Noynoy wins Presidential Race
After a long and fiercely fought campaign process, the Philippines have elected a new president. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, riding off of his parents’ fame and status as ‘champions of the people’ will be taking the role of the nation’s head of state.
Picture: http://ricelander.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/selling-noynoy/
It will be interesting to see how the next few years unfold in the Philippines. In reality, Noynoy jumped into the presidential election quite late, and did so simply because of the persuasion of Aquino supporters after the death of his mother, former President Cory Aquino. Will the Aquino fad, this swell of support that has become known as the “Noynoy Phenomenon,” live up to the promises that it has been hyped up to include?
I, for one, am optimistic. Already, Noynoy’s winning of the election has inspired Filipinos everywhere to, once again, cheer for “People Power.” A friend mentioned to me that, “Yeah, [Noynoy] only ran because of the hype his mom’s passing brought, but even with that in mind, if I were in the Philippines I wouldn’t have voted for anyone else.” And I can’t help but agree with her. You could call it good-timing, or you could call it taking advantage of a tragic event, but either way, something has made Noynoy Aquino president. And with the Filipinos around me, I will gladly see the promise in that, because if you can’t be at least a little inspired by your political leaders, then there is really no hope for change.
