Kris talks Cebu tourism, political plans

DESPITE a hectic provincial campaign schedule, presidential sister Kris Aquino took time to promote a tourism destination in Cebu, unveil her plans in 2016 and a possible joint venture for a beach front property in Saranggani province.

On arriving in Cebu, Aquino lined up with other passengers at the Mactan Cebu International Airport for metered taxis with no Presidential Security Group (PSG) personnel in tow.

She said it was the first time no PSG trooper fetched her from the airport in Lapu-Lapu City.

But Kris said she didn’t mind because she always felt safe in Cebu.

While heading to a radio station in Cebu City, Kris said she talked to the taxi driver and endorsed the candidacy of senatorial aspirant Grace Poe and re-electionist Sen. Francis Escudero.

She said she enjoyed her conversation with the driver so much that she didn’t ask for change when she handed him a P1,000 bill for her P470 fare.

Kris, Poe and Escudero attended a news conference and then left for a flight back to Manila.

During the press conference, Kris said she wanted to promote local tourism in the country and cited Bantayan Island in Cebu which she described as “mini-Boracay” because of its pristine white-sand beach and clear waters.

Kris said she will return to Bantayan Island after the elections.

“I’ll even invite (Liberal Party-Cebu gubernatorial candidate Hilario) Davide III to ride a jetski or banana boat with me,” she said.

“Bantayan Island is a good place for tourists and I want to feature it in my Kris TV show so the viewers can discovery its beauty. Let’s make it Cebu’s Boracay,” she said in reference to the popular tourist destination in the Visayas.

Acting Cebu Gov. Agnes Magpale said she was happy to hear of Kris’s plan to promote Bantayan Island. and will support it.

Kris also said she planned to buy a beachfront property in Glan, Sarangani, after falling in love with the place during a recent visit.

At last Thursday’s press conference in General Santos City that she hosted for Escudero and Poe, Aquino announced she was working on the purchase of a property in Gumasa and planned to develop it with a French business partner.

She would not say what the cost was but added that she was hoping the deal would push through.

Because she loved Gumasa so much, Kris said she would help promote tourism there and Mindanao in general.

Concerning her 2016 plans, Kris said she would first run for a local position but didn’t say where.

“If ever I will enter (politics)… not national right away. I want a local position. I want to be an executive whether a mayor or a governor,” she told reporters.
She said she would have get her family’s nod first and obtain a master’s degree in public administration before joining politics.

“But I have a problem. I am a resident of Makati City and I can’t beat the Binays so I have to find another city in Metro Manila where I can run for mayor,” she said.

Kris said a possible opening may be in Tarlac, the Aquino family’s political home base.

“But it’s possible in Tarlac because it’s the last term of Governor Vic Yap this 2013 so he’s giving it to me if I want it. Let us see,” she said.

But lest she be accused of riding on the popularity of the Aquino name, Kris said she would like to study first so she could earn her credentials. Correspondents Carmel Loise Matus and Renan Alangilan with an Inquirer report