Time to move on

 Two recent events ought to be very instructive for Noynoy Aquino about just how unique the Philippines and its politics are. And because they are instructive, Noynoy ought to learn a few lessons from them. 

 First was the latest uncommissioned survey by the Social Weather Stations, which showed the satisfaction ratings of Noynoy continuing to drop. From a high of +64 shortly upon assuming office, it plunged by double digits to just +51. And now it dropped further to a mere +46.

 I suspect the unrestrained nosedive in Noynoy’s satisfaction ratings has something to do with the public’s growing exasperation over his administration’s all-consuming focus to get his much-reviled predecessor Gloria Arroyo almost to the exclusion of all other initiatives.

 Filipinos let themselves be seduced by Noynoy’s moral uprightness. But that was in 2011. Now, they need so much more from their leader than just moral uprightness. To a greater number of Filipinos, there are other, more pressing concerns, like whence will come tomorrow’s bread.

 Filipinos expect Noynoy to point out the way to where the future lies. But when he cannot do so, on account of the one great preoccupation that has consumed all his time and energies, it is not difficult to expect only one result in any survey — dissatisfaction.

 Noynoy’s sycophants can always try to put a positive spin on the declining survey results. But the numbers do not lie. And while they indeed remain in positive territory, they also point to an unmistakable trend. The numbers are all inexorably migrating south.

 If Noynoy has to learn a valuable lesson from the latest survey results, it is that he must force himself to realize that the presidency involves a multitude of tasks. It is not a one-way track meant to nail down the one enemy you love to hate. 

 Filipinos may agree with the prosecution of Arroyo. But they will never accept it as the only initiative this government is capable of pursuing relentlessly. There is a whole world out there other than the one haunted by the specter of Noynoy’s political nightmare.

 And that brings us to the second event we consider to be instructive enough for Noynoy, if only he is willing to keep an open mind and show a willingness to learn. Others have learned from it. There is no reason why Noynoy couldn’t.

 Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, a known ally of Arroyo, recently celebrated 40 years of marriage to her husband, former DILG undersecretary Narciso Santiago. The event brought together one of the widest spectrums of political color ever seen in recent memory.

 In fact Noynoy himself was there, standing as Best Man to the couple. And right behind him stood, who else, but Arroyo, one of the principal sponsors. The rest of the entourage included former president Joseph Estrada and former first lady Imelda Marcos.

 Then there was Vice President Jejomar Binay, and the man he defeated for the position, Mar Roxas, who gave way to Noynoy in 2010. Of course there was also the multitude of senators and congressmen, all gifting the Santiago couple with polite camaraderie.

 And what is the lesson Noynoy can learn from the occasion? It is that in politics, and more so in the Philippines, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. Political enemies do not drop dead if they share the same breathing space. They accommodate.

 The point is politicians should not hold a country’s future hostage simply because of political bickerings that do not even last forever. Politicians can recover all the time they lost bickerings. But a country cannot recoup even a second of the time it loses to neglect.

Noynoy must learn to move on. As leader of all Filipinos, he must detach himself from politics, which made him such an angry man. At the top there is nothing more to aspire, except to fulfill the national destiny for the sake of the country.