The Man I Hope To Finally See and Respect

The first 72 hours in every disaster relief and rescue operation is the most crucial. It’s when a responsible and speedy reaction is much needed. It was during this most crucial time, the 1st 72 hours, that I was hoping our government leaders have acted more swiftly and responded more responsibly as well.

Dressed in yellow through campaign and crisis: President Noynoy Aquino

Dressed in yellow through campaign and crisis: President Noynoy Aquino

No, I was not expecting for a Superman. All I wanted to see then in our leader was:

SUPPORT INDEPENDENT SOCIAL COMMENTARY!
Subscribe to our Substack community GRP Insider to receive by email our in-depth free weekly newsletter. Opt into a paid subscription and you'll get premium insider briefs and insights from us.
Subscribe to our Substack newsletter, GRP Insider!
Learn more

1. A compassionate father of this nation reassuring its people and rallying for unity and cooperation—one that is representing RP and not just LP

2. A commander-in-chief with some sense of urgency—one who will promptly deploy our armed forces to promptly assist in the clearing, rescue, and relief operation

3. A manager who knows his priorities and promptly organizing a network of inter-agency committees and task forces

4. A listener who is not too proud to enlist the help of other experts outside LP and outside his current cabinet members whenever necessary

5. A man exercising humility and wisdom and willing to evaluate objectively and accept some good suggestions and constructive criticisms

What I saw instead:

1. A 50 y/o boy who told everyone that we are ready and we have all the necessary ‘toys’: 3-C130, 32-helicopters, and 20-ships (please, don’t ask me now how many of these were actually made available)

2. A 50 y/o boy and his dear playmate blaming Tacloban officials for the lack of response when 95% of them were badly affected.

3. A 50 y/o boy distributing bottles of mineral water for photo ops in his ever so bright yellow shirts

4. A 50 y/o boy and his playmate responding to critics and trying to convince the world that “the government’s response has been reassuring to the people”

5. A 50 y/o boy firing a chief superintendent and busy downplaying the death toll for whatever reason (and did I hear it right? anybody who is unidentified is not counted as dead!)

6. A 50 y/o boy telling the media to ‘accurately’ report the event (or better make him look good despite the documented evidence to the contrary, or else!)

Some mathematicians are talking about the S curve and the reality of ‘work’ where the initial and final phases often always move at turtle pace. But see, the situation is not just an ordinary task or usual construction project—where the ‘contractors’ normally take their own sweet time and sometimes even intentionally delay the job in order to earn more. This was a relief and rescue operation where SPEED is of utmost essence, for it can mean life and death of hundreds of thousands survivors. The pace of a construction project, more than just the owner’s financial resources, largely depends on the intention, leadership, and resolved of the contractor. (i.e. when we had our house renovated, most contractors said it will take 120-150 work days to finish. I did not accept and did not hire them instead. To cut the long story short, we ended up finishing the renovation in less than 45 days). It is pretty much so in a relief operation. There are tons and tons of relief goods still in the warehouses of DSWD and warehouses of those large TV networks and mostly have yet to be distributed–as that’s how they work. But then, there are also the more efficient and determined NGOs and private groups (ours included) who managed to have responded quickly and distributed the relief goods as early as Nov 10-14. Again, I say, the pace can only be as slow as we accept them to be. And in this case, we cannot afford to wait ‘til kingdom come.

The Commander-in-Chief going hands-on for the cameras

The Commander-in-Chief going hands-on for the cameras

For goodness sake, we do not need to see our leader doing the actual distribution of bottled water for photo ops—or at least, not on the 1st most crucial 72 hours. We do not need to hear his whining, complaining, and non-stop blaming of the LGU—again, at least not on the most crucial time, in the same way many of us, private citizens, declared a self-imposed ceasefire for 5 days just to focus on the relief operation.

What I wanted to see is a leader on top of the strategic planning & large scale operation for relief, rescue, recovery, and rehabilitation efforts. What most of us wanted to see is a leader that is tough yet exercises prudence, humility, and compassion. What I wanted to see is leader whose heart and mind is bigger than his ego and much bigger than his mouth.

