine dedicated to the memory of Saint Pio beckons to pilgrims from all over the world who want to immerse themselves in the same ambience that nurtured the sainthood of a simple man.

To understand the agony of Padre Pio’s stigmatization is to comprehend the rationale behind suffering and illness that is part of the reality of mankind’s earthly existence. But unlike ordinary mortals who have experienced sickness either in sporadic episodes strewn throughout their lives, or as a lingering or painful terminal condition, Padre Pio suffered stigmatization from age 31 to the time of his death in September 1968 at age 81.

The depth and breadth of Padre Pio’s epic struggle is best understood by reading the book, 100 Letters for You edited by an Italian priest, Father Francesco de Colacelli. The letters were written to his spiritual directors in the Capuchin order, Fathers Benedetto and Agostinho, both of San Marco, Italy and his spiritual children who corresponded with him regularly. The letters serve as a “clear and luminous mirror,” writes Father Colacelli in the preface, for gleaning Padre Pio’s spiritual heroism.

His letter to Padre Agostino on 13 February 1913 (he was only 26 years old and into the third year of his priesthood) is particularly instructive. Padre Pio writes: “Do not fear, I will make you suffer, but I will also give you the strength to suffer,” Jesus tells me continually.”

This is an article of faith that is yet to become embedded in many Christians’ consciousness. Pain and suffering are not eagerly sought but studiously avoided. In Padre Pio’s stigmatization we find a sterling example of a man who not only endured pain and suffering. He also made his personal battle a platform for glorifying the splendor of God’s grace and mercy.

He writes about the message conveyed to him by Jesus Christ:

“I want your soul to be purified and tried by a daily hidden martyrdom; do not be frightened if I allow the devil to torment you, the world to disgust you and your nearest and dearest to afflict you, for nothing will prevail against those who groan beneath the Cross for love of me and whom I have taken care to protect.”

To understand the foregoing statement, we need to realize that every day for nearly 50 years, Padre Pio found himself engaging the devil in actual combat, both physical and psychological. As he felt the pain from his wounds, he actually experienced the presence of a devil that perennially taunted and teased him.

The phrase about “your nearest and dearest to afflict you” also brings to mind Christ’s own experience in being betrayed by his dearest disciple Peter, not just once but three times, in the garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion. We feel most aggrieved and pained when it is those closest to us --- be they parents or siblings, close relatives, direct superiors or subordinates, or business associates --- who afflict us with their infidelity, disloyalty or even sheer indifference.

The next passage in Padre Pio’s recollection evokes deep thought and reflection:

“How many times,” said Jesus to me a little while ago, “would you not have abandoned me if I had not crucified you? And again from Jesus: “Beneath the Cross one learns to love and I do not grant this to everyone, but only to those souls who are dearest to me.”

Christ was the one who was crucified, so why is it that, according to Padre Pio, the Lord says, “If I had not crucified you?” Truly, it is us who feel we have been crucified every time we are afflicted by “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” and this often drives us away from the path of faith and goodness, thereby “abandoning” the Lord in the process, or turning away from God.

In a letter to Raffaelina Cerase, one of his spiritual children, on 29 March 1914, Padre Pio points out: “The storm that rages around you and perturbs you is certainly proof of this love (of Jesus for you).” This is borne our by his own daily struggle, from which he derived abundant joy despite unspeakable pain, as he describes in this passage:

“My joy is by no means foolish, for in the combat there is a crown to be won and the better fight put up by the soul the more numerous the palms of victory. Don’t you know how the apostle St. James exhorted his brethren to rejoice when they were harassed by various storms and numerous reverses: ‘Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials.’” (James 1:2)

Indeed, Padre Pio is the champion of the spirit, who cheerfully embraced pain and suffering, as he demonstrated his solidarity with Christ.

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The benign President - May 28, 2010

‘God bless this mess’ was the theme of the homily at the Pentecost Sunday mass last week held at the shrine of Notre Dame de Lourdes in France. The priest’s homily evoked some thoughts on the imminent assumption to office of a new President of the Philippines.

Consider the composition of the Lord Jesus Christ’s ‘Cabinet’, his 12 apostles.

The leader was Peter, a braggart and rabble-rouser who denied him thrice in the garden of Gethsemane. Then there was Judas the Iscariot who betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver. The brothers James and John were always positioning for advantage; their mother even lobbied Christ that her two sons will be seated at the lefty and right sides of Jesus when he assumes His throne in heaven. Then there was Philip, the slow-poke, always seemingly clueless apostle.

Well, what should we expect from a rag-tag band made up mostly of poor fisherman whom Jesus seems to have randomly picked and tapped as he walked on the shores of the River Jordan and the sea of Galilee.

