Noynoying. Lol.
Noynoying(pronounced noy-noy-YING ) is a protest gimmick in the form of neologism which critics of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III have used to call attention to what they claim is the "do-nothing" work ethic and inaction of Aquino over emergency response and rising oil prices. The term is in reference to Aquino's nickname, Noynoy. It added the "Noynoying" term also taps into old Philippine folk tales about Juan Tamad, who tries to get by doing the least amount of work to get by.
Since its first documented usage in October 2011, the term was used as a form of protest against Aquino, wherein protesters performed "Noynoying" poses such as sitting idly while resting their heads on one hand and doing nothing. The act had since gone viral on the Internet, while Malacañang was confident it will not catch on with the public.
The term was first documented in the October 8, 2011, issue of Manila Standard Today. In their opinion article, columnists Karl Allan Barlaan and Christian Cardiente criticized Aquino's slow response over typhoons Pedring and Quiel, which left parts of Luzon island, including Metro Manila, in a state of calamity.
Aquino convened the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council five days after Pedring hit the country and a full week before overseeing distribution of food and water to the survivors, which was after he attended the 30th anniversary celebrations of McDonald's in the Philippines.
They wrote: "The opposition called the government’s calamity response 'insensitive, indifferent, and slow.' Palace ally House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. urged the President to visit the typhoon victims 'to boost their morale.' The Internet was abuzz with a newly-coined word, 'noynoying.' The word translates to 'procrastinating,' members of a UP Diliman alumni social networking group say."
An infographic distributed by youth rights group Anakbayan that instructs how to perform Noynoying and share it through social media.
Five months later, student protesters denounced the rise in oil prices and college tuition rates by performing what they call "Noynoying." They make "effortless" poses, wherein they lounged on the ground looking bored and idle. Vencer Crisostomo, national chairman of youth rights group Anakbayan, said the Noynoying poses reflected how Aquino had done nothing to cushion the impact of or prevent the increase in oil prices and tuition rates. He defined Noynoying as "when you do nothing when in fact you have something to do."
This protest activity was also created in response to warnings that protesters caught planking on the streets would be arrested.
Proceeding protests adopted the act of Noynoying. A group of farmers from Hacienda Luisita lounged in front of Supreme Court on March 19, 2012, as they plea to uphold its ruling ordering the distribution of about 6,400 hectares of land owned by Aquino's clan, the Cojuangcos. They also accused Aquino of intimidating the Supreme Court so that it would overturn the ruling on distribution, or grant the demand of Hacienda Luisita, Inc. of P10 billion (US$232,340,000) in just compensation in case the land is dispersed. Child rights advocates also integrated Noynoying in their protests on March 17, 2012, as they expressed concern over the increasing number of children becoming victims of human rights violations under Aquino's term.
Labor rights groups also introduced an off-shoot of Noynoying called "Noy-ngaling," a portmanteau of Noynoy and the Tagalog word "sinungaling" (liar). They urged Malacañang to stop "misinforming" its people that a P125 (US$2.90) raise in minimum wage would lead to higher unemployment rate.
Since news about Noynoying protests were covered by the media, a number of newspapers and websites published photos of Aquino at work. Presidential deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte denied allegations that the photos were released to counter the "Noynoying" protesters. She also expressed her dismay at the protesters for making it appear that Aquino was doing nothing to control the rising oil prices.
Representatives of Malacañang belittled the use of Noynoying as a form of protest. Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said on March 15, 2012, that Noynoying was meant to antagonize Aquino, adding that it will not sell to the public.
The Office of the President of the Philippines released a series of photographs, including this one, that showed President Benigno Aquino III at work. The Office denied that they were published to counter the Noynoying protests.
In a press conference, Aquino declared that the public should not pay attention to Noynoying, adding that the term is a product of people who have nothing good to say. "Papaano mo ipapakita sa ayaw tumingin? Paano mo iparirinig sa ayaw makinig? Kung masaya silang ginagawa nila 'yun, nasa kanila 'yon." ("How will you show it to people who refuse to look? How will you express it to people who refuse to listen? If they are happy with what they are doing, it is okay.")
He also claims his administration is doing everything to ease the effects of oil price hikes, including subsidies to public transportation drivers as well as substantial discounts on tires, car batteries, and vehicle spare parts.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad predicted that the Noynoying craze would soon fizzle. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile advised Aquino to remain unfazed amid the Noynoying tag and instead focus his attention to his work.
Political pundit Conrado de Quiros of Philippine Daily Inquirer called Noynoying "a horrendous contretemps," even calling out the groups behind the Noynoying protests as supporters of Manny Villar during his presidential campaign in 2010, which Aquino won. Columnist William M. Esposo of The Philippine Star called Noynoying "baseless, if not outright insulting to a head of State, and doesn’t deserve presidential rebuttal." He added: "Noynoying cannot shame P-Noy - but only those rabble-rousing Leftists and P-Noy haters perpetrating it." He previously declared that Noynoying is "the latest concoction of the Reds."
Sun Star Cebu columnist Pachico A. Seares referred to Noynoying as "the N word," adding that while the Aquino administration claimed it was downplaying the Noynoying criticisms, the fact that Aquino and his representatives tackled the issue gave it "time and energy that it's not supposed to merit."
Meanwhile, pundit Federico D. Pascual Jr. of The Philippine Star wrote that the reason why Noynoying has caught the attention of the public and even international media because "it is true." He even claimed that while the Wikipedia entry of Noynoying was subject to deletion, the newly-coined word would take root, "thanks to Noynoy Aquino himself." Bobby Nalzaro of Sun Star Cebu "partly agreed" with leftist organizations that conducted Noynoying protests, which he said was not far from a word he coined to describe Aquino: AIDS (As If Doing Something). "P-Noy has focused on his anti-corruption campaign and has neglected the other aspects of his governance," Nalzaro wrote.
Jojo A. Robles of Manila Standard Today shared his "comprehensive definition" of Noynoying: Where Aquino does things he believes are important, like removing Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona from office, even if these do nothing to improve the lives of Filipinos. He concluded: "In other words, Aquino is 'Noynoying' when he appears to be really doing nothing important and, worse, when he disappears from public view, which he does periodically. But when Aquino does emerge from his regular disappearances and exerts his energies exclusively on the things that he considers his priorities, he is not 'Noynoying'—he is merely out of touch and increasingly irrelevant."
Related news feeds about Noynoying, lol.
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