Grace in defeat

They showed extraordinary grace as they conceded defeat in the race for the presidency — the day after the May 10 election. The first to accept the victory of Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III was Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar, Nacionalista Party standard bearer. Then followed Lakas-Kampi-CMD candidate Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, Kapatiran Party’s JC de los Reyes, and Bagumbayan founder Richard “Dick” Gordon.

Protocol would dictate that I write in sequence about the candidates who announced their acceptance of Noynoy’s victory. But let me break that by praising Dick, whom I consider a hero for coming to the finish of his long and lonely journey in the Senate to get the automated election bill passed in Congress. It had been an uphill battle, with manual-counting advocates and critics slamming the effort, up to the last few days before Election Day. When a technical flaw caused the recall of PCOs machine flash cards, the prophets of doom cried, “Failure of elections!,” and still others urged the postponement of elections. But Flash Gordon stood firm and resolute, his words if translated in simpler terms, declaring that elections would be held, come hell or high water. His firmness matched that of Comelec Chair Jose Melo (another hero of mine), who would not be dissuaded from holding the elections on May 10, 2010, period.

In his message texted to me by his long-time Upsilon “errand boy” Louie Pawid, Dick said of the success of the automated election: “Faster count, no time to cheat, no protests/partisanship, no conflicts, no need for watchers, teachers have an easier time.”

His message printed in today’s issue of the STAR says, “I congratulate Noynoy for his spectacular victory. I call on our people to support him. I ran a straight-forward campaign and thought that we could run on the basis of platform, track record, vision and volunteerism.”

My other hero, despite the calamitous tirades against him, of course is Manny Villar. His strategists may not have been as wizard types as those of his opponents, not being able to mount vicious attacks and avoiding negative publicity stunts. I still have to be convinced that he is a cheat and a liar, and I believe his Horatio Algiers story, of rising from fish vendor’s son to one of the country’s successful real property developers. Manny’s success is hard to swallow for people who don’t believe one could rise from poverty to wealth, in the same way that they cannot accept that a woman can be a good president.

Thankfully, in his concession statement, Manny promised to “clear my name so that our people will be enlightened.” He said, “My dream to eradicate poverty does not end here and I intend to continue this, maybe in a different way.”

A man whose time to be president has not yet come is Gibo, who drew cheers and applause wherever he went, especially on the campuses; the election results turned out differently, though. But let’s move him up to president in 2016, say the admirers of this Ateneo-UP-Harvard educated man with disarming good looks and a beautiful mind. In his bowing-out speech, he said, “The election is over and through the grace of God the process has been peaceful. The people have spoken. I hope they will use this opportunity to serve the country well.”

It’s such a waste that such men with pure hearts and the desire to put goodness and order in our society and our personal lives have not made it in this election. I wish they would have their turn at manning the wheels of our ship of state.

The youngest presidential candidate JC Gordon de los Reyes said he will continue the platforms of the Kapatiran Party. (Incidentally, I received a text from my good friend Priscilla Reyes Pacheco, whose husband Nandy is founder of Kapatiran Party, essentially saying that voting Kapatiran’s candidates would be good for this country.)

Evangelist Eddie Villanueva, who ran in the 2004 presidential election, said, with his party mates, they were conceding to avoid violence. But he pledged support for the winner. “With the new president elected, Bangon Pilipinas will find ways to help in nation-building especially in areas where we could pursue social reforms that would benefit the majority of the Filipino people.”

But together with these candidates, we as a people should support Noynoy as he leads us to the promised land.

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Miko Habana is such a popular, likeable, healthy 16-year-old senior and captain of the Ateneo baseball team that his friends and teammates were shocked when he suffered a heart attack one month ago at the Manila Polo Club. Miko and his team were practicing in preparation for their participation in the Palarong Pambansa games. Captain of the National Capital Region team, Miko is a member of the Philippine team to international league games.

Miko’s parents are cardiologist Dr. Luis Habana and Dra. Tonette Esteban Habana. Their son is “still not awake” at Medical City. To help with the medical bills, friends are organizing a fund-raising activity called “Miko’s Home Run” to be held at the Ateneo de Manila University High School grounds on March 16.

The activity starts with on-site registration at 4:30-5:30 a.m., and pep exercises will be led by Usec Cynthia Carrion, director general of the Tourism Council of the Philippines. Then follow the 500-meter run for seniors, and 5-kilometer run for everyone.

A P500 (more, if you wish to give more) donation, will entitle one to a registration kit. For inquiries, call 0918-4018882 or 0917-3700914. Online registration is at runner.com and takbo.ph or email [email protected]. Or one can visit YOU CAN DO IT MIKO HABANA! WAKE UP! on Facebook.

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Here’s good news about a Sillimanian. A report on the Internet filed by Sevelita Cortes Orendain, says Dely Po Go, BSN Class ’78, SU College of Nursing and 2010-1011 president of the SU Alumni Association of New York-New Jersey chapter, has been awarded as one of NJBIZ’s Best 50 Women in Business. NJBIZ is a publication of the New Jersey Business Industry Association. She is the only Filipina in a group of 50 women chosen for their professional accomplishment, community service, especially advocacy for women, and economic contribution to the state of New Jersey.

Dely is currently taking her doctorate in nursing practice in Farleigh Dickinson University in NJ. She finished her master of science in nursing summa cum laude at FDU. She is the owner and president of Nursing Network, LLC, a healthcare services company, and the CEO of AVTECH Institute and Allied Health, a school for Licensed Practical Nursing. She is also a trustee of Bridges to Success, a community service for the homeless. Recently, she was honored as a member of the honor society of nurses, the Sigma Theta Tau International, for her academic achievement.

She is also the recipient of the 2010 Henry Becton Dickinson Scholarship, the Woman of Peace Award in 1999 given by the Women Federation for World Peace in celebration of Woman History of the Month, and the Best Nurse Entrepreneur award given by PNA-NJ in 2001.

Dely is married to Harry Go with whom she has two children, Hadel and Harry Jr. The family has lived in New Jersey for the last 22 years.

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My email: [email protected]