What I saw was a boy sporting his bright yellow outfit in the midst of death and misery… What I saw was a boy leading the LP—hostile, if not vindictive, to his political opponents… What I saw was a boy who cannot stop from blaming and criticizing others to cover his shortfall, yet unwilling to accept criticisms… What I saw was a boy with seemingly very little emotion and compassion—stoic to the sufferings of many…

And while I grieve for the thousands of lives lost brought forth by this super typhoon, I cannot help but to also grieve for the lack of leadership our nation has at this time…

I can only pray that the BOY I saw over the last 10 days will soon grow up and be the kind of MAN I hope to see, and yes, respect…

(Note: I know some people will bash me for this and call me names and treat me like an enemy of the state. But I said this once and I’ll say it again, my loyalty to my President ends where the welfare of my fellowmen begins… I only shared with you what I wanted to see and what I saw… Again, my eyes may not be as clear nor as blinded as the others… So please, instead of telling me to shut up or bashing me online, just share instead what you wanted to see in your leader against what you actually saw… And together, let us pray fervently for him and for our beloved nation…)

76 Replies to “The Man I Hope To Finally See and Respect”

  1. Well said, Aunt Mary! I believe you spoke for many of us. Indeed, our president is a little boy, and little boys should not be president. I don’t know if we can afford to wait for him to grow up on the job, especially in these crucial times for our country.

  2. Your points are right on, Aunt Mary. We cannot wait for this boy to grow-up. Let’s just give him a good ass whipping for pretending to be a grown-up. Maybe use, Korina’s slippers on top of Mar’s sack of onions.

  3. What you wanted to see was a man who had a concrete list of priorities by getting to help the beleaguered civilians in the storm-stricken areas by acceptable and genuine means.

    What you saw was a 50-year-old boy who high-tailed it out of there the moment the Supreme Court declared Pork Barrel unconstitutional. He took 2 days to get to Tacloban, only 2 hours to return to the capitol, if the news articles are credible.

  4. we Filipinos had to only blame but ourselves. This is happen when you had leaders who were never taught the value of LEADERSHIP AND INITIATIVE. That Extra effort that someone puts to seperate from Mediocrity. Our nation is run by what do you expect softies who at a young age were never taught discipline by their parents. Slacking around. Just let the housekeeper or should i say KATULONGS and look at the results and consequence. LEADERS who doesn’t have balls born out of weak upbringing. The MAMAS BOYS Kind of thing. Most Filipinos were never taught that and look at how the country turns out. A DYSFUNCTIONAL SOCIETY FULL OF INEPT LEADERS WITH NO CLEAR CONCISE VISION OF HOW TO RUN A COUNTRY.

    1. A MAMA’s BOY forever, he WAS MADE that way, perhaps being an UNICO HIJO!

      BUT,
      WILL NEVER GROW UP because MOMMA IS GONE! And perhaps again, he might still be WEARING his diaper?

      I CAN ONLY BLAME those GREEDY, those HUNGRY for POWER, for making him their PAWN! They’re AWARE and they KNEW that this guy KNOWS NOTHING!

      At the same time, this might ALSO be our WAKE UP CALL, to be VIGILANT next time!

      Meanwhile, we can only sigh! Yes, we’re disgusted for we wanted ACTION from that
      person WHO they made their president! At least, the WHOLE WORLD now KNOWS WHAT we HAVE! YES, like what CaptJoe25 said, WE HAVE an INEPT LEADER(???) or JUST a -FOLLOWER(!!!)

      This guy, WAS NOT BORN a LEADER, BUT ONLY A FOLLOWER! That’s the most lamentable TRUTH!

      Nevertheless, THANK YOU, Aunt Mary for sharing your insights! YOU just wrote WHAT I WANTED to tell the WORLD! And you made it easy for me explaining it to some of my friends that cared for us! BLESS YA, INDEED!

      .❥.PEACE, ☮ LIGHT, LOVE & BLESSINGS.❀.
      ♥♥♥ GOD BLESS US —COUNTRY and ALL!.♥♥♥.

  5. very well said Aunt Mary.

    I personally think, It is all coming back to us, we voted for them (our government officials). So we reap what we sow. We have nothing to blame, but ourselves. so sad bad true 🙁

    Let’s just pray for our beloved Philippines.

  6. has anybody seen the Nuremburg Trial. I compare our Senate and Congress as the NAZIS. Everyone of THEM should be tried. LET THE PHILIPPINE PEOPLE WITNESS ALL THE ATROCIOUS ACTS THAT were commited by these Low life Buffoons. Crimes against Humanity, Dereliction of Duty and Treason to the Filipinos. HANG ALL OF THEM!!!

