EDITORIAL: New Philippine president

Perhaps in their desire to relive the excitement of the people's power revolution of 24 years ago that forced Ferdinand Marcos into exile, Filipino voters have elected Benigno Aquino III, the son of the late former President Corazon Aquino, as their new leader.

The 50-year-old senator carries a heavy burden in leading this Southeast Asia nation.

Until his mother's death last August, Aquino was never mentioned as a potential presidential candidate. His election victory makes him something of a "Cinderella boy."

His father, the opposition leader Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, was assassinated at Manila international airport upon returning home from exile in the United States in 1983.

After the assassination, Aquino's cause--democracy--was kept alive by his wife Corazon, who won overwhelming popular support and became president in 1986. Back then, democracy in the Philippines was at its zenith.

The couple's son became the hope of the people after nine years of disappointing and frustrating rule by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Arroyo remained in power in the face of popular censure and allegations of corruption. The rampant corruption and nepotism that exist in the Philippines must have something to do with the country's socio-cultural emphasis on close family ties and personal relationships.

But this has deterred foreign companies, including Japanese, from investing in the Philippines. China and many other Asian nations are growing rapidly into "factories of the world," but the Philippine's economy is languishing.

Unless this situation changes, poverty will remain the way of life for countless Filipinos. Nor will things get better for the 1.4 million or so Filipinos who are forced to work abroad.

During the election campaign, Aquino pledged to eliminate corruption. We hope he will commit himself wholeheartedly to this cause and live up to his word.

We also hope he will renew his awareness of the role his country must play in contributing to the security and stability of the region represented by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In particular, Islamic militants and government forces are still locked in hostilities on the southern island of Mindanao. Japan and Malaysia are cooperating with the Filipino government to resolve this conflict, but there has been little tangible progress. And on the western side of the island, the militant Islamic separatist group Abu Sayyaf is engaged in acts of piracy and abductions of foreign nationals.

The region directly affects the safety of the sea lanes that connect Japan and the Strait of Malacca. Aquino must commit himself fully to negotiating a settlement.

There was a time when, together with Thailand, the Philippines was called a "model student" of Southeast Asian democracy. But Thailand has since lapsed into political chaos, and the Philippines has become a decidedly weaker presence in the region.

In Sunday's election, some of the nation's old ways were revealed in the continued influence exerted by Marcos' kin and other members of powerful political families. But the nation also tried out something new--namely, electronic balloting.

We hope the Philippines will succeed in changing its political climate to regain the splendor of its own brand of democracy.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 12