Manila, Philippines — During an interview with gay comedian Vice Ganda that was aired by ABS-CBN, President Aquino clearly stated that he had to skip necking. He said that should any girl kiss him, she must skip his neck because of a bullet lodged near his carotid, the main artery that carries blood to the head and neck.
He was hit on his neck by gunfire during the 1987 coup attempt against his mother, the former president Corazon Aquino.
Aquino, who remains unmarried at 54, candidly answered questions on such topics as his love life, his thinning hair, the basketball rivalry between La Salle and his alma mater, Ateneo de Manila University, as well as the women he had been linked to, in a 38-minute interview with ABS-CBN noontime show host Vice Ganda.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the interview “showed the lighter side of the President” and that “most of the comments were positive.”
The president wants a younger wife
During the interview, President Aquino talked freely about his love life, admitting that he was not currently in a relationship but that he was not giving up on the possibility of settling down, hopefully with a “younger wife so we could still have a child.”
That would have to wait until he steps down in 2016 and returns to “normal” civilian life, the Chief Executive told his interviewer. “Normal” in this case means enjoying the waters of Boracay—which the President once visited for a total of one hour—and “touching base” with his neighbours in West Avenue, Quezon City.
The President was, however, guarded in describing former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, his economics professor in college, whom he said was “very knowledgeable” but not the “terror” type.
When shown a photo of beleaguered Vice President Jejomar Binay, the subject of several allegations of corruption, the President promptly described him as a “longtime friend,” having stood side by side with the official during the Edsa Revolution in 1986.
Asked by the gay talk-show host whether he was open to having gays in the police force, Aquino declared, “In the end, how one looks at a person should be based on how well that person performs at work.” But the President was more open when asked point-blank if he and TV5 newscaster Grace Lee were once a couple. “Yes!” he said.
President Aquino declined to admit if he has a new girlfriend at present.