PNoy’s pasalubong: Chocolates for sisters, secret gift for Shalani

For the country, President Benigno Aquino III brought from his week-long US trip billions of dollar worth of investments and grants. For his loved ones, on the other hand, particularly his four sisters, it’s the typical Filipino pasalubong: chocolates. “Alam naman nilang busy ako dito. Meron na lang akong token na pasalubong sa kanila… Tsokolate lang naman po ang pasalubong ko sa mga kapatid ko," President Aquino said in a one-on-one interview with GMA News’ Sandra Aguinaldo on Monday (Manila time). (They know how busy I am here. So what I have is a token gift for them. For my sisters it’s chocolates.) Asked what he’s bringing home for his girlfriend, Valenzuela City Councilor Shalani Soledad, the President answered: “Secret na ‘yun (That’s a secret)."

One per family President Aquino said his nephews and nieces would have to share the chocolates with each other since he only managed to buy one chocolate each for the families of Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, Pinky Aquino-Abellada, Viel Aquino-Dee and Kris Aquino-Yap. “Yung mga pamangkin ko ‘hi’ lang ang mapapala nila. Unless maki-share sila… Palagay ko makiki-share na lang sila one per family," he said in the interview, which will be aired in selected GMA Pinoy TV channels worldwide. (My nieces and nephews will have to share the chocolates since I only bought one per family.) No toys for Baby James He said his youngest nephew, James “Baby James" Yap Jr., will not be receiving any toys from him, since the toys the three-year-old kid wanted were “unavailable" in the US. “Si Baby James, hindi na available ang mga type niya na laruan dito. Dini-discourage yun. Palagay ko ihahanap ko na lang siya sa Maynila," he said. (The toys Baby James wants are not available here. I think I’ll just look for them in Manila.) President Aquino returned to the country on Tuesday morning from his working visit to the US where he secured $2.4 billion in investments and a grant worth $434 million from the Millennium Challenge Corporation for social welfare programs. — KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV