PNoy on presidency: ‘This job really ages you’

(Updated 5:03 p.m.) With less than a year to go before he steps down from office, President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday said his six-year term has had a negative impact on health.

“Mas marami na ho ang sakit ng katawan ko siguro ngayon kaysa noong araw.This job really ages you,” he said during a forum organized by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Aquino also did not miss the opportunity to take another swipe at the previous administration, saying it left him with so much to do.

"It was very daunting. People will be wanting solutions even before you step into office, at saka tangible results even before your step into office," he explained.

Nonetheless, the president said that the successes of his administration— such as the 4.4 million households enrolled in the government's conditional cash transfer program and the Philippines' being awarded investment grades by credit ratings agencies—inspire him now.

"My mother, I think, put it best: if I could have done something and I chose not to, I would not be able live with myself," he said.

Moreover, Aquino praised his countrymen for supporting his administration's "Daang Matuwid" measures.

"We are where we are, because they are always there behind us," he said.

Aquino, a former lawmaker, also shrugged off criticisms that he is a “hard-headed” president.

“‘Pag talagang nanindigan ka, parang ang tigas ng ulo mo naman. So ganoon siguro talaga ang buhay. Maski anong gawin mo malalait ka. Kaya ako, hanggang June 30, 2016, tatanggapin ko ho lahat ‘yan,” he said.

Aquino cited his insistence on having the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) enacted despite the opposition of some quarters.

He said he would rather push for a controversial law that would benefit many in the future rather than join the bandwagon of calling for the delay of the BBL’s passage.

“'Yung mabigat na desisyon na baka unpopular sa ngayon, kung tama, magiging popular din down the line—sasang-ayunan ng nakakarami dahil ‘yon ang talagang tamang solusyon,” he said.

Aquino, 55, was swept to power on a wave of public sympathy after the death of his mother, former President Corazon "Cory" Aquino, in 2010. He is set to finish his term next year. — KBK/BM, GMA News