But Peter went on to become the founder of the one, holy Catholic and apostolic Church, the first Bishop of Rome. He died a martyr for Christ. St. James the Greater became known as Santiago de Compostela. He went farther to the Iberian peninsula, evangelizing Spain which also evangelized (and colonized) the Philippines that became the only Christian country in Asia. Except for Judas who took his own life, the other apostles and disciples became effective evangelists who spread Christianity throughout the world.

On Pentecost Sunday, the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ and the apostles. It was one of his last meetings with them before his Ascension.

The nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, as embodied in Paul’s epistle to the Galatians are charity (or love), joy, peace, patience, benignity (or kindness), goodness, faithfulness, gentleness or mildness, continence or self-control.

These fruits are the graces or virtues that were conferred or endowed upon the apostles. As interpreted by the priest-homilist at Lourdes, these are the virtues that enabled them to be aware, care and share. With an abundance of such fruits, they were able to transcend their weaknesses and limitations. They stretched themselves to the upper limits of their God-given talents and fulfilled their fullest potentials as servant-leaders of the Christian faith.

Uncannily, our new President’s name is Benigno, from the Latin word benignitas. Wikipedia’s discussion on kindness is quite instructive:

“Kindness does not necessarily mean being nice. One can be kind and not nice. Nice is defined by dictionary.com as being agreeable. In contrast, kindness is acting for the good of people regardless of what they do. Kindness is goodness in action, sweetness of disposition, gentleness in dealing with others, benevolence, kindness, affability. The word describes the ability to act for the welfare of those taxing your patience. The Holy Spirit removes abrasive qualities from the character of one under His control.”

I was privileged to have observed erstwhile candidate Noynoy Aquino at close range during the recent campaign. Indeed, he possesses many of the qualities associated with benignitas. Some people like to say he is the “male Cory”, referring, too, to the kindness and gentleness of his late mother, President Corazon Aquino.

Noynoy Aquino brings to the presidency the essential virtue of kindness that also includes friendliness, mildness and benevolence. He is never given to excess exuberance, not one who would easily get excited.

The word kindness comes from the Greek word chrestotes (khray-stot-ace), which according to Wikipedia, “often depicted rulers, governors, or people who were kind, mild, and benevolent to their subjects… (and were) compassionate, considerate, sympathetic, humane, kind, or gentle.

Moreover, chrestotes also “conveys the idea of being adaptable to others.” This means that, “rather than harshly require everyone else to adapt to his own needs and desires, when chrestotes is working in a believer, he seeks to become adaptable to the needs of those who are around him. (Sparkling Gems from the Greek, Rick Renner).

This is another essential quality demonstrated by Noynoy Aquino. Recall that he was the quintessential non-candidate, or better still, anti-candidate, who did not even aspire for, nor harbor any ambition to become President. When he launched his candidacy barely nine months before the elections (his rivals had been preparing for years), he inherited a campaign organization that was not his own. Yet, he serenely adapted himself before opting to set up his own staff, relying on a few trusted allies to bring in volunteers who eventually bore the brunt of his campaign.

One of the unfair criticisms hurled against him during the campaign was that while he himself was honest and incorruptible, he was vulnerable to those around him who were likely to take advantage of his kindness. They simply do not know that he is, in fact, made of sterner stuff. His character was forged on the anvil of personal trials from the time of his father’s arrest (when he was only 12 years old) and through his mother’s presidency, during which he stood by her as a quiet pillar of support especially through the seven coup attempts that bedeviled her presidency. This is the young man (who at 27 years old) took several bullets at the hands of rebel soldiers as he rushed back to Malacanang to be with his mother and sisters in the August 1987 failed coup.

Noynoy Aquino’s formation (or better still, transformation) took place over two decades, from the time of his father’s arrest at the inception of martial rule in 1972 to the end of his mother’s presidency in 1992 during which she brought about the first peaceful transition in power in this country under a democratic regime since 1965.

Many of those who do not look kindly upon his mother’s presidency call attention to the many conflicts and power struggles among the members of her rainbow coalition. They are either naïve, uninformed or misguided. Despite these, she remained firmly in control of the government as she quietly put down political brush fires and fired those who undermined the stability of our then-fledgling democracy. Her detractors were looking at the proverbial trees, not at the forest. They were misled by the seeming confusion at ground zero and did not afford themselves the opportunity to cull historical lessons that only a helicopter view of unfolding events could offer.

Fortunately, we will soon have a benign President who comes to office more than adequately enlightened by the lessons of history. He studied and learned these lessons well while standing by his President-mother (even if away from public view) who eventually emerged as the most beloved servant-leader of the Filipino people.

