Welcome to Noynoy country

A new phase for a not so new face. We know him because of his famous parents. We know him because of his actress sister. In fact, she makes more waves than he does in the public's eyes.

Now that he's president (or a few weeks short of proclamation), more is to be expected from Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. It's no small feat what he promised to accomplish during his campaign. He said he will curb graft and corruption, that he will probe on the actions of the previous administration president, and that he would trek the straight, but road less-traveled. He promised all this to inspire people and give them hope.

It's the kind of hope people opt to have but never voice out. They don't want to be labeled dreamers and idealists in a nation disdained by too much politicking and nonexisting economic benefits.

Two of his villains promised material prosperity. They said "iaahon tayo sa hirap" [we will be lifted from our poverty]. Others offered brainy solutions to our economic plight with bragging rights from reputable foreign universities and sweet platitudes and twangs.

But the Filipino people have spoken and we have one thing in our minds. We want a new kind of politics. We want a politics that is moral that can decently pave paths towards economic recovery. It's the kind that slowly addresses why we are so naturally gifted as a people endowed with rich resources, yet still lagging behind our neighbors.

At the family level, we want our children to grow up with integrity. We are tired of being suspicious of everybody as if all of them will rig us. And we are tired of worrying how much we can take home and how much food we can serve on our dinner table.

It doesn't have to be a choice between integrity and material necessity. It has to be both. We are sick and tired of hearing the Philippines "should be like Singapore," oozingly rich economically but with limited political and civil rights. We are sick and tired of dreaming of having leaders like Mahathir Mohammad and Lee Kwan Yu, strong leaders with iron hand. Leaders who can discipline hard-headed constituents. We had a leader like that and we know what happened.

We want economic prosperity without taking advantage of others. No small feat, but we can do it. Noynoy can't do it alone. We all know that. But we can help by being vigilant, by being actively involve, by becoming the best of who we are in all the things that we do.

So, Noy, we voted for you. And we will be watching, not because we are suspicious, but we want to put an end to the things that have been hurting us. We have the same hurting faces. Now we are ready for a new phase.