by Deedee M. Siytangco
February 7, 2016
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ANGEL THOUGHTS
No matter how educated, talented, rich, or cool you believe you are, how you treat people ultimately tells all. Integrity is everything.
—Anonymous
Happy birthday, President Benigno S. Aquino III tomorrow, an auspicious day since it’s the start of the Year of the Monkey, according to the Chinese calendar! May you have everything you desire and wish for this special day!
But what do you think the President would want for his birthday? I bravely asked him the question and he answered: “I want peace and truth to prevail!” For his birthday, he plans to have dinner with his family and a few close friends. Apart from celebrating his birthday, the party is meant to also thank them for their wholehearted support, a source dear to him said.
As for his plans for tomorrow, when he turns 56, the President told us he would “probably be working a bit.”
On the campaign trail, integrity is what presidentiable Mar Roxas, standard bearer of the Liberal Party, stands for. This, he stressed, during his Bulong Pulungan guesting recently. Untainted in his years in public service by any corruption accusation, he stands tall on this virtue. After all, he is the grandson of the late greats, President Manuel Roxas and Senator Gerry Roxas. His pedigree is spotless!
He also reminded us of his record performance in the Senate with the Cheaper Medicines Act, the birthing of the now blooming BPO industry (1.04 million jobs to date), and his known dedication to service: “Kung may problema, may solusyon!” Now, why do some people have the notion that he has not performed brilliantly in the past five years as a member of the Aquino cabinet?
Take a look, he urged us, on the resettlement of the 18,141 informal settlers, the 349 LGUs who were given help in the reconstruction of Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Yolanda-devastated areas, the 4,933 projects that use bottom-up budgeting, the Salintubig program for households to have clean water, and the successful anticrime “Lambat-Sibat” program.
Who best to continue and build on the gains of the “Daang Matuwid” administration? “Fast Forward on the Daang Matuwid.” That is Mar’s mantra. That day, he was a firebrand with a “Todo na’to!” battle cry.
And who’s afraid of the “mataray” spouse, feisty crusading broadcaster Korina Sanchez? “She won’t return to media when she becomes First Lady. She will focus on her advocacies for the poor and the needy, like her tsinelas project and artificial legs for those who need them.”
Mar came with his “anaks” in Congress led by Cong. Boy Fernandez who is an “indie” film star (Honor Thy Father). Rep. Boy sent the ladies swooning. They distributed red roses to the ladies and one enthusiastic member of the Bulong, former vice mayor and undersecretary for media (of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) Charito Planas had a surprise for Mar, a homemade banner declaring her support for him! He also got support from the others in the forum who gave him unsolicited advice: “Change your advertising agency and talk the way you talked to us today because we liked what we heard!”
I suppose Mar did change his ad agency because his ads are more hard-hitting now, simply said, and straight from his heart! (mb.com)