Readers are invited to sonnycoloma.blogspot.com or send their comments to sonnycoloma@gmail.com

What makes integrity important - May 21, 2010

In 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country, lawyer (and LP senatorial candidate) Alexander ‘Pinoy’ Lacson’s first imperative is: “Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.” In The Economics of Integrity, author Anna Bernasek points out that, with only 48 per cent of the world’s registered vehicles, low-income and middle-income countries (like the Philippines) account for over 90 per cent of fatalities in road mishaps.

This fact should not surprise us at all. In the Philippines, especially in Metro Manila, traffic lights are only advisory. Police vehicles routinely cross intersections despite red-light signals even when these are simply on patrol and not in hot pursuit. Ordinary citizens audaciously defy and disobey traffic lights, especially when there are no enforcers in sight.

Ms. Bernasek explains why, in more progressive countries where there is superior law enforcement, there is a higher level of discipline and adherence to the law. She points out: “From an economic perspective, the point of accountability is not to punish people. It’s to give the public the expectation that if they break the rules there will be consequences.” Hence, people will be convinced that they are more likely than not to be caught and punished, thereby discouraging misbehavior.

Adherence to traffic laws is only one of several interesting illustrations presented by the author to demonstrate the economics of integrity. Right on the book’s cover jacket, there is a comprehensive subtitle that reveals the essence of her message: “From dairy farmers to Toyota, how wealth is built on trust and what that means for the future.”

She was inspired to write the book after witnessing the sorry debacle of Wall Street in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis that, she said, made her “angry and pessimistic.” But after deeper reflection, she realized that, despite the scandals that brought down many erstwhile blue-chip business organizations, the entire economic system of the United States was built on a durable fabric of trust and integrity.

She began by analyzing how milk is produced and delivered to American homes. From the dairy farms to the milk plant and finally to the groceries and homes, there is a chain of trust among all the participants in the milk trade.

In sharp contrast, the melamine contamination issue has resulted in a dramatic plunge in the credibility of products made in China.

Another interesting example she provides is ATM transactions. While we can withdraw money or find out account balances almost instantaneously, she points out that there is, in fact, an intricate network of authorization which --- although facilitated electronically --- “involves thousands of people who don’t know you or even each other, working together to ensure that your transaction is successful”.

Toyota, now the world’s largest auto maker, is held up as the prime example of a company that built its reputation on integrity and trustworthiness. Toyota’s twin principles of respect for people and continuous improvement (another word for unflagging quality consciousness) have been implemented assiduously, thereby earning its customers’ abiding loyalty. Not even the recent spate of massive recalls in the US has dented this rock-solid image, writes Ms. Bernasek.

She cites Toyota’s Tacoma truck buy-back initiative in 2008. A problem of rust corrosion was discovered in 1995 to 2000 model trucks, especially in areas where “salt was used during the winter months to keep the roads clear.” Toyota offered to buy back all such trucks at 150% of the values indicated in the Kelley Blue Book, a respected industry reference of values of used vehicles. For instance, Toyota would pay $15,000 if the Kelley value were $10,000. More than 800,000 vehicles were eligible for this program.

What was the outcome? Ms. Bernasek reports: “Toyota’s went above and beyond the minimum required…(and) discovered that the response of its customers was very positive. More than a few of those truck owners who took part in the program took their check and immediately went to a Toyota dealer to buy another vehicle.”

Citing a Businessweek study, Ms. Bernasek says Toyota now ranks sixth in terms of 2009 brand value, behind four American icons, namely Coca-Cola, IBM, Microsoft and GE, and Finland’s Nokia.

Two other exemplary companies featured by Ms. Bernasek are L.L. Bean, the famous catalog company, and eBay, the leader in online auction trading. L.L. Bean, with more than 13 million customers worldwide, “trusts every single one of them” by carrying on with its unlimited return policy. Established in 1996 by 28-year old Pierre Omidyar, eBay’s total transactions reached the 60-billion dollar mark in 2008, with more than 100 million active users or participants in its vigorous auction trading activities. What is remarkable is that total strangers from different parts of the globe have learned to trust each other and consummate business transactions online.

Ms. Bernasek believes that it is eBay’s unique feedback system that has spawned transparency and credibility, two qualities that have motivated its users to behave well.

Despite the involvement of many of its players in the 2008 global financial crisis, the New York Stock Exchange is regarded by the author as the greatest example of an integrity system where “members and traders are well aware that if they break the rules they are likely to get caught and be expelled.” She also commends the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the most successful bank for the poor that relies on peer pressure to ensure loan repayment.

