Review Asia Magazine,Philippine Politics, Aquino, Marcos

PHILIPPINE POLLS 2010

THE LOST YEARS: Footage from tapes left behind by the Marcoses after they were booted out in 1986 shows the regime’s disconnection with the people.

Prequel to a sequel Bathed in the saintly glow of Cory
Aquino, her son Noynoy is set for
the presidency. But the Marcoses are also busy rebuilding their political
dynasty, with Imelda leading the way

EDITOR’S NOTE: The most exciting thing about the 10 May Philippine national elections is that they’re arguably the most boring in the country’s history. Within an hour or so after the last voter had left at 7pm, most polling precincts in this country of 50 million electors (out of a population of about 90 million) have already done their counting and called it a day, leaving reporters, candidates and their erstwhile rambunctious supporters to twiddle their thumbs nervously while awaiting conked-out computers to shake themselves awake and modems to zip results across the archipelago’s 7,107 islands. Several news anchormen, conditioned by decades of electoral mayhem, had to pester their field reporters to track down poll-related violence or cheating – anything to spice up the day’s news. Not that the country’s first automated elections were bloodless. In fact, close to 15 killings were reported, along with several cases of harassment and, thankfully, shining stories of heroism, with ordinary citizens protecting the ballot boxes with their bodies. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. Take the political fortunes of the two most prominent Philippine political dynasties. The Aquino clan is set to produce its second national president with Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III (his mother, Corazon ‘Cory’ Aquino, who died of colorectal cancer on 1 August 2009, served as head of state from 1986 to 1992). Meanwhile, the clan’s archrival – the Marcoses – are tipped to corner several key political positions, including a congressional seat for the 81-year-old former first lady Imelda, a gubernatorial office for daughter Imee, and a senatorial post for the Marcos scion, Bongbong. What’s next? Well, it wouldn’t be farfetched to see a dynastic showdown in the next presidential elections in 2016, this time between Bongbong Marcos and the media-savvy Aquino daughter, Kris. The following story, by Manila-based Lito Zulueta, is one of our earlier reports that puts into context the rivalry that has riveted the country – if not the world – and added color to Philippine political life, for better and for worse. DropText_O

wing to its deep Spanish colonial heritage, the Philippines is considered the Latin nation of Asia. But it’s a bit of a paradox that for all of the machismo associated with Latino culture, the Philippines is, according to a United Nations report, ahead of other countries not only in Asia but also the rest of the world in giving women key leadership positions in industry and government. Proof of this is that it has had two women presidents – Corazon “Cory” Aquino (1986-1992) and outgoing president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2001-2010). The latter may stride the world stage and figure in the global media once in a while (often because of the corruption scandals periodically hounding her administration), but as far as the world is concerned, there are only two Filipino women of global renown and influence – Aquino and Imelda Marcos.