A ray of sun in a rainy day
On June 30, 2010, President-elect Benigno Simeon C. Aquino II was sworn in as the 15th President of the Republic. A day earlier, the PAGASA forecasted that it would be rainy that day but many defied the warning and still went to the Quirino Grandstand to witness the inauguration ceremony. The ceremony went well and the weather was cooperative – no rain, just a bit cloudy and humid. The extremes would have spoiled the whole event.
People from all walks of life joined the incoming President in Luneta for the event. Many came from the provinces, as far as Leyte and Tarlac. Some came all the way from California just to witness the victory of the person they have almightily supported during the campaigns.
It was the first time I witnessed a Presidential turn-over – from the ceremonial and traditional fetch by the incoming President of the outgoing President in Malacanang, to the last descent of the outgoing President from the stairs of Malacanang, to the joint ride of the 2 Presidents in the Presidential car with vehicle plate number 1, to the oath-taking of the incoming President, to the delivery of inaugural speech, to the military welcome at the Malacanang ground, and to his first official ascent to the Malacanang Hall as the new Head of the State.
The whole event could be described as poignant, touching, heartrending yet in good spirits and full of hope and promises. As the new President said in his speech, he never dreamt of being in such a position to lead people out of misery. All he wanted was a simple life and go through what simple and ordinary people experience every day. Before the death of his mother, former President Cory, I believe that President Noynoy was indeed a simple person with simple dreams and a simple lifestyle. He never figured quite prominently as a student, and even as a Congressman and a Senator. He was never controversial, neither was he popular and famous. Remove the Ninoy and Cory factors in his life, James Yap could easily become more popular than him. Yet, because of the turn of events or – as some people would call it - fate, he suddenly finds himself with the enormous and gargantuan task of leading a nation long abused, corrupted and exploited of its moral values, good conduct and vast resources.
President Noynoy must be so overwhelmed and could still be in awe as he now occupies the top post and faces the challenges – as well as the honor, bliss and ecstasy - that come with it. Yet, I know that he is not so naïve not to know what he is supposed to do with the country of which he has been called to serve. He knows the plight of the people - the sad realities that they have to tackle and the burden that each one carries each day. It sounds so familiar when he asked the crowd if they have experienced common specific unpleasant situations, and he added “ako rin” (me too) 3 times! He was just short of asking whether the crowd also experienced to swim in an ocean of garbage and to spend a christmas in the streets. But, of course, that’s another matter and he won’t be able to say “ako rin” (even if other people could, at least, pretentiously!). The point is that he said he knows by heart the problems that we all face – the wang-wang, the traffic lights, the counter flows, etc., but more importantly the inefficiencies in delivering services which were brought about by the mistakes, the shortcomings, and the excesses of past administrations.
President Noynoy did not pretend to have all the solutions to all the problems that we face as a nation, and he did acknowledge that he cannot do them alone. His motivation to do better is the trust given to him by the people, as he said “hindi ko sasayangin ang tiwalang ito na binigay niyo sa akin”. I never had a genuine admiration to President Noynoy but when he said this, I saw in him without daring to literally look at his face a simple man being transformed into a great leader. If he allows himself to be used by his Divine Creator to heal this nation and not by anybody else with their individual vested interests, and surround himself with trustworthy servants of the people, he would certainly be able to surpass the achievements of his mother and any of those who came before him, and much more, to make that democracy installed by former President Cory 24 years ago work for the betterment of this nation.
The ceremony was just an event. The inaugural speech could be just a whole set of words nicely and precisely put together to deliver an expression of gratitude for the votes, an articulation of the obvious, and a verbalization of what people always wanted to hear. Yet, June 30, 2010 ushered in a ray of hope for a brighter tomorrow. Getting rid of an unpopular – not necessarily inutile - administration brings in so much idealism and optimism. By consequence, President-elect Noynoy – simple as he is – unwittingly became the symbol of that hope. As he took this as an opportunity for him to prove that positive and desirable change could be effected in this nation, it should also be an opportunity for us to extend our unwavering support and do our own part to make such change happen.
Let’s not waste this chance; we have waited for it for several years. We continue to be vigilant and be active participants of such change.
We earnestly want that this hope to come alive.
Feel free to send your comments to nic_agustin@yahoo.com.
