Aquino wants to take a break when term ends

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino wants to take a break after he steps down in 2016 and think about how he can serve the people as Citizen Noynoy.

During the annual presidential forum of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) at the Solaire Resort and Casino in Parañaque City on Tuesday, Aquino said running for a lower elective post was presently not on the table.

“When I get a break, I will think of the best route to continue the advocacy of uplifting the lot of our countrymen,” he said.

With eight months left in his presidency, Aquino was asked about his retirement and future plans.

Two of his predecessors remained in politics after serving the presidency - Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a member of the House of Representatives while Joseph Estrada is mayor of Manila.

Aquino said he would be willing to help whoever his successor would be.

He joked that the deadline had lapsed for him to file his certificate of candidacy for the 2016 elections and he has no plans yet for 2019.

“When I see my sisters, nephews and nieces or see my staff members, some of them were with me since my days in Congress, I am reminded that the sacrifices that I have to go through in this job were not just mine,” Aquino said.

He said there were so many people who shared in the sacrifices and decided they were all in this together.

The President admitted he found it awkward to talk about how the people would remember him and would rather let his “bosses” judge him.

“All I can say is that at the end of the day, I did my all on that particular day, and each and everyday,” Aquino said.

Aquino said he would miss the perks of being President.

He said his mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, used to tell him that she missed those perks,  such as “having an air-wing devoted to whisk you away from here to there.”

The President said he also wanted to have time to go to the beach and explore the country’s tourist destinations.

“My problem is, I have access to not only all the nicest places in this country, but also to other tourist destination around the world. But I always have only a minute or two to appreciate these,” he said.

“I can’t even say that I’ve had the Bora experience like most Filipinos had. I’ve been to Boracay for only an hour and 10 minutes, and most of that was in Caticlan.”

Aquino reiterated his call for members of the media to adhere to balanced reporting, noting he would miss them after his term ends.

The President expressed his sentiments on sensationalized reporting by the Philippine media.

“I never asked that media refrain from reporting negative news. All I asked for was a reasonable balance,” he said.