Ms. Bernasek emphasizes the importance of the three vital elements of an integrity system: thorough disclosure, clear and well-founded rules, and an effective system for dealing with violators.” She observes: “the more integrity, the more wealth, leading to a virtuous circle” that creates wealth.

She concludes: “A mind-set that seeks to create lasting value will invest in integrity and yield a host of positive benefits for the economy. Well-designed systems that encourage people to act honestly do just that.”

This is a timely book for us that now stand at the threshold of change. Now that we have elected a new leader who is trustworthy and known for integrity, than we can begin to hope that we can, in fact, establish a new governance system. This will be the antithesis of the corrupt and decadent regime that an overwhelming majority of Filipinos repudiated soundly in the recent elections.

President of all Filipinos - May 14, 2010

Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino III’s comprehensive victory in last Monday’s elections underlines a most salient reality: he is expected by his countrymen to govern and lead as the President of all Filipinos.

He won in 13 out of 17 regions, across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. He was also the top choice of Filipinos across all economic classes and age groups. He is poised to claim the largest number of votes for a winning President and a commanding margin over his nearest rival. Only Ramon Magsaysay’s record of getting more than 60 per cent of the vote stood in the aftermath of Noynoy Aquino’s yellow force surge.

Unlike Fidel Ramos who needed to reach out and appeal for support from his erstwhile rivals, Noynoy’s victory was quickly conceded by his opponents, thanks to the wonders of automated elections. Unlike Joseph Estrada who did not enjoy the enthusiastic support of the country’s elite, Noynoy was the clear choice of the business and economic leaders from the onset.

Although he eventually emerged as their leading candidate, Noynoy did not fare as well with the younger voters (from 18-24 years old and from 25 to 44 years old), as he did with their parents and elders. The rock-solid core of Noynoy’s electoral support came from the voters who were at least 45 years old or those who were about 21 years old during the EDSA People Power revolt.

Despite our worst fears, the first automated elections brought about a quick resolution of the foremost issue: who will be the next President of the Philippines? The quick concession made by Noynoy’s rivals removed any residual anxiety or tension. Indeed, their magnanimous gesture has hastened the process of healing and reconciliation.

But many are still incredulous, yet exceedingly thankful, that despite the daylong agony suffered by voters due to the gross inefficiency of the voting process implemented by Comelec-Smartmatic, the instant electronic transmission of precinct-level results brought about a quick confirmation of the anticipated Aquino landslide. Many Filipinos went to sleep by midnight of May 10 knowing well assured that their choice of President was reflected in the reported results.

Former Pangasinan Governor Rafael Colet, one of the first OIC-governors appointed by President Corazon Aquino and an ardent Noynoy campaigner believes that this phenomenon is “the first miracle of Cory”. This theme is an echo of journalist Conrado de Quiros’s thesis that this was a replay of “EDSA People Power masquerading as an election.”

Long-suffering Filipinos expressed their repudiation of a much-despised President who made a mockery of the People Power exercise that brought her to power, and who, on account of her own admission at the height of the ‘Hello Garci’ scandal that broke out in 2005, gave credence to massive doubts about the legitimacy of her presidency.

After Cory Aquino’s death, millions of Filipinos reclaimed their sense of dignity. Noynoy’s candidacy provided a clear channel for reasserting their sense of destiny. They were willing to re-tread the path of truth and rectitude, which was the only road to authentic national redemption.

Contrary to critics’ and cynics’ claims that it was wrong and politically perilous to frame the election as a contest between good and evil, that turned out to be the deeply-embedded sentiment of millions of Filipinos. It was time to weed out and turn back the evil and corrupt; it was time to install an honest and trustworthy President.

Beyond leadership ability and managerial competence, Filipinos yearned for a return to decency and good government. This was not the time for towering intelligence or street-smart tactics for crashing into Forbes’ roster of the richest. This was the time for honesty, simplicity and for affirming all the core values that parents teach their children.

How then does the new leader translate his mandate into a program of governance?

The first imperative is to manage the transition from a people’s campaign to a people’s government. Unlike his mother whose single-focus platform was simply to oust a dictatorship and restore the institutions and practices of democracy, Noynoy Aquino is well poised to implement a more comprehensive platform of transformational leadership.

He has no major political debts to pay; his people’s campaign had no big-ticket contributors. From the outset he made it clear that campaign contributions would be accepted only on the basis of no strings attached.

In a people’s government, the citizens (the erstwhile volunteers) are major stakeholders. They must remain actively involved in the mainstream of the political process and not as mere bystanders or peanut-gallery critics.

