The death of former President Corazon Aquino has transformed the political landscape in the run-up to the May 2010 election, with the emergence of Sen. Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III as dark horse in the presidential race.

Prior to Aug. 1, Noynoy had been hibernating in the Senate with an undistinguished legislative record and was known as the son of the martyred Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. In just three weeks after the huge funeral for his mother, a movement has been started to draft him as the Liberal Party?s presidential candidate.

The draft appears to feed on a clamor for a change of leadership to one that epitomizes the integrity, honesty in governance and unselfish dedication to public interest exemplified by the Aquino presidency. The death of Cory Aquino and the national commemoration of the assassination of Ninoy Aquino on Aug. 21, 1983 have invested the move to draft Noynoy for president with the aura of the legacy of his parents.

Despite his political pedigree, Noynoy?s ascent is not paved with grease for an easy takeover as the Liberal Party goes into its selection process for the nomination of its presidential, vice presidential, senatorial, congressional and local candidates.

Those boosting the draft for Noynoy have gone back to a formula that convinced then opposition leader Corazon Aquino to stand against President Ferdinand Marcos in the February 1986 snap election, with a campaign to collect one million signatures just like the one launched by former Manila Times publisher Chino Roces. The man behind the signature campaign for Noynoy is Chino?s son, Edgardo Roces, who said the presidency was Noynoy?s destiny ?and we are here to find out if the people feel the same way.?
But what worked for Cory may not work for Noynoy?s draft, since issues surrounding Cory in 1986 are different from those confronting Noynoy. The unstated purposes of the current campaign are to show party elders that the draft for Noynoy has grass-roots support, and to influence the party?s selection process.

The campaign that seeks to get Noynoy to lead the party in the 2010 election has split the LP, even though Cory Aquino?s funeral and the commemoration of Ninoy Aquino?s assassination and the Plaza Miranda bombing of the LP rally in 1971 have boosted the LP. Party elders favor a Mar Roxas-Noynoy Aquino ticket in 2010. They argue that Noynoy needs some more experience in statecraft, although it has been pointed out that he has served three terms in the House of Representatives and he is serving out his first term in the Senate. The issue of no-experience was used disdainfully by Marcos against Cory Aquino whom he derided as a mere ?housewife.?

Party old guards, among them former Senate President Jovito Salonga, the party chair emeritus, have proposed a Roxas-Aquino ticket. Former Senate President Franklin Drilon said Noynoy, and not party members, would decide what position he would run for in 2010. ?I am glad that he has opened himself to a higher position but a Mar-Noynoy (team) is still the most ideal,? Drilon said, adding that Noynoy would be better off seeking the vice presidency and preparing himself for a run in 2016 by being active in a Roxas Cabinet. Drilon said running for the highest position in the land was no joke. Noynoy ?is not prepared for it.?

The non-opposition Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said Noynoy would be a strong candidate for vice president because of the ?Aquino afterglow that will still permeate in 2010.? She added: ?Whether you like it or not, Noynoy will be the focus of pro-Aquino sentiments.?

Another LP member, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, said there was a ?snowballing consensus? for a Mar-Noynoy team-up.

Under pressure from the growing clamor for him to run for president, Aquino recently indicated that he was considering seriously to heed the clamor. He told reporters that it was no longer a secret that he was considering a possible run for higher office in 2010 and promised to make his decision soon. But he added:

?There are three factors that I?m really trying to resolve and the biggest is the ability to guarantee to the people that there would be changes, not just try to change things. That?s the most difficult.

?Will I be increasing the frustration of the people and adding to a sense of desperation? Or will I really present, in my way, the changes that are meaningful for the society and country??

The two other factors were logistics and the sentiments of his four sisters, he said.

?In less than two months, your campaign, organization, strategy, everything, logistics, etc. have to be in place. In the order of priorities, that?s difficult but it is not the first problem,? he said.

?The second is, what about the emotional state, the well-being of my sisters, whom I swore to both protect??

In his public appearances and statements during the wake and funeral of his mother, Noynoy remained calm amid the emotional tensions created by the antagonism between President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Aquino family. Noynoy?s tactful and delicate handling of the quick visit of the President to pay her respects to Cory Aquino didn?t escape public notice. In moments of high stress, Noynoy proved to be laid back in contrast to the flamboyance and aggression of his father.

The question is: Do we need a Benigno Aquino Jr. prototype to lead the country in the post-Arroyo years?