    1. The problem is, where can we hold their trials? Our Justice System is in cahoots with these buffoons already. Its really sad and frustrating. We need a full overhaul.

  7. well said and i agree, but then you see— i read somewhere sometime ago… that Leaders are like Eagles, they dont flock, they come one a time…
    unfortunately, our leader is not an eagle but a little bird lost in the game he played and still plays..I pray God bless the Philippines.

  8. “Ye shall know the Truth. And, the Truth shall make you free.” From the mouth of the greatest preacher of all times: Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
    Mr. Aquino grew up, with “silver spoon” on his mouth. He has always servants , to take care of his needs. He never worked , like us, to earn his livelihood.
    So, when disasters come. He avoids responsibility, by crawling to his Hole, in Malacanang Palace. After , the smoke is cleared. He comes out from his HOLE; for photo opportunities. Then, blame other people for the work he refuses to do. After which, his “YellowTard Media Strike Force” will take over; to repair any damage done to his image. And, to demonize his critics. Or whoever is against him (real or imagined). This is the Boy, you elected. Like Peter Pan, he never grew up.

  9. It is pretty obvious if our own area is hit by a natural disaster; we are on our own for at least two weeks. If we have been provident enough to put away the necessary water and canned food; who is going to protect us from the hungry mobs who will break into our homes and steal what we have? It is a pretty grim picture. It is only a matter of time until a super storm hits the Manila area. What contingency plans has the federal govt. and the mayor of Manila drawn up to deal with that future crisis?

    1. Your thiughts are grim, but true! This is a result of years of neglect and lack of planning. Many people cannot afford to do that because they are too poor, barely able to affford a days meal. Do we expect saving for rainy days? Many Filipinos live barely humanely possible, and that is a shame on everyone of us. These people do not deserve this…

  10. Since when is “indefinite”, 48 hours.
    Clearly pnoys slush/bribery fund/pdaf is more important to him than yolanda/filipinos.
    without it his power will quickly evaporate

  11. That’s what you get, by electing a person because of his/her name. And not, of his qualifications. We elect people, like products are identified thru their trademarks. Humans are not mass produced species. Everyone of us, is unique…some slow learners…some fast to comprehend. Some have many qualifications…some…none at all. Except their popularity, pretty or handsome faces, and family names. Now, we have family dynasties.

  12. wearing his ever present yellow ribbon pnoy aquino asks people to unite.
    threatening local officials pnoy aquino asks people not to blame.
    firing a policeman for a valid remark pnoy aquino speaks of transparency
    saying he will stay at tacloban indefinitely pnoy aquino takes the next plane out

    clearly irony is lost on this dunderhead.

  13. AUNT MARY, you are a SWEETHEART and I enjoyed and agreed with every bit of what you said. I do want to point out that faith without works is dead though.
    So, along with those prayers let us see some bona fide ACTION from these weasels with their hands on the keys to the treasury. Yes, and if they can not get their collective acts in gear….’lets get ’em out’,
    in the immortal words of the late great Lou Reed, ‘ON THE DIRTY BOULEVARD!’.

  14. He is now seen with Mar giving away bottled water. Is that really what us, taxpayers pay him to do? Such a waste of resources.

    Really, this idiot finds even the smallest way in which to appear as “doing something”. Which makes me wonder, who the hell is running the country, now that he is in dispose giving away relief goods?

    1. so okay Mr. Genius, why don’t you try to be the President of the Philippines for a day? I don’t know if you are a pinoy but I wish you had the decency to respect the position of this “50 year old boy” in my country. If you are so clever why cant you write English properly. What do you mean by “now that he is in dispose giving away relief goods? GET A LIFE for goodness sake!

      1. hey, why don’t you try and make me a president for a day?! im going to accept that challenge and im going fix y’all filipinos – i will unfcuk you! and you will learn to use your heads! you will obey the law! i will discipline every single one of you! But until that day you are pukes. You are the lowest form of life on Earth.

      2. What’s wrong with you? Do you really think that what Pnoy is doing enough? Do you really think Pnoy is a president we should respect? You can’t tell someone to get a life for commenting on an article, it doesn’t take long at all and we all have our opinions. As far as i see it, a lot of Filipinos are losing respect for the president already. Stop sucking his balls, you won’t get a single cent, he’s far too greedy to share. 😛

      3. The thing, Gemie, is this, if I somebody with a brain ran for president, would you idiots even vote for that guy, nope, you chose to vote for the idiot with dead truoblemakers as parents.

