SOME mischievous social media folks have been using a rather funny-sarcastic term when talking about President Noynoy Aquino: Litography. No, they’re not referring to a printing process. They mean someone who is “nalilito” or confused. This is also how they describe themselves with respect to the situation in the Philippines.
Their perceptions are not necessarily accurate. But in this age of FaceBook and Twitter, perception is often considered reality.
Aquino burst into the scene offering such concepts as Tuwid na Daan or Straight Path, No Wang-Wang or equal treatment for all, and Kayo ang Boss or servant-leadership. All these were summed up in his campaign battlecry: “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap.” (If there is no corruption, there is no poverty).
The last was obviously an overpromise, but it resonated with the citizenry. It also created high expectations of the Aquino presidency. Not surprisingly, they are holding him to higher ethical standards. And how he has measured up against the standards have caused confusion on the part of the people. They have also begun to think that Aquino is confused himself. In other words, litography.
When the P10-billion pork barrel scandal exploded, Aquino was inexplicably mute. Unusual for someone who had vowed to lead the charge against government corruption. That left even his loyal supporters wondering why. Litography.
Only when the public outcry gave rise to a “Million People March” did Aquino finally announce that he was “abolishing” the pork barrel. That move was perceived as a last minute attempt to preempt the mass demonstration.
Even more confusing were his subsequent moves. While he claimed to have “abolished” the pork barrel, he also made it known that the slush funds would still be available to legislators. He also declared that he would retain own “pork” – euphemistically called discretionary funds totaling billions.
Up to now, Aquino is still hanging tough on his control over the funds. As a result, in an ironic and confusing twist, the very person expected to lead the charge against the alleged Queen of Pork, Janet Lim-Napoles, has begun to be called The King of Pork. Litography.
That tag may be unwarranted, but Aquino has brought it on himself with his bullheadedness and his refusal to listen to the deafening cry of the citizenry whom he ostensibly considers his Bosses. Now, people are confused about who The Boss really is. Litography.
The pork barrel scam was exposed, no thanks to the sleeping (or cooperating) gatekeepers of the national treasury. But credit should go to Aquino for allowing the justice system to go after the alleged pork barrel plunderers hammer and tongs. And yet, how does one explain why Aquino agreed to have Napoles “surrender” to him in Malacañang, with the apparent acquiescence of Department of Interior & Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas?
To say that Aquino and Roxas left the public confused is an understatement. And even more confusing was the way they both personally escorted Napoles to Camp Crame, and the way Roxas personally arranged the quarters (not a prison cell, mind you) of Napoles. This was perceived as treatment reserved only for VIPs (Very Important Prisoners).
Did Roxas actually believe he would advance his presidential ambitions by being extra solicitous with Napoles? Did Aquino actually believe that he was demonstrating leadership by casting doubt on the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police, virtually suggesting that he did not trust them to keep Napoles safe?
Talk about lithography, the Malacañang surrender caper took the prize.
As it turned out, the worst was yet to come. In an obvious effort to divert attention from his own pork barrel woes, Senator Jinggoy Estrada confirmed what had long been alleged by the defense team of impeached Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona – that “incentives” (a euphemism for bribes) amounting to millions were given to members of the House and the Senate for convicting Corona.
And even worse, the funds are said to have been illegally sourced – in violation of the Constitution, no less. All of the rationalization and spin being done by Aquino, Senate President Frank Drilon, Budget & Management Secretary Butch Abad and the presidential spokespersons to justify the DAP have simply made the litography much worse.
This tendency to send confusing signals actually manifested itself early in Aquino’s presidency.
First was the Luneta hostage crisis. While several high-ranking officials were supposed to have been in charge of the situation, Aquino happened to be right in the middle of it – which meant that the buck stopped with him. Unfortunately, the public perception was that he and the others didn’t know what they were doing. Even more unfortunately, their incompetence resulted in the death of several Hong Kong tourists.
Instituting damage control, Aquino appointed a committee to get to the bottom of the tragedy and to establish accountability. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and the panel did due diligence and submitted their findings to Aquino, including punitive action against certain officials.
For reasons perceived as a contradiction of his No Wang-Wang vow, Aquino disregarded the committee’s recommendations, in effect, letting the erring officials off the hook. The move was perceived as intended to save the scalp of people close to him, including the DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno – a kabarilan (target shooting buddy). .
In truth, these missteps were relatively minor compared to the scandals that dogged Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Erap Estrada early into their terms. But because of the high expectations, when Aquino appeared to be selective in applying his Tuwid na Daan, he began to confuse even his staunch supporters .
To make matters worse, Aquino had given Puno, although an Undersecretary, authority over half of the DILG, at the expense of Secretary Jesse Robredo, a man of impeccable credentials. On top of that, Aquino had inexplicably appointed Robredo only in an acting capacity, and the latter had to run a gauntlet before the Senate Commission on Appointments, being bypassed three times and having no apparent backing from his president.
Yet, when Robredo perished in a plane crash and the entire country realized what a loss he was as a public official and as a human being, his tormentors in the Commission on Appointments began to sing paeans to him, and Aquino began to refer to him as a truly great friend. Naturally, eyebrows were raised at this hypocrisy. Litography.
There have been other confusing moves. Why did Aquino insist on personally overseeing the conflict in Zamboanga yet choose to leave on a foreign trip in the wake of a disaster in the Visayas that claimed many lives and thousands of casualties? Litography.
How could he and his battery of communications specialists, apologists and spokesmen have allowed the first large-scale presidential effort to rid the country of plunderers – clearly deserving praise – to turn into a cause for derision and distrust of his presidency? Litography.
The confusion continues to mount. People have now begun to wonder if Aquino actually makes his own bad decisions or if he get his bad advice from a cordon sanitaire. The same mischievous social media folks even have a new term for the close-in advisers: Roxasputins.
Litography.
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