At last, good words for Arroyo, Binay from Aquino

Comedian Vice Ganda poses with President Benigno Aquino III in an interview held at Malacañang on Tuesday. SCREEN GRAB FROM VICE GANDA’S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III temporarily set aside political differences in his interview with Vice Ganda aired Sunday after he recalled his experiences under the tutelage of former president and now Pampanga representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

During the “Gandang Gabi Vice” interview, Aquino described Arroyo as “very knowledgeable” but not a “terror” professor.

“She always smiles in class,” Aquino, adding that she gave him a B+ grade.

He also remembered their class’ first meeting with Arroyo where she gave a reading list of six pages long.

“Napaka-knowledgeable. Siyempre, ‘yung unang araw nasindak kaming lahat dahil mayroong…binigyan kami ng reading list e, tatlong pahina, back-to-back ‘yung unang pahina ng babasahin namin during the course of the semester,” Aquino said.

(Very knowledgeable. During the first day, we were shocked because she gave a reading list, which is three pages long, which we will read during the course of the semester.)

Arroyo has been his teacher in an Economics subject in Ateneo de Manila University during his undergraduate years. The president graduated with an AB Economics degree in 1981.

Political differences resulted in the “falling out” of the relationship between Aquino and Arroyo.

In 2010, Aquino issued his first executive order establishing the ‘Philippine Truth Commission” seeking to probe the alleged instances of graft and corruption committed under Arroyo’s term.

Aquino also hit Arroyo on several issues, insinuating that problems currently faced by his administration have been “inherited” from Arroyo’s term, which spanned nine years from 2001 to 2010.

It was also under Aquino’s term when Arroyo was detained and placed under hospital arrest for plunder charges.

Meanwhile, in the “Fast Talk” segment of the show, Aquino described embattled vice president Jejomar Binay as a “long-time friend.”

“Matagal ko na ring kaibigan. Siya ang kasama ko ‘nung EDSA Revolution,” Aquino added. (He is my long-time friend. He was with me during the EDSA Revolution.)

Binay is the leading presidential contender, which could possibly replace Aquino in 2016.

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