"Kayo ang boss ko": Noynoy's epic cop-out

-
The Aquino Family Newsletter flashes a headline today whose oxymoronism will probably all but escape the vacuous sensibilities of its readership. Kayo ang boss ko ("You all are my boss"). That, in essence is the epic cop out of new Philippine President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.

It is a statement that panders to populist sentiment but is devoid of tangible meaning. What exactly does it mean when the most powerful man of the land says that the "people" are his boss? Nothing much. This moronism draws heavily from the vacuous Edsa "revolution" concept that underpins what passes off as the Aquinoist's "ideology" -- that power "emanates" from the people and that the Edsa "revolution" of 1986 was a phenomenon that manifested a raw but "pure" form of "people" power. So much has this concept been perverted to political ends that it is seen to be a legitimate means for the expressing the people's "will" in addition to the recognised channels: elections and representation via elected representatives in the legislature.

So I say to the Inquirer.net, not so fast, dudes. "Boss" in the true sense of someone who directs a subordinate's actions does not exist in the relationship between the President and his constitutents. Rather, the President (and for that matter, any elected official) is given the mandate to lead and direct his people. In this mandate is enshrined the people's confidence in the elected official to use his own better judgment to guide his actions, his leadership, and the directives he issues.

By saying that the Filipino people are his "boss", Noynoy makes a lame attempt to bat accountability back to what, in essence, is an abstraction. Epic fail, Mr President. As with most chief executives, the buck stops at your office. Deal with it. There is no "boss" as far as you are concerned. As your own family mouthpiece editorialised on its top headlined news report:
It was a speech without the usual abstract platitudes but replete with must-do things.

Indeed, Mr President. So you must.

[Note: Boldface formatting on quotes added by author of this comment for emphasis.]

Comments

  1. Anonymous1:48 am, April 24, 2011

    ever since every president has their own slogan, so its just a slogan, those are all flowers to the ears of those panatics to noynoy, woe to those who do not believe in him. An objective ruler does'nt have to be a poet, poets only talks too much and talks of impossible things too, to make people laugh.
    An objective ruler works more, than words.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular this week

Filipinos cannot progress if they cannot follow even simple guidelines

-
Image
A noted blog commentator once made an assertion that the Philippines will never be a great nation unless Filipinos learn to live by the principle of the "rule of law". Indeed, some people even insist that none of the calls by certain sectors of Philippine society for a system change like a shift from a Presidential to a Parliamentary system or even constitutional amendments will work to uplift the status of the nation because Filipinos simply cannot follow the "rule of law."
Read more

Google Philippines' Top 20 most influential Filipino women

-
Image
I recently got a load of Google's list of most "influential" Filipinas (Filipino women) for 2010. The list is utterly dominated by performers along with a handful of notable exceptions: Senator Miriam Santiago (no. 10), Doris Dumlao (journalist, no. 12), Monique Lhullier (designer, no. 17), and Korina Sanchez (journalist, no. 19). These 20 ladies supposedly "grabbed the greatest online mindshare in 2010". So presumably, they reflect the substance of the Filipino collective mind.
Read more

Roundabouts to "solve" Manila traffic - a microcosm of flawed Filipino thinking

-
Image
Roundabouts (or "rotundas" as they are more commonly known as in the Philippines) are being touted by the cash-strapped Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) as "an alternative measure to ease traffic congestion". According to a "simulation study", the MMDA foresees a "200% increase in the speed" of areas where roundabouts can be successfully implemented. ABS-CBN News reports that MMDA spokesperson Tina Velasco expects the following specific benefits coming from the increased use of roundabouts in Metro Manila's intersections:
Read more