Youth rep calls PNoy insensitive for Porsche purchase

President Benigno Aquino III was being insensitive to the plight of his people when he purchased a P4.5-million Porsche 911 Turbo sports car, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino said Friday. “The sheer insensitivity of President Aquino is breathtaking. He burdens the people with toll, fare and price hikes. He wants us to be calm about the increases as he delights himself with a luxury sports vehicle," Palatino said in a statement on Friday. “It would appear as though the President is very much deserving of relaxation while the people have to suffer from the increases. His display of wealth is a troubling reminder of the wide disparity between the rich and poor in the country," Palatino add. The partylist lawmaker’s criticism came in the wake of rising protests due to recent measures of the Aquino administration increasing tollway fees and train fares. The toll in the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) and the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) increased in early January, while the fares for urban railways MRT and LRT are set to increase in March. Critics of the bachelor president’s Porsche purchase also recalled that last month, Aquino issued a memorandum prohibiting all agencies from acquiring and using luxury vehicles for their operations, "and to be more prudent in spending government funds, especially in the acquisition of motor vehicles to maximize the utilization of scarce government resources." (See: Palace issues guidelines on vehicle purchase) Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda hastened to clarify, however, that Aquino did not violate the memorandum, as the president used his own funds to buy the Porsche. (See: PNoy buys himself a Porsche) The Porsche 911, a German-made sports coupe, is one of the most sought-after race cars worldwide. In the Philippines, owning a Porsche is considered a mark of an elite lifestyle. The country’s principal Porsche club, for example, says it has 58 members who own 178 Porsches. Since he became president, Aquino has not kept secret his long-standing passion for driving fast cars, remarking on several occasions that “driving peacefully on a smooth, empty highway is one of my favorite luxuries." Palatino, however, said that public servants should strive to live simply and put the welfare of their constituents first. "I am saddened that the President has done neither," he said. Leave him alone Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri on the other hand defended the President, saying he wasn't doing anything wrong because he didn't spend the public's money. "My God, why should we deny the highest leader of the land to have a Porsche? Kung hindi naman niya ninakaw, bakit naman ipagkakait sa kanya na magkaroon siya ng kotseng ganun [If he didn't steal it, why would we deprive him of owning such a car]?" Enrile told reporters in an interview on Friday. "[Do] you want him to have a bisikleta [bicycle]?" asked the Senate president. Zubiri likewise explained that Aquino did not hurt anybody when he purchased the vehicle. "I don't see anything wrong. As long as he used his own money, there shouldn't be any problem," he said in a separate interview on Friday. "You're making it an issue even though [that has] no bearing even to the welfare of the nation as a collectivity," added Enrile.—JV, GMANews.TV