No money for 2010, Noynoy wants people to fuel campaign

With a limited time and a net worth less than P15 million, Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III admits that he won’t be able to launch a successful presidential campaign that will cost him about P3 to 5 billion. But he says that if he finally decides to run for the highest post, he will not campaign the “traditional way." Just like his mother Corazon Aquino who became president through people power, Noynoy also wants his electoral campaign run and supported by the people through “volunteerism." “If I am to run a traditional campaign at this point in time, let us not run the campaign anymore, it’s too late. If this is the campaign based on what the people wanted, they will run the campaign…And perhaps at a certain point in time, if we are on the true course then they will provide for the things that…. politicians would have to pay for," he said. The senator, who had asked for at least a week before coming out with his decision for the 2010 polls, said only the people’s support from the campaign to the governance stage would embolden him to seek the highest post in the land. “Mangangahas lang naman ako dito kung ang nakararami ay maninindigan at tutulungan ako (I will only dare push through with this if the majority will take a stand and help me) “Beyond the campaign, pagdating ba nung governance, eh tapos na kami ha, bahala ka na? Eh di balik na naman tayo sa bahala ka na… makintab na ‘yung bumbunan ko bago ko matapos yung term, at matatagalan yung dapat kalagyan natin," he added. (Beyond the campaign when we go into actual governance, will the people say their role is finished and it is now up to me? Then it’s ‘to each his own’ again…I’ll have a shiny pate even before I finish my term, and it will take time before we reach our goal.)
Government data show that in 2001, Noynoy’s declared net worth as Tarlac representative was P10.4 million. After seven years, when he was already at the Senate, Aquino’s declared net worth increased by 37 percent to P13.9 million. Of the 23 senators, he was ranked 16th, with Sen. Manuel Villar topping the list with a declared net worth of over P1 billion. In 2004, the declared net worth of Cory’ son was P12.6 million or about one-sixth of the P74.4 million declared net worth of presidential son and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey" Arroyo in the same year. Noynoy and Mikey both belong to haciendero families of Tarlac and Negros Occidental, respectively. Obama way Liberal Party director-general Jose Luis Martin “Chito" Gascon admits that logistics “will be a big factor" for Noynoy’s presidential bid. Gascon agrees with Noynoy that the campaign should be done through a “non-conventional" way. “Lahat ng mga nanawagan na ‘Noy, ikaw na,’ they have to step up, katulad ng kay (Barack) Obama, ordinary citizens were contributing. Dapat ganoon ang mangyari (All of those who are calling for Nonoy to take charge, they have to step up, just like what was done during the campaign for Obama, ordinary citizens were contributing)," Gascon told GMANews.TV. He said that if the country has 50 million voters and 25 million of them would contribute P100 for Nonoy’s campaign kitty, “it will go a long way." “This is a fight for change, not just for Noynoy’s candidacy. It’s like during the time of Cory when people were fighting for the restoration of democracy," said Gascon. There are now at least 1,000 groups "with members of five, ten, twenty or more individuals" outside of LP who are campaigning for Noynoy’s presidential bid, based on Gascon’s estimate. Clean money Rico E. Puno, Noynoy’s consultant, told GMANews.TV in another interview that the senator was also talking with his sisters about the issue on campaign funds. He said Noynoy’s sisters also wanted to be sure that if their brother would seek the highest post, the donations he would receive for the campaign “will be clean." “During the senatorial and congressional campaigns for Noynoy there were many people who wanted to donate funds, but his sisters were so meticulous on whose donations to receive and not to receive," Puno said. “Noynoy’s sisters are in-charge of money matters, making sure that if Noynoy accepts donations, there will be no quid pro quo later," he added. - GMANews.TV