Noy on critics: Why debate with those without open minds?

MANILA, Philippines - Staying true to his New Year's Resolution, President Benigno Aquino III said he won't spend the remainder of his term by responding to what he calls a "cottage industry of critics."

Speaking to the members of the Ateneo community, Aquino said the challenge ahead in his last years in office is making the right priorities.

"Why spend the time debating with somebody who will never have an open mind? Why not just do what has to be done?" Aquino said in an open forum after his speech at the Ateneo Professional Schools in Makati City on Wednesday night.

Last January, Aquino told high school students from Miriam College who visited him in Malacañang that part of his New Year's resolution is to ignore critics who do not see anything right.

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

The President added that Filipinos must realize that no single person could transform the country since "it is a collective effort."

It could be recalled that in 2013, the Aquino administration was highly criticized for the supposed mishandling of the relief and rescue efforts immediately after Super Typhoon "Yolanda" hit Eastern Visayas.

The administration also went under fire due to the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), a stimulus program introduced in 2010 that re-aligned government savings to speed up projects and pump-prime the economy.

After allegations of the DAP being unconstitutional and for using its funds to bribe senator-judges in the Corona impeachment trial, officials of the administration repeatedly defended the legality of the stimulus program.

Aquino even delivered a rare speech on primetime television, denying that he pocketed public funds through the DAP.