Noy drives back from Baguio in sports car

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – With the window of the sports car rolled down, President Aquino drove back to the lowlands early yesterday after spending three nights here since New Year’s Eve.

Seated behind the wheel of a red Nissan GT-R or grand touring racing coupe, with the driver’s window rolled down, the President went out of The Mansion House, the official presidential residence here, at around 7:30 a.m., moving toward Marcos Highway. 

“They went out (of the gate) so fast so I wasn’t able to grab my camera or my cellular phone,” Joe Esteras, of PTV 4, said. 

Several witnesses at a gasoline station near the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center said a red car and a couple of black sport utility vehicles trailing behind passed by the area.

Driving the same sports car, Aquino arrived here at 5 p.m. of Dec. 31.

He spent three nights in the city privately.

The President had dinner at the posh Baguio Country Club on Saturday night.

Last Friday, he hosted a dinner for top defense and military officials led by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin at The Mansion House.

Sources said the President would be coming back to the city.

According to Senior Superintendent Rolando Miranda, Baguio City police chief, who manned the peripheral security at The Mansion House, Aquino was supposed to stay until Jan. 6.

Nissan launched the GT-R in 2007. Its website listed the US prices of the 2016 edition at a range of $101,770 to $149,990.

Palace officials said Aquino borrowed the sports car but did not identify the owner.

The President has a known fondness for driving fast cars. A few months after tak- ing office, he sold the BMW that he drove when he was a senator and replaced it with a used Porsche. The furor later forced him to get rid of the sports car.