P-Noy won’t run for lower office

MANILA, Philippines - After considering and then junking plans for a second term, President Aquino now says he has lost interest in seeking another elective office.

Aquino said yesterday that he did not intend to go the way of his two predecessors and run for a position lower than the presidency upon his retirement in 2016.

Instead he prefers to laze around and write a book.

After serving as president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Joseph Estrada ran and won as Pampanga representative and Manila mayor, respectively.

“After 2016, I think foremost on my mind, together with my Cabinet, is to take at least a year’s break and recharge and recover from all the tensions, turmoil, concerns over the past six years. I will try to look for a means to serve in another capacity rather than have an elective office,” Aquino said at the 28th Annual Bulong Pulungan Christmas party yesterday.

Asked if he would be part of a constructive opposition with the entry of a new administration, the President said there were “many roles that can be done not just in politics.”

“Perhaps, I owe it to those closest to me, especially my sisters and even some of my staff who have been with me since Congress, they are all looking forward to some time off,” he said.

Aquino said after a new president will be sworn in, he would go back to his residence on Times street, Quezon City and would relish the time he would be “staying in my own bed in my own house.”

He admitted he was looking forward “to the following day when I don’t have to wake up too early.”

“And perhaps visit the neighborhood charms like the supermarket and the fast food joints all around,” Aquino said.

“People from our political persuasion seem to note that there is – how should I put it – a dearth of institutionalizing the lessons that have been learned. Maybe one of my dreams is to write a book to share the experiences. But more importantly, we would really want to interact with the youth and help shape the next generation so that we don’t repeat the same mistakes,” Aquino said.