President Noynoy Buys a Porsche

PNoy recently bought a 2007 model Porsche which made headlines and got several reactions from critics and supporters. Here are the facts of the story:

1. The Porsche is "third-hand" vehicle worth 4.5 million Pesos
2. The model may be a Cayman or a Carrera, basing on the news photos
3. He sold his other vehicle a BMW to buy this Porsche.
4. He used his own funds.
5. He is a bachelor and a car enthusiast.

People are saying that the timing is "off" because of the announced fare hike at MRT and LRT. There are also surveys done saying people are "poorer" today compared to the previous years. Gasoline and diesel prices have increased more than 3 times already since December 2010. Floods and other natural disasters continue to damage lives in the Bicol Region.

For me, I do not see anything wrong with PNoy's Porsche purchase. There will never be a good timing because the Philippines, a third world country will always be a face of poverty. No matter how a good a President or a leader is, 6 years of governance is not enough to turn the tables around. Too much damage was done by the past presidents and we need at least 15-20 years to recover and be compared to developing countries. The proposed MRT and LRT hike should have been implemented months ago to recover government losses. Gasoline and diesel prices will continue to rise as long as the market is controlled by "The Big 3". How come lesser known gasoline stations afford to sell gas 50 centavos to 1 peso cheaper than The Big 3? It is so obvious that Shell, Caltex and Petron can lower their prices but refuse to do so.

Is Php 4.5 million an extravagant purchase? To an ordinary Filipino, yes. To a rich family or individual, no. Picture this: a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser costs around Php 4.5M, a 2010 Nissan Patrol costs Php 2.6M, a 2010 Mitsubishi Pajero costs Php 2.8M, a second hand 2010 Mercedes Benz E Class costs Php 4.5M, a second hand 2010 BMW 5 series costs Php 2.1M and a second hand Porsche 911 GT3 costs Php 6.8M. I see these types of vehicle everyday (except the Porsche GT3) at EDSA and it seems Filipinos can afford to buy these luxury vehicles. Rich Filipinos are outnumbered by poor ones but to them, it is not their fault that they were born rich or they worked hard to be rich.


President Noynoy was born rich. All his siblings are rich even without entering politics. His youngest showbiz sister earns 3-5 million a month just for shows excluding endorsements. People say that he should be sensitive and should avoid extravagant purchases. Can we give the guy a break? It may be his Christmas gift to himself, or a reward after working hard since being elected. Do we not allow ourselves to at least reward ourselves after a year of hard work? How about people buying IPhones, IPads, PS3, Xbox, Flatscreen TVs, DigitalSLR, Laptops, Louis Vuitton bags and Tag Heuer watches? Aren't they extravagant too in a smaller scale? Actually, PNoy's Porsche is just peanuts compared to his counterparts. His predecessor spent a million pesos for a dinner abroad.

Let us try to be open minded once in a while and understand people's ways which are different from ours. We sometimes say we belong to the masses and we sympathize with them but we do not even lift a single finger to help. We just criticize and see the negative side of things. Focus on what are the important issues and try to help. Count our blessings and be happy for other people's blessings.

Cory Aquino - An Ideal Philippine Leader

Cory Aquino may be one of the best presidents the Philippines has ever had in our country's colorful history. This statement may be debated by a lot of Filipinos but i believe we owe our democracy to her when she made the decision to run for president after her husband Senator Ninoy Aquino was assassinated after returning from a 3-year exile in the United States. Tita Cory has made a lot of friends and enemies during her term but it did not stop her from leading her countrymen against the abuse and corruption of present politicians.

Presidents elected after her term should be grateful to her because she was the one who made the sacrifice of running for president, risking herself and her family even after her husband was killed due to politics. The 3 presidents after her, never made her an important adviser of their governments because they can only saw her mistakes when she was the president. She was the guinea pig for them and they made sure they would not be a part of her during their time as the president. They can only show their respect and gratitude to her now that she has already passed away.

Tita Cory has made mistakes because she is human and she has never imagined to be a politician. She does not have any experience, even in the local level but she listened to the people and decided to be the leader of the nation. She even survived several bloody coup attempts by the military who swore to defend her administration. Even the Catholic church who were the ones who convinced her to run even criticized her during her term.

For me, Tita Cory is a true leader. She made sacrifices and decisions which were unpopular. She always put God first and remained to be humble. She is the exact opposite of her showbiz daughter who always prioritizes and thinks of herself before anybody else. She is a gift all Filipinos should be thankful for. Come to think of it, it was God's will for her the be our leader and not her husband. For me, it was His way of telling us that Tita Cory was the one for us that time and she was the best the country can have after 20 years under the leadership of a fallen dictator.

Tita Cory, thank you very much for being our leader and may God bless you as you begin another journey.