Let Noy enjoy his sports car - Enrile

MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile told critics yesterday that President Aquino should be left to enjoy his new Porsche sports car without any criticism, considering that he used his own money to buy it.

Enrile said critics were unfair in comparing the President’s status to that of the masses in connection to the used Porsche he bought for himself.

“Why should we deny the highest leader of the land to have a Porsche? You want him to have a bicycle?” Enrile said.

He said leaders of other nations also own luxury cars and do not get any kind of criticism from the citizenry.

He said it does not matter if the President drives a Porsche or other luxury vehicles or a cheaper car as long as he did not use the people’s money for this.

“They’re making too much of an issue of this. That has no bearing even to the welfare of the nation,” Enrile said.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri also saw nothing wrong with the President’s new car and even found it to be part of the struggles encountered by men facing midlife crisis.

He said there is a notion that men who reach a certain age sometimes find the need to either get a sports car or date several women.

He also noted that people have different hobbies and some consider collecting certain cars as their hobby.

Palace defends P-Noy

A Malacañang official also defended the President, noting the family of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also had a fleet of luxury cars, but that didn’t draw any controversy.

“I think the Arroyos have several luxury cars and I don’t think we ever made it an issue,” said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte, in reference to the Pampanga congresswoman, her lawyer-husband Mike and congressmen-sons Mikey and Datu’s criticisms.

It should have been an issue, she said, if Aquino did not have any car at all when he assumed office in June 2010, but suddenly bought a sports car six months later.

A reliable source revealed that a high-ranking politician friend gave the President an all-terrain Land Rover Defender last Christmas, but he returned the sport utility vehicle.

The source agreed that it is not fair for government detractors to compare the luxurious P1-million dinners Arroyo and her entourage had in New York, which – just like the P4.5-million sports car – did not come from government coffers. – With Delon Porcalla