NOYNOY  IN  SURIGAO /  VILLAR: IF NOYNOY HAS KRIS I HAVE PACMAN

[PHOTO AT LEFT - Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III, movie and TV personality Kris Aquino and pro cager James Yap flash the ‘Laban’ sign as they campaign in Zamboanga City the other day.]

SURIGAO DEL NORTE, MARCH 13, 2010 (STAR) By Aurea Calica - Noynoy doesn't buy transition promise.

Liberal Party (LP) presidential bet Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III yesterday warned that President Arroyo’s assurance of a smooth turnover to the next president may be a hollow one.

Aquino said there are indications that Mrs. Arroyo could have been making decisions to ensure her stay in power beyond her term of office on June 30, citing the appointment of Maj. Gen. Delfin Bangit as the new chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Another instance, Aquino added, is the impending appointment of the next chief justice despite the constitutional prohibition against the President making any appointment during the last few months of her term.

The President on Wednesday vowed to ensure a peaceful turnover of power to the next chief executive on June 30, assuring critics that she would not stay a day longer in office.

Mrs. Arroyo said she would respect the nation’s democratic process and vowed to make way for the next president who would be elected on May 10.

Aquino, however, joined other critics in doubting Mrs. Arroyo’s sincerity.

“Do I trust what she said? I have not been trusting (Mrs. Arroyo) for a while now on what she says,” Aquino said.

Aquino said Mrs. Arroyo, after taking over the botched presidency of Joseph Estrada in 2001, had earlier promised that she would not seek office in 2004.