Gordon to voters: Don't choose based on emotions

Bagumbayan standard-bearer Richard "Dick" Gordon believes the late former President Corazon Aquino's son Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III is not yet ready to take on the presidency as he urged voters not to choose based on emotions.

"Kailangan effective ang leader. Kailangan mamili tayo not based on emotion. Kapag may namatay makiramay tayo, pero kung papasok ang anak... Aralin natin kung kaya ng anak (We need an effective leader. We should not choose based on emotion. If someone died, we sympathize, but if the son wins... Let's think carefully if the son can [effectively lead the country])," Gordon said in an interview over radio dzMM's Magandang Morning with Tin-Tin and Julius Babao on Saturday.

Aquino has been leading in pre-election surveys. He had a 12-percentage point lead over his closest rival, Nacionalista Party's Sen. Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr. in the presidential survey by Pulse Asia.

Gordon has been lagging behind in the surveys.

Gordon urged the voters to ask themselves: "Can you live with a bad president again?"

He said he has a lot to offer, citing his track record on good governance and effective leadership.

"Para makuha ang best, tingnan ang track record (To get the best, look at their track record)," he said as he enumerated his successes as chairman of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Olongapo City mayor, tourism secretary and chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross.

No bills passed

Gordon also questioned Aquino's effectivity as a lawmaker, claiming that as member of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the LP presidential candidate failed to pass any bill.

"Si Noynoy, wala siyang naipasa. Hindi siguro masigasig sa kanyang mga bill (Noynoy failed to pass any bill. Maybe he's not determined to pass his bills)," he said.

Unlike Aquino, he said he was able to pass sponsored or authored bills, including the Tourism Law, Automated Elections Law, International Humanitarian Law, Pre-Patent Law, the Mindanao Economic Development Authority Law and laws on alternative energy and holiday economics.

Gordon said a lawmaker should eagerly pursue his pet bills, whether authored or sponsored, if he or she is really dedicated to his or her advocacies.

In the "anti-smear" section of Aquino's website, it enumerated the LP candidate's "authored" bills, which are focused on protecting workers' rights, human rights protection and corruption. (http://noynoy.ph/anti-smear/issue/wala-ba-talagang-nagawa-si-noynoy-sa-l...)

None, however, was passed into law.

The site quoted an analysis of Dr. Wilfrido Villacorta, professor emeritus at De La Salle University and member of the Constitutional Commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution, on Aquino's legislative record.

“[Senator Aquino] believes that a true working democracy provides not only political freedoms but a better life for all Filipinos. A working democracy must be able to provide jobs, education, social services and equitable economic prosperity for everyone, not just the privileged few."

It added that Aquino is "A man of strong convictions, lived up to his constitutional responsibility as an opposition senator to fiscalize the executive branch of government. Noynoy thoroughly examined the General Appropriations Act for 2009 [and every year without fail since his first term as Congressman] and proposed key amendments to the 2009 GAA that seek to tighten congressional oversight on the executive’s use of public funds." abs-cbnNEWS.com