Secondly, the next President needs to focus on his primary leadership role as Chief Executive. The Office of the President must operate like a Chief Executive’s Office, a strong and active center, not just a passive recipient of inputs and recommendations, nor simply a coordinator of national government programs, or a mere convener of Cabinet meetings.

As Chief Executive, the President shall proactively provide strategic policy direction. Hence, the Office of the President must synthesize, unify and orchestrate policy formulation and implementation. In some countries, the President or Prime Minister has designated coordinating ministers who act like senior vice presidents in charge of major corporate functions or businesses.

Similarly, the President may wish to organize his Cabinet into action teams for the following key areas: socio-economic policy, revenue and fiscal management (NEDA, Finance, government financial institutions); public infrastructure and technology (public works, transportation and communications, science and technology, tourism); justice system and law enforcement; national security and international affairs (national defense, foreign affairs); social development, welfare and poverty eradication; natural resources, energy and environment.

Thirdly, the President needs to reach out and work harmoniously with Congress. He can build on the tremendous political capital conferred by his landslide victory and seek the support of at least a majority of representatives.

Fourthly, to broaden and strengthen his support base at the grassroots level, he needs to enlist the active participation of governors, mayors and local government officials.

Finally, he is expected to turn the image of government around by ensuring accountability and transparency which are the twin pillars of good governance.

One thing going for incoming President Noynoy is his power to inspire through example. I have heard stories of how heretofore undecided or reluctant voters got up and brought themselves to the polling centers and cast their vote for him as President. And this was because they saw on TV how he waited in line for more than four hours and patiently endured the heat, the long queue, and the breakdown of the PCOS machine, and emerged from it all with a smile on his face.

Readers are invited to sonnycoloma.blogspot.com or send comments to sonnycoloma@gmail.com

Beyond May 10 - May 7, 2010

Just when I thought I knew all the answers, Charlie Brown once quipped, they changed the question. After the series of SWS and Pulse Asia surveys have pointed to a predominant answer to the question as to who we will elect as the next President, a new question has emerged: Will there be credible elections on May 10?

Only the ineptitude of the Commission on Elections and its technology partner, Smartmatic, stands in the way of an imminent victory for Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III as the country’s next President.

In many respects, this has been a very unusual election season. We need to learn from the lessons we have gathered along the way so we may discern our priorities for moving on beyond May 10.

First, we can only rely on ourselves --- on the collective will of an enlightened citizenry --- to bring about real change. The death of former President Corazon Aquino evoked in our national psyche’ a deep yearning for a return to decency and integrity in government. This turned into a groundswell, an unprecedented clamor for her only son to take on the leadership of a people’s campaign.

Second, an election cannot be won on sheer preponderance of money and machinery. Our people are intelligent. They will not be deceived by puffery and fakery. They are willing to rally behind an honest, trustworthy and credible leader. In the end, truth and goodness still matter.

Third, we need to build stronger institutions for our democracy to flourish and for our government to succeed in fostering sustainable long-term growth for our people. Corruption thrives when the institutions tasked with enforcing accountability are weak. Institution-building begins with the quality of public officials that we elect, or are appointed to high office.

Contrary to her vow to establish a “strong Republic”, President Arroyo succeeded in undermining and weakening key government institutions by making these channels for patronage and corruption.

Recall the sensational scandals that rocked the country during her watch: ‘Hello Garci’, fertilizer scam, ZTE-NBN broadband deal. ‘Hello Garci’ underlines the weakness of the Comelec as the guardian and enforcer of credible elections. The quality of appointees to this constitutional body has been consistently below-par; how then can we expect superior performance? An integrated agricultural modernization program was undermined by the “downloading” of funds for fertilizer and other farm inputs to congressmen and local officials. The ZTE-NBN broadband deal began as a turnkey project and ended up as an overpriced loan agreement that had to be scuttled when Jun Lozada blew the whistle.

In her book, Economics of Integrity, Anna Bernasek cited the well-known Toyota practice of allowing first-line assembly workers to literally “blow the whistle”; they are authorized to push a button that will stop the entire assembly line when they notice a flaw or defect in the process.

Respect for people and belief in continuous improvement underpin this enduring philosophy of Toyota’s ascendancy to being the number one automaker in the world.

Beyond May 10, the volunteers who worked hard to elect a new President need to rededicate themselves to the task of rebuilding the nation. We need to make our elected leaders accountable. Public office is a public trust.

From a people’s campaign, we need to establish a people’s watch, a system of continuing surveillance and monitoring of government transactions. We may even need to institutionalize a system of whistle blowing.

I recall that in the early post-EDSA era, civil society groups fielded groups of volunteer students and young professionals to act as “mystery shoppers” or auditors while conducting real-world transactions with frontline agencies such as the LTO (for drivers’ license issuance and renewal and vehicle registration), post office (for mail), and city hall (for payment of realty taxes). They spotted opportunities for improving service and recognized the outstanding performers.

