Where President Aquino Failed

It is very easy to bash President Aquino (PNoY) now given the surprising rise of a solid protest vote in the May 9 Philippine elections, but I have a more forgiving view of him.

PNoY did many things I admire including his pursuit of an international arbitration case vs. China, his jailing of political big wigs embroiled in a pork barrel scam, his sincere desire to pursue Daang Matuwid, his solid economic team comprised of DOF Secretary Cesar Purisima and his equally effective Department of Tourism campaign. Towards the end of his term, we saw some road projects and major infra concluded, even some PPPs. I think even the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) was a good attempt for PNoY and would have been a great feather on his cap, had it not been railroaded by a SAF44 blunder.
My mother was close friend of Cory Aquino’s family and I know them as honest, conservative, good people with a strong faith in God. The Cojuangcos are a solid, old rich but very decent landed family.

However, if I want to be purely objective about it, this is also where PNoy’s background was also his weakness. PNoY never really had innate leadership skills and never displayed it. I was a few years below him in High School and he was never active, a bit nerdy and kept to himself. He also kept a few friends and stuck with them. All good people.

He was just fortunate Cory Aquino died in a manner timely to his Presidential candidacy and he was catapulted into the position, some would say by a sympathy vote.

Clearly and from the outset, He was never a proven commodity, like ‪#‎Du30‬ was with Davao as a “change agent” or leader, but still he tried. PNoY did his best, in his heart he wanted the best for the Philippines. The problem is he was probably not prepared for the job as President-Leader of a chaotic and demanding country.

Having worked in high end management for 20 years, specifically with Kapitan Genny Lopez Jr. ( Meralco, ABS-CBN, Rockwell, First Philippine Holdings) up close as Executive Assistant, having advised many CEOs, I can spot a good, natural leader a mile away.
I will now share with you my “insights” into the man we call PNoY as a Filipino would see it. For me, basically while he had the Daang Matuwid vision, he didn’t quite have the “skill sets” nor the “instincts” to execute it.

Shocked?

You see, PNoY’s upbringing and background is that of a “haciendero”. He never worked for anyone except the family business. He was never trained abroad as a professional manager nor proved himself to be one to anyone outside of his family. He was landed aristocracy and if Luisita is any guage, they actually failed miserably over there over the years.
Not having worked in the real pressures of a professionally managed firm, his mindset is always “status quo”, not change. He is slow in firing people because in the Hacienda it is all about “loyalty”. Hey, that dude’s father worked in our Hacienda, so let’s trust him. Gazmin worked for my mother, therefore he is the best head of the defense portfolio, etc.
Mar Roxas et. al is loyal to him, therefore condone the antics?

Hmmm.. that only works in the Hacienda.

You can say, PNoY trusted his circle too much and didn’t have the guts to fire people who were not performing. You see in the Hacienda you are kinda stuck with the select family and their loyalties forever, because you knew the uncle or the father of so and so. Haciendas in PHL are not professionally run firms with clear metrics and management by objectives. It was management via family ties that go way back. Yup, Aquino and Roxas for example go way back to their fathers.
In the hacienda it is black and white. You are either with the landlords or with the peasants or with the “communists”. Simple as that. You are labeled right away and that label sticks with you for the rest of your life. Are you wondering why we are getting silly labels of the other Presidential candidates now, – communist, dictator, etc.?
Hacienda mentality is essentially “elitist” to some extent. Could this be the reason PNoY was slow to show empathy to hungry farmers?

Hacienda mentality promotes the “padrino” system and a sense of entitlement. I was born with land therefore I am privileged. You just live off the land. You didn’t have to create anything. Hence, those Hacienderos not able to adapt to urban, cosmopolitan ways, eventually get left behind in the street smart instinctive big business battle in big cities. So they end up staying in the Hacienda. Those family members with mettle get bored in the non-chaotic Hacienda and move to the big city and develop survival instincts quick.

#DU30 hopefully will get rid of this Hacienda mentality of the Philippines and work for a more ” inclusive” country. Duterte is our last card and if we cannot change some of the systemic and feudal ways we seem stuck with, the alternative maybe too scary to think of.