Treating him like ordinary man is foolish
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Gabriela Representative Luzviminda Ilagan said it is impossible for Filipinos to consider President Benigno Aquino III an ordinary citizen.
“How can that be done when he is no ordinary Filipino? He is the President of the country. He will always draw attention. Treating him as an ordinary citizen would be foolish,” the party-list lawmaker said in a phone interview.
“In the natural course of things, even his health is a public concern. His personal life will always be of interest to the media and the public. That is part of his persona as a President,” she said.
Part of the territory
Ilagan also said it was expected that people would treat Mr. Aquino’s love life like some delicious dish on the table for lack of anything else to eat.
“It is expected that people would be interested in everything that he does because he is the President. But there is not much to talk about him and his being the President of this country. Why? Because he has not done anything yet that warrants the people’s attention,” Ilagan said, adding:
“Because of that, the people’s attention will be on his being single and his almost-lovers. If his time were devoted to what he should be doing as a statesman, then his love life would no longer matter.
“Yes, he revels in the attention that his personal life is getting. Of course, [that’s] part of the hazards of the trade. It goes with the territory that anything the President does, especially in relation to affairs of the heart, will merit public interest. Besides, his warning not to focus on his love life will naturally cause the opposite effect.”
His duties as President
Two opposition lawmakers—House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman and Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay—said it was OK for the President to go on dates.
“He is entitled to his own free time. But at the same time, I think … the presidency demands full time,” Lagman said at a press conference when asked about Mr. Aquino’s latest squeeze.
Magsaysay said it did not matter who Mr. Aquino was dating as long as he did not neglect his duties.
“His duties as President are different. What is more important is the result, his output, as President. What he does in his … personal time is his own business. But what he is doing for our country is all our business,” Magsaysay said.
But she added that until now, she had yet to be impressed with what Mr. Aquino was doing as President.
