‘Noynoying’ enters Wikipedia
The term “Noynoying”– coined by militants to refer to President Aquino’s alleged inaction on the country’s pressing social issues – has caught worldwide attention.
“Noynoying” is now in online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which describes the word as an Internet meme or concept that defines an effortless pose or activity consisting of sitting or standing around, in an unconcerned manner.
“It is also recognized as doing nothing when in fact you have something to do. The word is derived from President
Aquino’s nickname, Noynoy, and the suffix -ing, to describe the act of being Noynoy. It is a parody of his work ethic as President of the Philippines,” according to Wikipedia.
Noynoying was introduced on March 15, 2012 by youth protesters in support of the transport caravan, led by the transport group Piston. “Noynoying was described as an effortless pose, an obvious jab at President Aquino, which borrowed his nickname, Noynoy, who is being criticized for having done nothing to cushion the impact of, or prevent the spike in, crude oil prices and tuition fees,” the online site said.
Wikipedia said, “Noynoying is synonymous to being lazy, indecisiveness or just neglecting the things to be done by concentrating on other matters. It was created as a reaction to what the public perceive as the President’s inaction with regard to major issues affecting the country.”
But Wikipedia said the entry had been nominated for deletion and to be checked for its neutrality.
The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) has been accusing the government of “Noynoying” on the issue of oil price hike.
As transport fares and oil prices go up, President Aquino still has no substantial response to the people’s demand for relief. He still thinks the economy is doing good and that his presidency has performed above par. The insensitivity and inaction is appalling. Noynoying at its worst,” said Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes.
The group questioned if government is waiting for a “national emergency” before addressing the issue of high oil prices.
“The government continues to ignore calls for the lowering of oil prices, even despite warnings of political unrest. The intransigence of Malacañang is beyond belief. It’s like Gloria Macapagal-arroyo all over again,” said Reyes.
“First Aquino opposes any move to lower or suspend the VAT and repeal the oil deregulation law. Now he flatly opposes the P125 wage hike in Congress. The callousness of this government will be its own undoing,” he added.
Not contented, militant workers yesterday coined a new term to spite the President for Malacañang’s rejection of the legislated wage increase, saying there is a disconnect between his “words and deeds.”
“Just last Friday night, PNoy declared in front of employers that workers’ welfare is paramount but now his administration has thumbed down the wage hike proposal with the usual capitalist blackmail. P-noy is a Noy- ngaling,” noted Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) chair Renato Magtubo.
Noy- ngaling apparently comes from word “sinungaling” or liar.
According to Magtubo, Malacañang’s claim that the P125 across- the- board wage hike would only lead to layoffs of workers was unfounded.
“Such horror stories are just black propaganda and blackmail. Why should we be afraid of additional money circulating in the economy due to a wage hike when billions of dollars in remittances entering the country is always applauded? If the stronger purchasing power of OFW families is a positive factor in the economy then should not the same thing hold for more money in the hands of workers which we will use to buy the necessities of life?” he added.
He said that a “wage hike will be good for the workers and will also be beneficial to the economy because it will spur the production of more goods and provision of more services.”
However, Vice President Jejomar Binay took up the cudgels for the President, saying even the least of officials like the barangay chairman is also working.
“Put an end to this,” Binay said, referring to the derogatory term.
“Spare the President. Can you imagine if the President is not doing anything? The President is working more than anyone else in the country.”
Palace: P-noy unaffected
Meanwhile, Malacañang said yesterday President Aquino would just continue his work despite all the criticism.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the most important thing was that the government could carry out reforms that would benefit the country’s economy and the poor. “Other countries would see our economic indicators and that’s the reason why you see a lot of foreign investors coming in,” he said.
According to Lacierda, the President was not affected by criticisms and did not take those comments personally, knowing that being in public office could entail harsh criticisms from detractors.
“The best evidence is that the President is answering you straight and that’s his style. He doesn’t take things personally,” he said, adding that “free speech is enshrined in the Constitution and that is something we will honor.”