MANILA, Philippines —  Not too long ago, this country's people, brought together by the death of an icon, united against an unpopular ruler.

This unity wasn't limited to the elite. It cut through distinctions of social class, gender, religion. It was, as international observers would note, a sight to behold. Together, the people installed into the highest office of the land a reluctant leader.

And while all these words could have so easily described the first People Power Revolution, it could just as easily be said of the political campaign launched by then Senator – and now President – Benigno S. Aquino III.

This amazing transfer of the People Power spirit from the streets to the ballots is the subject of the new book, “Noynoy: Triumph of A People's Campaign”, which was launched recently at the Powerbooks branch in Greenbelt 4.

Written by Permanent Representative to the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Wilfrido V. Villacorta, “Noynoy” is an insider's look into the spirit and the machinery that installed the man now known as PNoy as the 15th president of the country.

Composed of 11 chapters, with a prologue and an epilogue, the compact book outlines the circumstances that brought Noynoy to a crossroads after the death of his mother, and details the many aspects of the people's campaign that helped amass 42 percent of the votes cast during the last presidential election.

Campaign veteran
Villacorta certainly has experience being part of the Aquino's brand of “people's campaign”.

Back in the 1985-1986 presidential campaign of Cory Aquino, Villacorta was a member of the Cory Media Bureau's international desk, which he recalls as a challenging post given the immense international coverage that the former President's presidential campaign generated.

During P-Noy's campaign, Villacorta was a convenor of the foreign policy cluster of the policy unit of the campaign, and was a member of the Cory Veterans for Noy (Corvets).

While there are surface similarities between the two campaigns, Villacorta notes in the book's prologue that they couldn't have been more different from one another.

“Our campaign machinery in 1985-86 was compact and focused, in contrast to the pluralist character of the political machinery of the campaign for the presidency in 2009-2010. The lines were more clearly drawn in the morality play of the eighties – the struggle between the macho tyrant and the female emancipator,” he writes.

However, both are similar in the most important way: they were born out of the people's need for a change in the way the government is run, and as such, were driven by the collective effort of the people behind Noynoy. Being part of that movement was what inspired him to write the book, says Villacorta.

“During the campaign, I thought it would be a good idea to chronicle it. It was phenomenal because it was people power translated to an electoral activity,” he explains. “I was even more motivated when we won the elections. But I waited until July before interviewing people.”

Interviewing the wide spectrum of people that helped out in the campaign – from people like Rapa Lopa of the Benigno Aquino, Jr. Foundation to Martin Uy of the YO!NOY youth group – wold prove to be the hardest part about the book, reveals Villacorta.

“Getting the actual data was the most challenging aspect,” he says. “Sometimes, different supporters have different recollections of what happened, so I had to meet with many respondents several times.”

Triumph of the Filipino
Karina Bolasco, president of Anvil Publishing, said at the book's launch that the book could serve as a reminder of the promises made by Aquino during his presidential campaign.

“Menito Villacorta’s book, 'Noynoy: Triumph of A People's Campaign', documents and puts together analyses, from various perspectives, of the triumph of the people’s campaign. By doing so, he casts in stone President Aquino’s social covenant with his people,” she said. “This book, among many others, will constantly remind the people that they have to demand nothing less than what was promised them.”

While Villacorta believes that the book could serve as a reference for students as to how successful political campaigns are organizes, he also wishes for the book to be able to inspire the youth in much the same way being part of the people's campaign reinvigorated his faith in his countrymen.

“Beyond expecting PNoy to live up to his covenant with the people and his parents, we must not forget that as citizens, we have our own responsibility to make this government succeed. Our duty did not end with our ability to elect a moral leader,” he writes in the book's epilogue. “The triumph of PNoy is the triumph of every Filipino. We must therefore join hands in helping him fulfill our collective and elusive dream of good governance in a vibrant democracy.”