Noynoy: No kin can dictate my actions if I win as president

If he wins in the May 10 elections, Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III (Liberal Party) will not let any member of his powerful clan dictate his actions as president. Aquino made the promise when he took the hot seat on GMA's election program Kandidato, aired Wednesday, amid criticism that his relatives from the influential Cojuangco family will influence his political decisions once he is elected to Malacañang. "If I win I make all of the decisions because the responsibility is primarily mine," Aquino said. The LP standard bearer was responding to a question on the status of his personal and professional relationship with his uncle, Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr. Aquino said that while he consults Cojuangco and "many experts" about some of his plans, he himself makes the decisions at the end of the day. Cojuangco, a former congressman, is the current Philippine Olympic Committee chairman and brother of Aquino's mother, the late President Corazon "Cory" Aquino. Hacienda Luisita The non-distribution of the Cojuangcos' Hacienda Luisita has been an issue for the campaign. Aquino and his sisters claim to own a much smaller fraction of the sugar estate than their relatives. Cojuangco, who was Tarlac representative when Republic Act 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law took effect in 1988, is one of the incorporators of Hacienda Luisita Inc., which has 70 percent control of the estate. At the start of his campaign last February, Aquino vowed to ensure the distribution of Hacienda Luisita land by 2014 after all its debts were settled. Hacienda Luisita spokesman Antonio Ligon has said Aquino's wishes regarding the fate of Luisita would be followed once the senator is elected president. This, despite the strong opposition of Aquino's cousin, Fernando Cojuangco, chief operations officer of Central Azucarera de Tarlac. Independent from sisters On Kandidato, Aquino said none of his sisters - Ballsy Cruz, Pinky Abellada, Viel Dee, and celebrity Kris Aquino - would dictate to him if he gets elected president. "Living again in the ambit of a Malacañang existence is like the farthest wish they have in their minds," he said. Aquino, however, said he would follow the "core values" of his mother's administration, which, he said, revolved around providing "opportunities for all." Mrs. Aquino rose to power in February 1986 following the ouster of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the country for 20 years. She has been tagged as a democracy icon and was mourned worldwide when she passed away in August 1 last year after battling colon cancer. - KBK, GMANews.TV