In Time’s 100 not because of achievements but lineage

We should all congratulate President Aquino for being voted into Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. However, we should all be fully aware of the real reasons he is on the list. If you carefully read the magazine’s write-up on him, it seems that the main reason he is there is his lineage and not his achievements. It makes mention that he ascended to the presidency in 2010 due to national sympathy that arose following the loss of a national hero, who happened to be his mother.

Though it says something about how to make it into Time’s 100, it may have an adverse effect on Philippine progress. In reality, President Aquino not only inherited the legacy of his parents, he also inherited a growing Philippine economy from his predecessor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, which even Fitch alluded to in its investment-grade rating of the Philippines.

President Aquino has yet to achieve any real and significant thing for the country. Sure, he’s done a few things that have benefited a particular party, his Liberal Party in particular, but nothing yet for the masses. It’s pointless to list all the problems in all the different departments of his administration, which are starting to plague his presidency, especially now with the Bureau of Customs and the petroleum smuggling issues. But the problems are real and they are growing in number. The Customs issue comes in the heels of the Sabah crisis and the Atimonan massacre, not to mention the recent NSO (National Statistics Office) survey which noted that poverty in the Philippines has not eased under President Aquino.

President Aquino has been ignoring many problems that the country is facing in order to pursue his personal and politically motivated agendas, including the demolition of his predecessor (Arroyo) and anyone affiliated with her, like former Chief Justice Renato Corona, former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, former PCSO general manager Rosario Uriarte, and retired major general Carlos Garcia, to name a few. Ironically, Time did not mention any of these as reasons for including Mr. Aquino on its list. But Aquino could use his inclusion in Time’s 100 to justify that what he is doing is all right when, again, the truth is far from it.

—DOUGLAS MANALO,

[email protected]