President Benigno Aquino III MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU
MANILA, Philippines—It was just a presidential prank.
Or so thought Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello of President Benigno Aquino III’s expression of openness to the idea of a second term of office in Malacañang.
“I think the President is just having a bit of fun, having his allies, the opposition, and the media hanging on his every word,” said Bello, a member of the ruling coalition in the House of Representatives. “If I were in his place, I’d get my kicks the same way.”
He added that he pitied Vice President Jejomar Binay who “must be having sleepless nights.”
Bello, however, made it clear that Akbayan was opposed to any changes in the 1987 Constitution that would allow Mr. Aquino to run for a second term.
“The man’s not ambitious,” he said of Mr. Aquino, who on Wednesday hinted in a television interview that he would “listen” to people clamoring for him to seek another term.
But other lawmakers took the President’s words seriously.
Alliance of Concerned Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio described Mr. Aquino’s pronouncement as his “Arroyo moment,” referring to former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
“This is Aquino’s Arroyo moment. His complete reversal on his declared stand against charter change in order to seek another term echoes former President Arroyo reneging on her Rizal Day promise not to run again,” he said.
Arroyo famously pledged on Dec. 30, 2002 that she would not run in the 2004 elections, a promise she eventually broke.
“This is Aquino breaking his oath to preserve and defend the Constitution,” Tinio said.
On the other hand, Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon found a parallel to Mr. Aquino’s position in another former president.
“Aquino’s duplicity reminds us of how [Ferdinand] Marcos used good intentions to justify a term extension. We all know how that part of history played out,” he said.
“Aquino is delusional if he thinks that he is the sole guardian of the Philippines and that the Filipino people are calling for him to extend his term and save us all from unspeakable evils. Mr. President, the calls for your reelection are coming from your own backyard. The vast majority of the Filipino people actually want you out,” Ridon said.
But Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone predicted an outpouring of support for Mr. Aquino’s reelection.
“Six years is too short for a good president. And President Aquino is a very good President. We should sustain the momentum of our economic growth to benefit the larger masses of our people,” he said.
“Charter change is very doable either through a people’s initiative or constituent assembly. Now that President Aquino has spoken, we can expect an avalanche of support from various sectors of society, especially in the grassroots level,” he said.
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