New Year’s resolution for Noy: Ignore critics

MANILA, Philippines - Ignore critics who do not see anything right, and ease the pressure on Cabinet officials: these are two of President Aquino’s New Year’s resolutions.

Aquino told high school students from Miriam College who visited him at Malacañang that there seemed to be “a cottage industry of people who make a living” criticizing him.

He said he would just ignore them.

Aquino also said with just two and a half years left in his term, Filipinos must realize that no single person could transform the country because “it is a collective effort.”

He said young people should join in finding solutions to problems.

“Everything we tried to accomplish, these things we see wrong, we are committed not to let it perpetuate,” Aquino said.

“We will not bequeath to the next administration the problems we had to face,” he told the students.

Aquino added he would exert less pressure on his Cabinet members, fearing they might all get burned out before the end of his term in 2016.

This was one of the most important things, Aquino stressed, because his official family had been hardworking and very dedicated.

“Perhaps I should begin to give them a little more breathing room,” he said.

Aquino added his Cabinet officials had been earning high salaries working in the private sector but took the sacrifice to work with him in government.

He cited the case of Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla, who missed his target of energizing areas hit by Super Typhoon Yolanda by 14 hours, but was still asked to resign.

Aquino noted only three of 320 towns were left without electricity and more than 99 percent had been energized by Petilla.