Why winter does not suit Aquino

MANILA, Philippines – The picture-perfect winter resort town of Davos in Switzerland did not have the weather that suits a national leader from the tropical country.

This is especially true to one with thinning hair like he does, President Benigno Aquino III said in jest in a January 26 speech in Switzerland where he and his delegation attended the recently concluded World Economic Forum.

In his arrival speech on Sunday, January 27, Aquino shared that it has been about 30 years since he experienced winter’s bite.

“Our entire delegation is almost unrecognizable with all the layers of clothes we had to wear because of the cold,” he joked. “I think our gloves, scarf and overcoat we used in this trip will be stored in our cabinets for a long time.”

In a meeting with the Filipino community during a stopover in Zurich on their way home, Aquino shared that he got worried when he received the invitation to attend the 2013 annual gathering of world leaders in Davos.

“It was way back in 1982 that I last experienced winter,” he shared. That was when former President Ferdinand Marcos was in power and the Aquino family was living in exile in the United States.

“In our house in Boston, the entire area, including the road, was covered in snow. Being the only son, I was considered the “tigas” (hard) in the family,” he said.

“Ako and ‘tigas’-pala ng snow, ‘tigas’-silab ng apoy sa fireplace, ‘tiga’-linis ng kotse, taga-alaga ng aso, at marami pang iba. (I shoveled snow, build a fire in the fireplace, took care of the dog, among other errands),” he said in jest. – Rappler.com