Fil-Ams grieve PNoy’s Passing, pay tribute to reluctant president

By Gus Mercado

We bid Godspeed and farewell to a good and humble president who fought the good fight and kept the faith.

Benigno Simeon “Noynoy or PNoy” Aquino III was a reluctant candidate who never aspired to be President but was carried by a massive outcry against a corrupt government and a wave of sympathy that accompanied the death of his popular mother President Cory. He won overwhelmingly against his predecessor Joseph Estrada and several other candidates. His numerous supporters in the US gave him a landslide victory.

His untimely death at age 61 has drawn a massive outpouring of sympathy from friends and supporters in 50 states in the form of social media posts, memorial webinars, masses and novenas, TV specials and tributes.

The incorruptible PNoy delivered on his promises to his “bosses”, the Filipino people, with great love, dignity and respect. He was not a perfect president (who is?) and he had faults (who doesn’t) but he distinguished himself as an unselfish leader who exemplified honesty, integrity, decency and sincerity. And he had tremendous respect for human life.

Under his stewardship, the Filipinos were in a good place, well-respected in the world, with decent leaders and a strong economy. He earned global respect for his relentless fight against corruption and an economic growth of 6.9 percent surpassing his predecessors. He grew the economy from $198 billion when he took over to $320 billion when he left. Even his successor President Rodrigo Duterte openly acknowledged that PNoy’s administration’s economic programs had done very well in its economic programs.

One of his many crowning achievements is suing China in the International Tribunal and winning, giving the Filipinos a real and moral standing in the world as a sovereign nation and rightful owners of the territories in the West Philippine Sea.

PNoy was humble to a fault and did not fight back against critics, just taking the unfair attacks in stride and relying on his belief that truth always prevails in the end. According to Vice President Leni Robredo, “Noynoy insisted on doing what was right, even if it was not popular.” ′

′ My dream is simple,” said the humble president. “When God calls me and says finished or unfinished, pass your paper, I will be proud to say that I left this world better than what I went through, and happier than when I came.”

My family and I were fortunate to have crossed paths with PNoy, as well as with his parents Ninoy and Cory, who graced the Filipinos in Texas with their presence during their brief stay in the US in the early ‘80s. We gave them sanctuary when they landed in Dallas for Ninoy’s heart bypass surgery at Baylor Hospital.

PNoy, on the other hand, became a good friend to Filipinos in Texas in later life. We supported his campaign for President and gave him an overwhelming landslide in our state. Our Texas PACC Trade, Investment and Humanitarian missions to the Philippines were very successful because of the very strong support that we got from PNoy, his cabinet officials and his technocrat diplomats led by Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia. On a personal note, I was humbled by the honor that he bestowed on me (along with 30 other presidential awardees living overseas) as recipient of the coveted Presidential BANAAG Award in 2014. PNoy will never be forgotten