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The son of former Philippine President Cory Aquino, heroine of the "People Power" movement is now running for president.
He is leading in opinion polls ahead of May’s election.
Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino has surged ahead of other presidential candidates in the latest polls.
But Left-leaning activists are calling for Aquino to distribute his family’s huge areas of land to poor farmers.
And the powerful Catholic Church is concerned about his support to the reproductive health bill for the use of contraceptives.
Madonna Virola reports in Calapan City.
The election landscape dramatically changed with Beningo “Noynoy” Aquino’s declaration that he will run for president in the 2010 poll.Thousands of volunteers from across the country have already enlisted to help him win by raising funds and guarding his votes.
Faith Pulmones-Valenzuela a mother of two is one of them.
“I can campaign for him through word of mouth, maybe I can produce some flyers or brochures about him citing his values and his principles not merely about his family connections.”
Citizen’s election volunteer Restie Consigo believes many people will joined the campaign for him.
“Aquino’s family is one of the good leaders in our country and I think Noynoy has an integrity to meet the needs of the people in the Philippines. I think he has good moral ascendants in the sense that like his father and mother, he knows what is best for the Filipino people.”
Noynoy Aquino’s father was shot dead at the Manila international airport in 1983 when he returned from exile to fight the rule of Dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
His mother Cory Aquino became the face of the people’s power movement that restored democracy.
When she died last month there was an outpouring of love and gratitude towards her.
Thousands of people clamored to pay their respects during the funeral.
And her death sparked calls for the Aquino family to continue their legacy of fighting for democracy and good governance.
Norman Novio works at the local church’s media and service commission.
“The outpouring that we saw for Cory Aquino is an expression of the people’s disdain for the present Arroyo administration that is seen as widely corrupt.”
Noynoy Aquino has surged ahead of other presidential candidates in the latest opinion poll.
But he is not free from controversy.
Critics say his family disregarded the agrarian reform program when they did not distribute their some 6,000 hectares of sugar plantations to the poor farmers.
Journalist Norman Novio explains that in 2004, police and soldiers blocked thousands of plantation workers and their families from entering the land, which resulted in the deaths of 14 people, including two children.
The workers were asking for the reinstatement of more than 300 members of unions who were fired from work as a result.
Bong Marquez is officer of the non-government Kaagapay network which helps the farmers.
He believes the tenants of the Aquino family have legal rights over their land.
“The Aquino family should immediately distribute their lands because that is the essence of the agrarian law which was passed during Cory Aquino’s administration. Since that is a major issue in the entire country, Noynoy’s ratings might drop if he does not act at once.”
Noynoy Aquino says he is thinking about giving up his family's rights to the plantation “to divorce it from politics”.
Besides the land controversy, the Catholic Educators Association of the Philippines with more than 1,000 member schools is concerned about Noynoy’s support for the Reproductive health bill.
The bill will make artificial contraceptives more accessible to the public through health programs as well as making it mandatory to teach sex education in schools.
Mary Jane Salazar a leader at Calapan Bible Church wants him to rethink his position.
“I think the biggest mistake that Noynoy Aquino will ever commit in the future is when he allows his own family, his nearest friends to affect or influence his leadership as a man of principle.”
First time voters like city college scholar Cidney Bejasa say their idealism tells them to vote for Noynoy.
But they want to see clear policies from him first.
“At the end of day, it is not how politicians play politics but how genuine leadership reigns in the heart of a politician. Genuine leadership means being true to help people especially the Filipinos in uplifting their morality and lifestyle.”
