P-Noy on Christmas wishes, public service & marriage...

His mind wasn’t really on Christmas yet, because of typhoon “Ruby.” At the Bulong Pulungan press forum and Christmas party last Friday at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza, President Noynoy Aquino was constantly on the phone with his disaster response lieutenants.

“At the end of the day, I think I’m ultimately responsible for how this government works, and I want to impress upon everybody that it is not just doing something but rather doing the right thing,” he said when asked about his almost obsessive attention to every detail of the preparations for the super typhoon.

“I’m sure some are asking,” he said, feeling the anxiety of the disaster-weary populace, “why are we being visited with all of these always at this point when it is supposed to be the most joyous and most celebratory period of the year?”

Having presided over preparations to face the effects of “Ruby,” brooking no excuses for unpreparedness from government, the President said his Christmas wish, “is that we have that peaceful moment where we are not confronted with very severe challenges like last year, and that we are focused on really just pausing and enjoying something that is so intrinsically part of the Filipino culture, which is having that family time.”

“So if we are able to assist in maximizing that opportunity, then I think that is (my) central wish,” he added in response to moderator Deedee Siytangco’s question.

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But President Aquino said he was strengthened by his parents Ninoy and Cory Aquino’s own fortitude in the many crises they faced.

“I think from the start (of my term) to even last night, I was praying to both my mom and my dad and asking for, you know, strength, guidance, wisdom. You know, even if I don’t pray to them, they serve as the inspiration. Whenever I face a crisis, I look at all the crises that they had to undergo and that they overcame. What I’m undergoing now pales in comparison to what they had to undergo with perhaps even less resources to address.

“So that serves as — their lives serve as an inspiration. Sometimes they serve also as a safety valve, you know...But, at the end of the day, just remembering their lives really does point out what had already been done, and it says it’s no longer just an abstract idea. It was really done, therefore, there’s no question that we can do more or the same, especially since we’re standing on their shoulders and their achievements, and a lot of other people who contributed to where we are at now.”

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Despite the crises he has had to face, the President’s eyes glowed when asked about his happiest moments as President.

“None? Too many?” pondered The STAR’s Domini Torrevillas.

The President said it was the good news about the economy that really made him happiest, like the NEDA report that 2.5 million were lifted out of poverty last year and that 1.6 million new jobs were created.

“When you have all of those credit ratings upgrades. When you get the investment grade status,” he also pointed out, adding, “When we started out, we said there would be an improvement of lives, and the economy really has to improve and it has to be very inclusive. Things are changing!”

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The only time he mentioned his love life was at the beginning of his speech, preempting the inevitable question. He said it was still “zero” and when Thelma San Juan wished him a love-filled Christmas, he said, “I’ll talk to Joshua and Bimby about that.”

And as for love songs, the President said he’d rather not listen to them at the moment.

But the President himself brought up the topic of marriage when asked what he expected of today’s impressionable youth, who make up the majority of the population, as future public servants.

“I think it’s inappropriate for me to say so, but it’s like ‘marriage’,” he said as the audience roared.  “It’s a commitment. The satisfaction will come from really impacting on people’s lives, especially for those really on the margins of society.”

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The President was firm in saying he was not planning to run for office again after 2016 — even for other elective posts as two of his predecessors have. He said there were other ways to serve the country, and one way was to write a book institutionalizing the lessons learned when he was in office.

“There are very many roles that can be done not just in politics, and perhaps I owe it to those closest to me — especially my sisters, for instance — and even some of my staff, who have been with me since Congress, they are all looking forward to some time off.”

He said he was going to succumb to the charms of his bedroom in Times, get enough sleep, visit the supermarket and his favorite fast-food restaurants.

And perhaps, have time to listen to love songs again?

(You may e-mail me at [email protected].)