No 'meddling' first lady a plus for noynoy

BENIGNO “Noynoy” Aquino III, 50, will be the first unmarried president of the Philippines—a fact that analysts say is good for government.
The main upside is that there will be no First Lady who might meddle in state affairs and become involved in government contracts or appointments.
“That’s a big thing because these (presidential partners) are major sources of corruption,” said Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines (UP).
“Aquino has one less problem to think of. He won’t worry about how to control a spouse who exerts undue influence on government matters and decisions,” she said.
Aquino has stated that he has no immediate plans of getting married. He has a girlfriend 20 years his junior, Valenzuela City Councilor Shalani Soledad.
Ferrer said Filipinos are watchful of presidential spouses—or even paramours—since a few have been accused of using their power for personal gain. “They influenced decisions, policies, and even programs,” she said.
Several presidential spouses and romantic partners have been accused of influencing appointments and enriching themselves—First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, President Joseph Estrada’s mistresses, President Fidel Ramos’s alleged paramour, socialite Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas, and First Lady Imelda Marcos.

Pressure on the sisters

Since Aquino doesn’t have a First Lady, Ferrer said the public and media will expectedly scrutinize instead Aquino’s sisters and his current girlfriend.
Aquino’s sisters—Maria Elena “Ballsy” Cruz, Aurora Corazon “Pinky” Abellada, Victoria Elisa “Viel” Dee, and Kristina Bernadette “Kris” Yap—were highly involved in Aquino’s campaign and offered counsel for major decisions.
“Those are the women close to him—and that’s a lot of women. It’s a whole new dynamics,” Ferrer said.
Yap, more popularly known as TV host Kris Aquino, solicited the help of her fellow celebrities to boost her brother’s campaign. Cruz and Abellada provided feedback to Aquino regarding potential Cabinet appointees.
Cruz also has some experience serving at the Palace, having been private secretary of their mother, President Corazon Aquino, in the 1980s.
“From what we see from the sisters, they will maintain some level of ethics. Kris will be a little harder to control, but among themselves, they have established ethical conduct,” Ferrer said.
As for his relationship with Soledad, there will be added pressure on Aquino to “behave as a good and noble bachelor and be caring toward his girlfriend,” Ferrer said

Won’t affect decision-making

Dr. Sabino Padilla Jr., an anthropology professor at UP Manila, said Aquino’s marital status is an interesting subject for Filipinos because it deviates from traditional views.
“In our culture, men who are not married are considered bata or not yet fully adult,” he explained. “I guess in the Philippines, there are concerns that it will affect his decision-making. But it is irrelevant.”
Ferrer said voters will understand if Aquino remains spouseless, just as they accepted Aquino’s mother, Corazon, who was a widow when she became president.
“Although they did not accept her completely, because she was criticized for being a mere housewife at the time, it did not affect her term in the long run,” she said.
Padilla noted that over 15 million Filipinos, knowing that Aquino is single, nevertheless voted for him.
“This means it is not a major concern,” he said. “The only problem is if he chooses a spouse who may present problems, like Marcos and Arroyo did.”

Other bachelors

There have been a few bachelor presidents in world history. The most well known was James Buchanan Jr., the only American president who never married.
Buchanan pledged a lifetime of bachelorhood after his fiancée died in 1819 from laudanum overdose.
During his term as president from 1857 to 1861, Buchanan’s niece, Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston, acted as First Lady.
Johnston presided over White House parties, accompanied her uncle on state visits, and espoused social causes like improving hospital and prison conditions. She also founded an institute for the blind.
More recently, Botswana president Ian Khama made history as the first bachelor president in his country.
Khama was once engaged to Dr. Nomsa Mbere, a Gaborone dentist, but the wedding did not push through. He was a bachelor by the time he was sworn in as president in April 2008.
His marital status is a topic of debate in Botswana, since he is obliged to marry and produce heirs as paramount chief of the Bangwato tribe.
A former opposition leader in the country, Michael Dingake, told Mmbegi Online news in 2008 that Khama is traditionally expected to have a wife, but should not be forced to marry so as not have an unhappy marriage.
Dingake’s views on Khama’s civil status is obviously the same as what analysts here have to say about Aquino. Dingake said: “A leader without a wife is regarded as a young man. Though the fact that [he] is not married will not affect his duties.” (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)