This is the kind of citizen vigilance that will bring about good governance. There is need to recognize and reward good performance. The overwhelming majority of government employees are dedicated and hard working. It is those who are vultures and opportunists that are appointed to high positions who make a “career” out of government service. Translation: they treat government office as a virtual milking cow for enriching themselves.

There was a short-lived campaign to conduct a “lifestyle check” among BIR and customs officials and some of those caught living beyond their means were reportedly prosecuted. But there are many more high-level and more powerful officials and political figures that continue to raid the public coffers with impunity.

And that is because the highest leader has spawned corruption and decadence in such proportions that have earned her this famous remark from a former President’s daughter: “You’re just a trying-hard, second-rate copycat of my father.”

Happily, we are looking at the prospect of a President who is a carrier of a legacy of honesty and integrity. His character has been forged in the anvil of struggle for nearly four decades: from his father’s arrest when he was only 12 years old to his emergence as a President-in-waiting at age 50.

In a Noynoy Aquino presidency, Filipinos can reasonably expect a no-nonsense, transparent and citizen-friendly government.

I caught a glimpse of how he relates with ordinary citizens last February 3, the last day of Congress’ regular session, when I was part of a staff that assisted in organizing a press conference for him at the Senate pressroom. He was running late for the start of the conference when a man in barong approached him and said, “Senator, you and your father have always been advocates of….”, as he pleaded his own case.

Noynoy Aquino listened to him intently, even as reporters were jostling to come nearer him and some of his handlers were getting impatient in getting him to start the press conference. This interface lasted for almost 10 minutes. Not once did he brush aside the man in front of him. He spoke to him calmly and softly, then gently begged to be excused.

I thought that this encounter spoke volumes about the qualities of the man who would be President. He has come into his own, purposefully learning the ropes and gaining maturity in the crucible of a difficult, uphill campaign.

By the way, that was also the day on which he learned that, according to Pulse Asia, his erstwhile formidable lead had shrunk to a statistical tie with his closest rival. He maintained his calm and exhibited equanimity and serenity. Two months later, he stood at the threshold of being President of the Philippines.

Readers are invited to visit sonnycoloma.blogspot.com or send their comments to sonnycoloma@gmail.com

Power of a trusted brand - April 30, 2010

If you feel beleaguered and besieged in the heat of battle, would you call in your octogenarian mother to pitch for you? Thus did fellow presidential candidates Joseph Ejercito Estrada and Richard Gordon assail Manuel Villar earlier this week after the latter’s mother called a press conference at her home. Even Sen. Villar’s sisters got into the act. They said that they should not be questioned on why even their mother got involved in a turbulent political campaign. After all, isn’t Noynoy Aquino continually invoking his parents’ legacy?

The Villars, especially the presidential candidate himself, are missing the point. It’s not about parents and children. It’s about the power of a dominant political brand.

When Time magazine featured the front-running Noynoy Aquino on the cover of its April 26, 2010 issue, what image did that cover evoke? Of course it reminded readers of the Time covers featuring his mother Corazon Aquino when she was hailed as Woman of the Year in 1986, when she was chosen as one of Asia’s 60 most influential persons in 2007 and when she passed away last year and described as the saint and icon of democracy.

Only last month, Pulse Asia affirmed that Noynoy Aquino enjoyed the highest trust rating among the candidates. This came on the heels of a Readers Digest study that showed he is among the five most trusted Filipinos and the highest in trust rating among politicians.

“Getting a politician elected might be the ultimate marketing and branding challenge,” wrote a certain M. B. Moore of Infopop Corporation in 2001. Jennifer Silverberg, political consultant, pointed out that “a brand is built through consistent execution in all forms of behavior and communication, at all levels, and over time.”

The Aquino brand in Philippine politics has been built over many years. It dates back from the meteoric rise of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. from a 17-year old Manila Times cub reporter in the Korean War to being a senatorial topnotcher at the age of 35 and a presidential challenger to Ferdinand Marcos until the latter thwarted his political ambition by jailing him during the martial law regime.

Ninoy Aquino’s brand of wizardry in traditional politics assumed a new dimension when he became a celebrated political prisoner. He became a symbol and a rallying point for the Filipino people’s struggle to regain their freedom and to recover democratic space. Recall how he led the Laban party from his cell in Fort Bonifacio and called on the Filipino people to do what Dylan Thomas wrote in a famous poem, “rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

While on medical furlough in Boston, Massachusetts, he declared he was coming home to convince the dictator to start implementing political reforms. When warned that his enemies were out to destroy him, he said, “The Filipino is worth dying for.”

