Aquino "seeks God" and finds presidency
Manila - After an arduous nine-month trek, the man who "sought God first” before running for the Philippine presidency is about to have his prayers answered.
Vote tallies from Monday's presidential elections continue to be validated. But barring any major surprises, Senator Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III will likely be the Republic’s 15th president.
The only son of the late President Corazon Aquino and martyr Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., Noynoy sensed early on that he needed to be on God’s side if he is to make a difference in a country his late father said was “worth dying for.”
Shortly after his mother's death, Aquino took a prayerful retreat at one of his mother's favorite monasteries. It was there Aquino committed fully to the presidential race, and seemingly made the right choice.
His closest rival, Senator Manuel Villar, has already conceded to Aquino’s victory, after finishing third, according to partial official results released by the Commission on Elections.
Deposed President, Joseph Ejercito Estrada, who dreamed of “recapturing” the presidency which he claims was stolen from him, has yet to accept his defeat even though Aquino is running ahead of him by at least two million votes.
A Four-hour Ordeal
After a grueling nine-month march in the presidential race, Aquino’s patience was tested further when he had wait in line for another four long hours in the summer heat to cast his vote on election day. The only automated counting machine (Precinct Count Optical Machine or PCOS) in his precinct had bogged down, and it took several hours to fix before Aquino and the other voters could use it.
He even managed to hold a press briefing because of the long wait. Despite his “misfortune” he told reporters he was optimistic the breakdown of the machine in his precinct was “an isolated case.”
Unfortunately, it was not an exceptional case at all. At least 300 of the PCOS machines failed all over the country. This was the Philippines first-ever automated polls, and observers weren’t sure whether it was just “birth pains” or whether the poll body and the service provider, Smartmatic, bungled their preparations.
Despite the long wait and the intense heat of day, Noynoy along with other voters finally cast their votes around 2pm, after waiting since 10am.
Victory over Corruption?
Aquino's self-described effort to "seek God" is a reference to a verse in the Bible, Matthew 6:33, which says “seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
With this election, Filipinos made it clear that the things they would like added to their lives include economic prosperity, investments and job opportunities.
Voters also decried corruption, which is a particularly devastating problem for Philippine government and which has damaged the country's international reputation.
TIME Magazine sort of prophesied a “Noynoy win” just a month ago, when it made Noynoy the cover story, titled “The Next Aquino.
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I am a proud Filipino also, a Filipino who wants change in this naiton…As far as we talk about the next leader of our naiton, everyone can be the change. Not just Noynoy has the Integrity, Courage, and Freedom. I also believe that everyone has those characters. If I am going to vote for Villar, I also believe that he is not enough. He also needs everyone, who will vote for him, to achieve the change they’re hoping and looking for. See? We protest a lot to Gordon and to the others about their different issues and allegations but they also need our support not our complaints. If we want to change our naiton “dapat noon pa” and that is obviously LATE “nagkaroon na ng ilang ulit na lantarang pagnanakaw at panloloko sa mga tao” and yet there’s nothing changed, very LATE. But I have faith that this will be the last chance to get the real CHANGE we’re hoping for. It’s not just all about the characters and the knowledge of the leader, but most of the time, it’s all about the PEOPLE, people who will decide if they want change. “Kung manalo man si Noy o si Villar o kung sino mang tumatakbo sa eleksyon, pero kung hindi naman tayo tutulong at makiki-isa, wala ring pagbabagong mangyayari!” Now, we will see where we are going put that POWER. And at the end “Kung sino ang may maraming sumu-suporta at naniniwala ang syang magwawagi! At kung sino man ‘yon, igalang, suportahan, tulungan, at maki-isa para makamit natin ang nina-nais na pagbabago”. Mabuhay ang mga Pilipino!Haha, napahaba ata. Whew! First time voter, exited na ko bumoto…Ang Ganda ng site mo Sr. Bon. Mapapadalas ako dito.--Bons: Thanks Eldon, congrats uli sayo Newly Grad! at SumaCumlaude pa! astig!! anyways, salamat sa pagbisita dito at sa maganda mong comment! noted lahat yan! =)