        Idiot!

      4. Respect? How can you expect people to respect a person who hasn’t done enough as a public servant to his/her country?
        Respect is a dangerous thing to discuss. You’re such a fool to demand respect.

    2. look at the political historic facts. Leyte is Imelda, Romualdez territory, political enemy of Aquinos. the disaster has been politicized? The Prez knows that Plan A (local govt didn’t work) Plan B (Provincial gov’t did’nt work). Does he not have Plan C? (national gov’t) He should have called the military and all the reservist in Luzon and Mindanao to clear the roads and pick up the dead on the 2nd or 3rd day as well as aid. He does not have leadership. Slow, slow, slow. The international community acted faster than the gov’t of the Prez.

  15. The fact that the Japs are sending filipino (Tagalog) speaking Japanese to the area is a manifestation of lack of coordination (Because we really need one more relief goods distributor and traffic aide there) ….

    nobody bothered to appoint liasons to the foreign support on the ground.

    of course the Japs doesn’t know that they speak an entirely different language in Leyte,… *facepalm*
    – Hey at least they are trying to be efficient

    Well we can always blame bad luck, unexpected and unforseen circumstances, lack of heavy equipment yada yada….

    here’s a story…

    in 1944, The US landed 4 armed divisions in the exact same area… under Japanese fire… was able to control the situation before nightfall…
    (obviously using equipment available at the time…)

    They are able to feed logistically the civilians, their own men, with enough food, ammunition, medical supplies, engineering support, etc etc..

    because they were ready…
    preparations for the invasion was made months ahead of time…
    – Hey we didn’t know a super typhoon is coming!
    – Err we get 20 of those every year!

  16. Pnoy aquino has diarrhea of the mouth, and constipation of ideas.
    Kris aquino has gonorrhea of the vagina, and flatulence of self-importance

    The most intelligent thing to come out of either mouth was a penis, and the most intelligent thing to come out of kris aquino’s vagina was josh aquino!!

    Bereft of intellect, initiative, or integrity, the aquino cockroaches should be subjected to pest control. What an insidious and self-serving bunch of effluence the aquinos really are.

    In the first world they would have been flushed down the toilet long ago. Not acceptable in decent society.

    If they ate alphabet soup, their sh!t would be make more sense than they do.
    The most intelligent thing they could now do is, shut it.

    “You prove your worth with your
    actions, not with your mouth.”
    Jean Paul

    1. IRL at your comment, but I agree. Enough of this pile of BS. And now, another Aquino is being groomed to be the president, the BIMBI! Omg, see the donut commercial? So distasteful,I must say. I now hate that donut.

      1. fortunately i have not seen it, but i would not dunk anything in an aquino donut.
        shame james yap is such a weakling and not being a real father.
        bimby will end up as screwed up as the rest of the brand aquinos.

    2. how much did you get paid for the painstaking time you wasted in typing this insolent piece of shit? maybe it will do you a lot of good to stuff your piece of shit in your foul mouth.

      1. @ Gemie: It only took me no less than 20 minutes to recount what I saw and express sincerely what’s in my heart. I

        Now, instead of bashing me and every one here, why don’t you write here what you actually saw. Maybe, nust maybe, we can learn from you too… As I love my country with all my heart, I surely would want to hear and see more good things than bad about our president…

        This piece which you alone call shit but liked amd shared by many does not even intend to bash the President. Criticize him, yes. Bash him, no. At the end of the day, I pray for the day where I can finally see in him the kind of man and leader that he promised to be… Peace.

        1. @Aunt Mary:
          Those who voted for Mr. Aquino, were really disappointed. Mr. Aquino, on his own free will, ran for President. Was he clueless, as he is now? What the responsibility of being the President of 98 million Filipinos? Maybe, he was, since , all he did in the government service was sleep, or being always passive. People has never seen any significant laws or programs, he contributed. All he did was: protect his Hacienda Luisita; promote his family business interests, flaunt his name as Aquino ,etc…People like you are not just disappointed. They are outraged. Because, this Charlatan, has bitten more than he can chew. Lessons for future candidates for government positions. People are waking up. They demand good services, in exchange for their hard earned tax money. Ass lickers or pretenders who misinform us. Then, appeal to our emotions, have no place on this Website…anyway, how did Ricky Carandang, became Aunt Mary? Did he have sex change recently?