He died from a hail of bullets that cut him down as he stepped on the tarmac of an airport that is now named after him. His widow assumed the leading role in a continuing struggle for freedom. She became President in the aftermath of a People Power revolt that placed the Filipino people on the map trailblazers for peaceful political change. Edsa preceded the breaking down of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the USSR.

For 17 years after gracefully stepping down from power, Cory Aquino consistently fought for the nurturance of freedom and democracy in our land. She never wavered nor hesitated, even when the odds seemed to be too formidable to overcome. At one point, she was written off as a political has-been, unable to draw a sizeable crowd to join protest rallies that she led.

But when she died in August 2009, there was such a massive outpouring of affection that accompanied her to her final resting place. Her funeral procession was a virtual replay of that of her husband’s 26 years earlier.

Hence, we now realize that Noynoy Aquino’s imminent ascendancy to the highest elected office is neither fluke nor accident. As a vaunted marketing-savvy businessman, Mr. Villar should have realized that the Aquino brand (Ninoy’s and Cory’s) was built up over decades through “consistent execution in all forms of behavior and communication, at all levels, and over time.”

It may not have been consciously or consistently done by established organizations (such as political parties or government agencies or image-builders), but its principal carriers who became national heroes and icons of political leadership powerfully projected this brand.

In his interview with Time, Noynoy Aquino acknowledged this when he said that when his father died in 1983 he realized that he and his family had crossed the Rubicon: “it could not be that my father died for nothing.”

But, as another marketing authority wrote: “Brand-building is about letting the consumer know what to expect in a product experience, to know what a product is about, to allow them to make an informed decision on whether a given product meets their needs.” It became the challenge for Noynoy Aquino’s campaign organization to ensure that, as the carrier of the Aquino brand, he is able to convince enough voters to trust that he is a reliable carrier of his parents’ legacy.

When his ratings hit a high of 51% in the last quarter of 2009, an in-depth study was conducted by a reputable market research firm to determine the depth of conviction of those who stated their preference for him. What emerged was that his core constituency stood solid at about 37%. This constituency is made up largely of those who participated and believed in the spirit of Edsa and transmitted it to their children, relatives and friends. This is the constituency that has remained steadfast behind him through the ebbs and flows of a turbulent campaign.

In sharp contrast, the same research firm found out that preference for his opponents was neither solid nor stable, as this was affected by the voters’ level of awareness of who they really were or what they stood for.

Despite scurrilous attacks against him, Noynoy Aquino has proved more than equal to the challenge of measuring up to the people’s expectations. As reported by Time, he has become like a rock star whose mere presence stirs intense passion and affection. As pointed out by former socioeconomic planning Secretary Solita Monsod, even if he is less eloquent than Ninoy Aquino, he projects an aura of sincerity and compassion reminiscent of Cory Aquino who has emerged as the most beloved national leader of our time.

If by God’s grace and the people’s mandate he will become the next President of the Philippines, Noynoy Aquino faces a fresh challenge. This is to demonstrate that the Aquino brand, already known and trusted on the basis of what his parents have done, will be known as a brand of good governance that restored a people’s sense of pride and respect.

Readers are invited to visit sonnycoloma.blogspot.com or send their comments to sonnycoloma@gmail.com

Victory for a people’s campaign - April 23, 2010

“In our village, we have organized a group supporting Noynoy and we meet regularly and have joined the Makati Friday marches. Ours is a small village, (mostly) middle class and even some (may be regarded as) lower middle class. But the ladies in the group have had T-shirts and sun visors and have posted tarps for Noynoy all over. One lady who has several garments factories in the village took care of the shirts and sold them to us at less than cost, 50 pesos each, with a silk-screened slogan: Pasig para kay Noynoy at Mar. I wanted to let you know about this because this candidacy of Noynoy has inspired volunteerism in many.”

Thus wrote a lady reader who prefers to remain anonymous. She is among tens of thousands of volunteers who might as well be called the Yellow Army or the Yellow Force. When the full story of the 2010 presidential election is written, it will contain many such stories of faith in the future of the country anchored upon belief in the integrity of a candidate who embodies the legacy of two iconic Filipino leaders.

My esteemed columnist-friend Conrad de Quiros attributes the frontrunner status of Noynoy Aquino to the Great Remembering, or how a grateful nation woke up from seeming lethargy and turned out anew in millions to grieve the death of their most beloved leader, former President Corazon Aquino.

However, he laments that there has also been a Great Forgetting, as the spirit of the EDSA People Power Revolution that evoked the Great Remembering seems to have been drowned or lost in the din of heated debates and in the intensity of the propaganda battle being waged by the leading protagonists.

