by Edcer Escudero
We are nearing the end of the first “-ber” month of the year which means that there are less than 100 days before 2010 fades away.
This early, I’m toying with a number of words or terms that have been spoken quite often by the high and mighty – people of power and influence, people who matter.
Trivial though it may seem, it certainly is not an exercise in futility, rather, it is an exciting and amusing play of political jargon.
Forget jejemon, the chosen word of the year for 2009. There are several truly thought-provoking words that can easily romp away with the Word of the year honors.
After going over newspaper stories, columns and watching television newscasts, three words stand out. These are monitor, mandate, acting.
MONITOR – This word was used by Aquino mouthpiece Edwin Lacierda during a press conference to dispel talks that Noynoy Aquino didn’t take the hostage crisis seriously. He said that the President “monitored” the incident. In fact, he assured reporters, that his boss was on top of the situation. If that was the case, how come the situation turned from bad to worse? What good did the monitoring do in resolving the crisis? Noynoy Aquino, the President, was no better than a kibitzer during the entire crisis.
MANDATE – Calls for Noynoy Aquino to resign came from some quarters because of the inept handling of the hostage drama. This was, however, flatly dismissed by Herminio Coloma, a member of Malacañang Palace’s communications group who argued that the President has a mandate good for six years.
That’s true. Aquino was given a mandate to serve faithfully and well, and to perform his duties to the best of his ability.
Did he? He did monitor the situation, but when things turned sour, did he take matters into his own hands (like a true leader) and resolved the crisis?
The August 23rd hostage crisis is Aquino’s Waterloo, as Watergate was Nixon’s. It showcases his inability, ineptness, inexperience, immaturity and incompetence as a leader. He doesn’t deserve that mandate which he should let go now. It’s the honorable thing to do.
That insane mass murder of innocent tourists clearly tells us that as president, Noynoy Aquino cannot be relied upon in times of crisis. It is too costly for the nation to let him demonstrate again such indecisiveness.
ACTING – This term is best applied to silver screen characters, not government officials. But Noynoy Aquino has found it convenient using it to cover-up the mistakes of his alter egos.
When some senators voiced early sentiments against Jess Robredo’s possible confirmation by the Commission on Appointments, Aquino officiously declared that Robredo is heading the DILG in acting capacity since the very beginning.
That’s a lie. We never heard him use the word acting when he announced the composition of his cabinet.
Serge Osmeña is right. Noynoy just wants to go around the law by using the word “acting”.
Noynoy Aquino can not resort to lies to look good and sound knowledgeable. He can not be all sound and rhetoric, signifying false hope and manifesting intellectual dishonesty.
From wang-wang to bang-bang. That’s the comic saga of Noynoy Aquino’s young and botchy presidency.
The no wang-wang policy boosted Aquino’s approval rating to a high 80-plus percent. But Rolando Mendoza brought it down drastically. But we don’t know by how much percent because no opinion survey has been done so far. Come to think of it, why is there no survey by SWS and Pulse Asia? Is it because they don’t want to embarrass Mr. Aquino?
A survey at this time would certainly bring down Noynoy’s acceptance rating. A good question would be: “Do you approve the way President Aquino handled the Luneta hostage crisis?”
The respondent who will answer “yes” is a damn liar, if not an idiot.
NEWS HEADLINE: “He will roll over the hostage crisis fiasco.” – x
WTT: The first head should be PNOY’s. The other heads will follow like a pile of dominoes.
