PNoy's first year: So far, so good, but with some missteps

It’s been a year since Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III took over the presidency. But while others were lenient in judging his performance in the last 12 months, others feel the only son of the late President Corazon Aquino and martyred Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. has yet to meet their expectations. For political analyst Mon Casiple, Filipinos should cut Aquino some slack since the first year of a President is usually the “honeymoon" stage of his six-year term. “Tatanggapin ng tao yan na kahit may mga kamalian, parang… kanyang taon yan," said Casiple in an interview with Arnold Clavio on “Unang Balita" on Thursday morning. [See video below.]

But for Mae Paner a.k.a. Juana Change, who actively supported “PNoy" during the May 10, 2010 elections, Aquino, in 12 months, has already committed some missteps in his presidency. One of them, she said, was his decision to purchase a Porsche. “Ang batas na mismo ang nagsasabi na kapag ikaw ay Presidente ng Pilipinas, you have to live simply. Parang may mali. Kasi yung Porsche, simbolo yun, kumampanya siya sa plataporma ng pagiging simpleng tao, iba siya, hindi ba? Pero ‘di ata simple yun," she said in an interview with GMA News Online editor-in-chief Howie Severino on “News to Go" also on Thursday morning. [See video below.]
She said it is not surprising for some to find Aquino’s first-year performance lacking. “Marami pang ibang bagay na kailangan niyang tuparin, na medyo siyempre bitin na bitin pa tayo ngayon." Paner added that a year is enough time for a president to prove his worth as a nation’s ruler. “Although sinasabi nga nating isang taon pa lang naman pero puwede rin sabihin na isang taon na, huy!" “Horse trading" She reminded Aquino to remember the ones that elected him to the highest post in land, adding that his promise during his inauguration — that the public is his boss — seems to be nothing more than a fancy rhetoric so far. “Ang puwersang talagang makakatulong kay PNoy para sa akin ay ang taong mismong nagluklok sa kanya. Minsan sila yung nadedehado dahil sabi naman niya ang boss ang taongbayan pero parang medyo ‘di pa masyadong nararamdaman ng tao na sila ang boss," she said. Her advice to Aquino was to choose wisely when it comes to appointing officials in his government and avoid “horse trading." “Siguro talagang pumili ng mga tamang tao, kasi merong magagaling na talagang dapat na sa pwesto, pero minsan nagkakaroon pa rin tayo ng horse trading, yung tipong kailangan mong i-please yung ganitong sector, yung ganitong religious block, kailangan mo ng isipin yan... parang ang dami paring kumpromiso," Paner said. Casiple agreed to this, saying it is crucial that the President review his staff, especially the senior appointees. “Pagdating sa usapin ng performance, hindi siya yan, yung Gabinete niya yan. At kung may mga palpak diyan o kung may mga problema dapat asikasuhin niya yun," he said. Consolidation of power Casiple said that it is difficult to grade Aquino on his first year because a big chunk of that period is usually spent on preparatory work like consolidation of power, which he said is not visible to the public. “Walang presidente na makakapagpamahala sa kanyang gawain kung di niya hawak yung power. Malaking bahagi ng taon ay nagamit sa pagkonsolida ng kapangyarihan," said Casiple. As an example, Casiple noted the overwhelming Congress support to the Malacañang-backed bill to postpone the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) this August and synchronize it with the mid-term elections in May 2013. Aquino, incidentally, signed the bill into law earlier in the day. Casiple lauded Aquino for his anti-corruption campaign. “Maraming nangyari, maraming kinasuhan, naglinisan ng ahensya, ng Ombudsman mismo," he said. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said they are not focusing on projects when evaluating Aquino’s accomplishments in his first year, but the change in people’s mindset. “For us it’s more of the change of mindset of the people towards their government. Apart from the trust, yung pagtingin po ng mga kababayan natin sa gobyerno ay partner na, kaya tumutulong na sila, willing na silang makipag-cooperate," she said. Unfortunately, Aquino registered a 71 percent trust rating in a Pulse Asia survey conducted from May 21 to June 4 — a figure slightly lower than his 75 percent rating in March. — KBK, GMA News