Last week, I joined a meeting of Yellow Force volunteers from all over the country and I became convinced that, indeed, the spirit of EDSA is vibrant and alive --- and it throbs in every corner of our blighted homeland. They came from Tabuk (in Kalinga Apayao) to Tawi-Tawi, representing thousands of fellow volunteers who have been campaigning and rooting for Noynoy Aquino from the quiet stillness of their humble homes to the rock fest-like rallies that have greeted the candidate everywhere he has set foot.

From the outset, the mismatch was all too clear. Sen. Manny Villar had been preparing for this battle royale from the time he became House Speaker in 1998. Sen. Loren Legarda (now his running mate) criticized him in early 2009 for his remark that anyone with less than a billion pesos should not even think of running for President. In June 2009, Mr. Villar led in the polls with a 33 per cent rating, but those who were undecided ranked a close second at 29 per cent. (Noynoy Aquino declared his candidacy only in September 2009, 40 days after his mother’s death.)

By the end of March 2010, with barely a month before the elections, Mr. Villar’s support base had shrank, despite media monitoring reports that show he has spent more than a billion for advertising alone. This was a sharp drop of ten per cent from his rating in early February when he was barely two per cent behind Mr. Aquino.

I recall hearing Noynoy Aquino read a prepared statement before a press conference at the Senate last February 3. He said that he was not bothered by the closeness of the race as he affirmed his faith in the dedication and enthusiasm of thousands of volunteers who were campaigning for him. This was even before the formal start of the campaign on February 9. He recalled that when he first ran for congressman in Tarlac, he was also leading by a wide margin at the start, but that his opponents managed to bridge the gap when they ganged up on him and hurled assorted criticisms. However, when the smoke cleared, he still won by a large margin as the people eventually saw through the lies and opted to vote for him.

Such is the serenity and composure of the man who landed recently on the cover of Time magazine in what could be an auspicious augury for “the next (President) Aquino”.

What makes people want to volunteer to campaign for Noynoy Aquino? They see in him the same endearing virtues of simplicity, humility and integrity for which his mother was loved and respected. In Reader’s Digest poll, he emerged as one of the five most trusted Filipinos and was rated way ahead of other politicians, including Mr. Villar (who ranked only 60^th) in terms of trustworthiness.

Lacking in funds for posters and streamers, the Aquino campaign has spawned a new phenomenon: people buying their own shirts, caps, fans, wrist bands (ballers) and car stickers. By wearing yellow shirts and wrist bands, they become walking ads and talking heads for their candidate. I remember what Kristie Hefner, daughter of the founder of the Playboy empire once pointed out in a conference on executive education: “When people like somebody or something, they want to cherish their experience by buying and keeping souvenirs.”

Only a people’s campaign driven by volunteer power could have enabled Noynoy Aquino to become the odds-on favorite to win the presidency. Only the tremendous energy and enthusiasm of many ordinary citizens stepping up to assert their claim to a better future could have beaten back the mighty triad of money, machinery and media disinformation. This is the spirit of People Power manifesting itself in a different form: not yet in mass protest actions but in small and quiet acts of individual choice, such as wearing a yellow wrist band or displaying a yellow ribbon sticker on one’s car windshield.

The massive dissatisfaction with the Arroyo regime as reflected in the minus 53 rating of the incumbent also forebodes what could be a torrential protest vote in favor of Noynoy Aquino. After the tumult from the campaign settles down, each Filipino voter will reflect on the importance of the ballot he will cast. For those that are still undecided, the key questions might be: Am I better or worse off now compared to my situation before the GMA administration assumed power? Who among the candidates represents a clear-cut alternative to the corruption and greed of the current regime?

There is only one aspect in which I beg to differ from my lady friend. She wrote, “When Noynoy becomes President (as we all hope he will be), this group of ladies and many more all over the country will fade away happy, as they said in our first meeting, that our mission has been accomplished.”

The members of the Yellow Force are committing that, this time, they will not allow the gains of People Power (such as those achieved immediately after the EDSA revolt in 1986) to dissipate or fade. What’s more important is a commitment to work beyond the elections to ensure that the new government will keep faith with the people’s trust, that it will govern honestly, and that it will truly be a catalyst for meaningful social change.

As Noynoy Aquino himself told Time, “We are only instruments for the expression of God’s will.” I believe that, against all odds, we will soon see the triumph of God’s will. But we still need to work and pray hard because, as I learned in grade school, God helps those who help themselves.

Readers are invited to visit sonnycoloma.blogspot.com or send comments to sonnycoloma@gmail.com