President Aquino has returned from his official state visit to Vietnam. He mentioned that his trip was a resounding success, with pledges of investment and cooperation from the other ASEAN countries. He was also personally invited to visit other nations like Thailand, Singapore and New Zealand.
The President was beaming with pride with his latest accomplishment, but at the same time, he had to put out yet another fire within his young administration.
Everyone already knows the rude, insensitive and tactless tweets made by no less than the President's speechwriter, about her experiences in Vietnam. Comments not befitting the position she - yes, a woman - now holds in the President's official family.
Criticisms from the public were harsh, plentiful and fast, as everything on the internet now is. Calls for resignation once again resounded the halls of the Palace. Again, the President of the Philippines has come to the rescue of his staff, which seems to be part of P.Noy's job description.
He did say that we are his boss, but this is already becoming ridiculous.
President Aquino describes his speechwriter as young and prone to mistakes, and most likely inexperienced in terms of diplomacy. P.Noy should have added she lacked common sense!
No moves to fire the errant staff were made nor recommended. Instead, she has already received a reprimand and has voluntarily deleted her Twitter account.
Philippine officials are now temporarily banned from Tweeting! But she still has the trust and confidence of the President.
Does this mean that if you are young and a member of the staff of President Aquino, you can say that a country had bad wine and ugly men, and had the most unsafe streets in the world? No. But if you do, will you be defended by no less than the President with the highest approval rating in decades. Yes.
Maybe the scriptwriter is also one of the few who can enter the President's office without knocking nor prior permission. Or maybe she is one of those who can calm the President down in times of extreme stress, just by being by his side.
So forget that she can disparage a country's young wine industry and mock it's male citizens' looks. She must be one hell of a speechwriter. One that the President cannot do without. Next country please?