        2. To Hyden Toro:

          Nagkakamali ka yata ng inaaway at inaakusahang Aunt Mary is ‘Ricky Carandang’. Hehe. You just might want to read again to better understand–before you say a word again against the writer of this article… Peace…

        3. First off, welcome aboard, Aunt Mary.

          As-salaam alaykum.

          Very nice for a debut article, indeed.

          Second, don’t mind idiot trolls like that idiot gemie. They make internet life more interesting, but no need to put much effort into responding to them 😛

      2. @gemie

        You should go outside yourself and read the news. Firing a police superintendent over a death count is unfair and to think MALI pa nga sa Noynoy who claimed 2000 LANG ang namatay sa bagyo, LOL. The death count is much, much higher now. To be fair what if the tables were turned and Noynoy was fired for his own death count (which was not based on any statistics anyway). He downplayed the death toll on CNN and fired a police superintendent.

        People like you should get over the Yellow Zombie Disease.

      3. Why is it that you guys insist that when your president is criticized, the critic is paid? Just where does that idiotic logic come from? Maybe you don’t know, that when people point out flaws, then maybe, it should be acted upon positively? These are voices of the people to be listened to, and if you think otherwise, then you are an imbecile.

  17. Its funny that the defenders of the yellow bastards tend to be the most vocal critics of the administration critics yet their great yellow king is actually one of the first to blame others. The irony.

  18. Argh my apologies my first comment did not made any sense. What I meant was, the defenders of Pnoy and his administration tend to forget that it was Noynoy himself who were one first people who started the blame game.

  19. You sympathized so much with the Aquino family. I knew Pnoy didn’t earn all intelligent votes last election. Some of these were votes of symphaty for the so called Cory legacy. You’d think the son would do what the father and the mother left? Of course not! He has his own mind… As for Kris, this is the most relevant time she could open her tactless mouth and support her brother.

      1. her english may not be good but at least she’s not guilty if stupid vote unlike you. and do you think that having a good english does it necessarily means common sense or having a good analytical skills?

  20. This man you are talking about (Aquino) I hope will no longer govern this country. He’s incapable, incompetent and lacking of any empathy or loyalty to the people.

      1. To Germie: what exactly what the point of your reply to my comment? My point was this: Aquino is incompetent and incapable of true leadership esp in times of crisis. I said he lacks (kulang) of empathy and loyalty to our fellow countrymen. I said that I hope he will no longer govern our country (perhaps stand down or be removed).

        I would suggest that before you tap away on your keyboard and rubbish the subscriber’s comments, you read it properly and reflect on what they are trying to say and how this meant to them and many others. You did nothing but disrespect others as if yours is the only intelligent opinion and the only one that matters

        Well…guess what? the way you express yourself here shows a character who is clearly rude,hostile and so unintelligent who is obviously blinded by foolish loyalty to this “50 year old boy” .

    1. Unfortunately for you, only a minority of the people share your views. The majority chose to count their blessings instead, like the record-breaking GDP, the fight against corruption where for the first time, big fishes are in jail, slow but improving modernization of the AFP, etc.

    1. Better check the Phil. constitution my dear before asking the Filipino people a stupid question. Aquino’s term will be finished by next election; ergo, he can not run anymore, gets mo?

      1. Now i can’t understand Gemie why you’re defending Noynoy when he cannot run for presidency anymore. But i understand now why president noynoy aquino is now showing to the whole world how incompetent he is as a leader and how competent he is to become the leading man for kris aquino’s next movie or just sitting in the studio with kris. Gemie tuta ka pala sa mga aquino. did you get a sports car from them? o kaya’y gaya rin ni napoles?

  21. nakakahi na sa buong mundo ang kurakot ng mga nasa goberno sa Pinas,kahit patay nag bu vote pag dating ng elections.

  22. mga corrupts na sa government, gusto kong ipa alam sa inyo na kung pagnanakaw at pang luluko ang pinapakain nyo sa inyong mga ANAK at APO, paglaki nyan masama rin katulad nyo?

  23. I am starting to believe my friend mayor who was once a member of congress and who used to be sitting beside this 50 year old boy. He said this colleague of his is INCOMPETENT… even as a congressman. He has done nothing there except to be present for the roll call and then disappear. What are we expecting from him then, now that he is a president?

  24. Wake up! People should find leaders like Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago and Mayor Duterte who really love our country and not people who are busy protecting their hacienda or filling their pockets thru PDAF and DAF.
    BANGON PILIPINAS!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.