Manila: Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, the country's most prominent bachelor, has a stark message to all single women out there: he will not give up the presidency for love.
The 50-year-old, who according to his siblings has dated three young women since being elected by a landslide in May, appears increasingly resigned to the possibility he would still be single when his term ends in June 2016.
Asked at a public forum on Tuesday what sort of woman would make him leave the presidency, Aquino said: "I wouldn't be able to face the people who sacrificed themselves to support me."
"I made a pledge to them and I cannot fail them. After all this is over, when I have made a difference, we will look back and say that I did something definitely a lot better," he added, speaking in the local language.
Aquino, who has previously complained that he no longer had time for himself, said he has accepted the sacrifices required of his position.
His younger sister, television talk show host Kris Bernadette Aquino, disclosed earlier this week that Aquino is now dating a stockbroker, Len Lopez, after things did not work out with another female friend - his stylist Liz Uy.
Aquino broke up with a local politician, Shalani Soledad, soon after he became president on June 30.
Reacting to his sister's comments, the president said he did not give the sibling permission to speak for him on matters of the heart.
