PNoy, the Pinoys’ President

PNOY, THE PINOYS’ PRESIDENT: The greatest highlight of the inaugural speech of President Benigno Aquino III Wednesday, as far as I am concerned, was his deliberate identification of himself and, by express implication, of his government, with the needs and concerns of the Filipino people.

That was a master stroke, a genuinely genius strategy that will surely endear him all the more with his “boss”, who, he said in his inauguration, are the masses who literally cleaved unto him and catapulted him to the presidency with the greatest and biggest number of votes ever for a Philippine president.

For the first time, our countrymen heard a president who is undergoing whatever they are undergoing, experiences the same inconveniences the people are experiencing, and who, because of this first-hand knowledge of what the people are going through, can respond directly and more effectively. Indeed, PNoy is now the Pinoys’ president.

All of us must therefore pray to God the Almighty Creator of the heavens and the earth that the country’s 15th president will not be sidetracked from this direction and that coupled with a sincere desire to govern using God’s Word, guidance and direction, his promises to transform this nation and our people will be achieved in the next years.

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PNOY GETS A FIRM GRIP OF THE NEEDS OF FILIPINOS: Of course, there were references to the legacy of his mother, President Cory Aquino, and of his father and namesake, Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., in pursuing his task as chief executive, but it is undeniable that President Noynoy himself appears to have already obtained, this early, a firm grip of what Filipinos wanted for themselves, at least in their ordinary, day to day living.

He knows for instance that many of our countrymen no longer want the “tong” system to continue (or the system of paying or bribing government authorities for an easy way out of a transaction or problem), so President Noynoy says there is no more “tong” in any transaction under his administration.

He knows, too, that our countrymen are sick and tired of privileges bandied about by the high and mighty, most especially in the use of sirens and alarms (or “wang-wangs” as we refer to them), and in allowing traffic counterflows or stopping other motorists just to enable the privileged individual easy travel, so he has stopped all of these altogether.

Many would think the presidency should no longer be involved in mundane matters like this, but I understand the concern of the President to show an immediate impact on our countrymen, by a change in behavioral patterns most exposed to the public’s view. This is good, if you ask me.

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PRESENTATION OF THE CHILD JESUS AT THE TEMPLE: The fourth Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary, as prayed by devout Roman Catholic Christians worldwide, pertains to the presentation of the Child Jesus at the Temple, a story that is found in Luke 2:21 to 40 of the Bible.

At first glance, the account of how Jesus was presented at the Temple seemed to indicate concern merely for the completion of the then existing purification process for males as mandated by the law of Moses, but, when one looks closer, it becomes apparent that this story of the presentation is actually another Biblical confirmation about who Jesus really is and what He is destined to do.

Thus, we can see two individuals, one man (the righteous and devout Simeon) and one woman (the prophetess Anna, then 84 years of age), prophesying about Jesus as Someone who will cause the rise and fall of many in Israel, and as Someone who will redeem God’s people.

Simeon in particular confirmed that he had received a revelation that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. When Simeon saw Jesus, the Holy Spirit came over him, and he said he was ready to die in peace, since he already saw the Lord.

Anna on the other hand who was widowed after being married for only seven years, spent the rest of her life, until she was 84 years old, worshipping, fasting and praying at the temple. When she saw Jesus, she spoke about Him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.