Aquino: I never played PSP

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino denied yesterday that his favorite pastime is playing portable play station (PSP).

“I never played PSP,” he told GMA-7 anchor Arnold Clavio in an interview in Malacañang.

Aquino said his hobbies include shooting and playing billiards and, of late, biking.

Since the start of the year, he rides his bike inside the Malacañang premises, he added.

Aquino is a known sharpshooter, and has even offered to train prosecutors from the Department of Justice.

He also does not regret being President, even if he has to contend with never-ending problems like oil price hikes, increases in transport fares, and the like.

He said he is also getting used to the utter lack of the privacy.

Aquino also denied that he has not been keeping up with the working pace of a president.

“I would like to start out with a comment I read in one of today’s columns – actually there were two columns, both of them critical – and they said I don’t work hard enough,” he said before he delivered his speech to employers at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.

“For their information, this is my third engagement for the day. I started out at 5:30 in the morning, not because I have to plant some seeds but because I have to board a plane by 6:30 a.m. to go to wakes, one in Cebu, and one in Samar – to attend the wakes of two of our partymates, one died due to health concerns and the other killed by assassins.”

He referring to Cebu Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr. and Calabayog City Mayor Reynaldo Uy.

Aquino may have been referring to the columns of former Senate President Ernesto Maceda in The STAR and Ramon Tulfo in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Aquino only wanted is to set the record straight and avoid “misinformation.”

High prices pull down Aquino’s ratings

High fuel and consumer prices brought down Aquino’s satisfaction ratings, administration allies in the House of Representatives said yesterday.

“Public satisfaction is partly caused by economic factors,” said Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez.

“Recent increases in the prices of petroleum products and basic commodities have pulled down the President’s ratings,” he said.

Another administration ally, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, said, “It’s probably the result of higher food prices and higher cost of living.”

Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello said the survey failed to take into account Aquino’s anti-corruption campaign.

“It did not reflect the gains on the anti-corruption front represented by the resignation of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez since the survey was taken before that happened,” he said.

“People were probably impatient that things were not moving on this front.”

Citizens Battle Against Corruption Rep. Sherwin Tugna expressed apprehension that the fall in Aquino’s satisfaction rating could affect his campaign against corruption.

“To fight corruption, we cannot just be content with a safe level of support from the people,” he said. “We need a remarkable and tremendous support from a great number of people. That is why anti-corruption advocates were very optimistic when the Aquino government attained high ratings in the beginning. We are anxious that the drop, since then, is continuing.”

However, Tugna said he was hopeful Aquino would regain his high trust and satisfaction marks.

The appointment of a non-partisan, no-nonsense and truly independent Ombudsman could help Aquino recover his ratings, he added.  – With Jess Diaz