MALACAÑANG strongly denied it is lobbying for President Benigno Aquino III’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.
However, in the same breath, Palace officials welcomed if such a prestigious recognition is bestowed on the only son of democracy icons, martyred Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. and the late former President Corazon Aquino, who was herself nominated in 1986 after the peaceful uprising that toppled the Marcos dictatorship but did not win.
Based on persistent reports, President Aquino has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his leadership in pursuing and finalizing a peace agreement with Muslim separatist rebels.
Some claim the signing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) early this year is already the most significant peace accord in the Asia-Pacific region after the end of hostilities in Aceh in Indonesia in 2005.
It is, according to Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, in the eyes of the international community a big milestone for the propagation of peace.
Meanwhile, Yuriko Koike, Japan’s former Defense Minister and National Security Adviser, believes Aquino deserves the Nobel for his role in “reining in China’s regional ambitions.”
Koike said Aquino’s “bold and calculated leadership can succeed in knocking China down a few pegs, thereby bolstering stability and security throughout Asia.”
If he succeeds in receiving the Nobel, Aquino will be the first Filipino Nobel Laureate.
However, opposition groups were quick to react to such reports.
As far as the leftist Bayan, Aquino is “highly unqualified for such an award.” The group cited the poor human rights record of the administration in the past four years reflected in the 192 cases of extrajudicial killings and 21 cases of enforced disappearances.
It also highlighted a recent European Union report about the alarming cases of torture in the country and the continuing “culture of impunity” under Aquino’s watch.
Some sectors seem to have no capacity to give a person his or her rightful due. Being a Filipino is not enough for someone to gain the support of kababayans.
You can’t please everyone, as the cliché goes./PN
