President Aquino called the people his Boss; these laws show he meant it

AS A BUSINESS REPORTER during President Noynoy Aquino’s term, my colleagues and I talked a lot about rising revenue, narrowing deficits, and debt rating upgrades. Infrastructure too. But in government — as in life and in the Parable of the Talents — the goal is not to hoard cash but to use it for good. I believe history will judge President Aquino well not because he fixed our finances but because he supported three costly social programs: Pantawid Pamilya, K-12, and the Reproductive Health Law. And in a challenging time, they remind us to have faith in democracy and the Filipino people.

I did not vote for President Aquino. I didn’t think he had the management or leadership experience for the biggest job in the country. Even people who joined his administration and loved him told stories that suggested as much.

If he didn’t have the experience needed for the job, that was probably largely because he never wanted the job. Other pols mouth the cliché, “the presidency is destiny” while moving heaven and earth to bend it. But in his case it was true. He did not wish President Cory would pass away so there would be a groundswell for him, if anyone could even foresee that. If there is destiny, this is it. The fact that it happened twice for this family will forever be a powerful part of our democratic narrative.

Now, I don’t believe the other cliché: that the best man or woman for the job is he who does not want it. When you really want something, you will work hard at it for years, gaining experience, ability, credibility, and loyal and able connections, all of which serve you and your stakeholders well in your next job.

But the good side of not wanting something is you probably don’t think you need it. Uniquely, President Aquino didn’t need the power, the attention, or the opportunities for corruption that come with being president or even ex-president. He didn’t need epal or wangwang and, when his term was up, he returned to Times Street and his pre-presidential, even pre-Congress life. And to think he was just 56 when he stepped down, our youngest ex-president except for Diosdado Macapagal and Emilio Aguinaldo. (Of course, we didn’t know he had serious health issues by 2019.) To the frustration of some, he didn’t even feel the need to be heard much, at least publicly, on Leila de Lima, EJKs, and the administration’s China policy.

This indifference — to adapt a Jesuit term — to having and accumulating more worldly things is of course rare among politicians, even those who were born with it or have managed to acquire it. We all know businessmen and politicians for whom nothing is ever enough.

But it is not needing the power, attention, and opportunities for corruption that is ironically more empowering because it gives one the power to say “no.” No, I won’t break the law to get or keep power. No, I won’t lie. No, I won’t steal. No, I won’t cheat. No, I won’t put politics above the people. And the ability to say “no” ironically allows one to do great things.

Great things like vastly expanding Pantawid Pamilya, the conditional cash transfer program, even if it was started by a predecessor with whom there was no love lost. He even kept the name. Great things like pushing for the biggest education reform in generations despite opposition from teachers and school owners. Like supporting the Reproductive Health Bill despite opposition from the Catholic Church and influential conservatives.

We are lucky that the current and recent administrations have been fixing our finances. But the purpose of this has to be to spend on public works and services that allow more people to live decent lives, and, after that and as importantly, ensure their human and democratic right to try to get ahead.

These three programs do that. Pantawid Pamilya by giving millions of people money and trusting they will use it wisely, rather than goods and services decided by bureaucrats and technocrats. K-12 by getting them closer to all the knowledge and skills they need to get ahead here and, if they choose, abroad. The RH law by giving women and couples, especially those from the lower-income sectors, the power to determine if, when, and how many children to have so that they and their children can have the best possible opportunities.

All three embody what government is supposed to do — ensure decent lives and equal opportunities. But they also embody what government is supposed to believe — that, given the right information and opportunities, the people can be, as President Aquino said, the Boss. Not just of the government, but of their own lives. It’s an inspiring reminder for democrats around the world at a time when our cause is facing its toughest challenge in generations.

Coco Alcuaz is executive director of Makati Business Club.