Noynoy's sisters 'not thrilled' about his presidential prospects

Senator Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III said on Wednesday that his four sisters are apprehensive about his entering the 2010 presidential race. In a one-on-one interview with GMA 7’s Jessica Soho, he said his sisters — Ballsy Cruz, Pinky Abellada, Viel Dee and Kris Yap — were worried about talks of his plans of running for president in the coming elections. “None of them are really thrilled at the prospect of (my) entering this race," said the senator, who had a heart-to-heart talk with his sisters during dinner Tuesday night, shortly after Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II announced that he was stepping aside to give way to him as the standard bearer of the Liberal Party. Aquino likewise said that his siblings were anxious of his going back to Malacaňang. “All are filled with anxieties of being associated again with Malacaňang. Noong panahon ng nanay ko, 28 na diyaryo ang naghahanap ng negative na balita kinabukasan. Ganoon na naman ba (ang mangyayari?) (During my mother’s time, 28 newspapers searched for negative news about her to be published the following day. Do we have to undergo the same ordeal again?)" he asked. Noynoy Aquino was only 26 years old when his mother, Corazon Aquino, was propelled to the presidency by a popular uprising that toppled the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in February 1986. Mrs. Aquino’s term ended in 1992. “Lahat kami, simpleng buhay ang gusto namin (All of us want a simple life)," he added.

Aquino said calls for him to run for president have affected the health of his sisters and even his nephew. “Josh (Kris’ eldest son) also had elevated blood pressure, and Kris tells me he senses his mom’s anxiety," he said. Aquino announced on Wednesday that he will be going on a “spiritual retreat" to help him decide whether or not he will run for president in 2010, following Roxas’ decision to give way to him. Calls for Noynoy Aquino to seek the presidency mounted during the wake of his mother, who died August 1 of illness. Noynoy is the only son of the former president and the late former Senator Benigno “Ninoy" Aquino Jr., who was assassinated by soldiers on August 21, 1983. Ninoy Aquino's murder, which had been largely blamed on Marcos, led to mass protests that culminated in the EDSA People Power Revolution that installed his widow to power. - Andreo C. Calonzo, GMANews.TV