Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — During the 2009-2010 election season, then presidential candidate Benigno S. Aquino III ran on a platform of reform and good governance — the “Daang Matuwid.”
It was a move that helped him achieve a landslide victory in the May 2010 polls.
With less than a year left before he steps down, the country expects the President to officially endorse on Friday (July 31) Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II as Liberal Party’s presidential bet.
In his last State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Aquino said that next year’s elections will serve as a referendum of his anti-corruption and good governance policies, and that his term was just the beginning for the Daang Matuwid: “Simula pa lang ng ginhawang bunga ng kalayaan mula sa katiwalian.”
However, sociologist Nicole Curato believes that the administration should not monopolize the narrative of the Daang Matuwid. “I think the only criticism on the final [SONA] statement… [is that it] is as if he framed good citizenship as [being] supportive always to the government,” she told CNN Philippines in an exclusive interview.
“Good citizenship also requires some criticism, [i.e.] some productive engagement from policies that the government has that they won’t necessarily agree with.
“So I think that’s very much part of how good governance should happen — it’s both collaboration and criticism. So if I would be president, I would have to thank my critics as well – that keeps government officials on their toes.”
Curato also said that Pres. Aquino’s Liberal Party is missing an opportunity to become more inclusive, because it is endorsing the President’s so-called “anointed one.”
“You know, when people talk about being ‘anointed,’ it really reeks of traditionalism, right? It’s a term used by monarchs to pick their successor. It’s not democratic at all.
