The dog ate my punctuality

Personal accountability. Not exactly a strong character trait of President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. Most recently, it is the issue of his chronic tardiness that he is skirting responsibility over.

His bodyguards and drivers told him to be late.

According to Noynoy, it is "a bit unfair" that he be labelled "always late". After all, he is at the mercy of the "recommendations" of his bodyguards and handlers:

On being late for the 30th June induction of his Cabinet members...

They told me that it is not proper for me to wait for others so they put me in the holding room and made me wait for the others.

On his being late arriving at Camp Aquinaldo for the change of command on the 2nd of July...

he was supposed to be early during the change of command at Camp Aguinaldo last Friday but his securities and his driver said he will be coming so early at the event, which they believed is not good also.

He was feeling under the weather.

On being late arriving at the Manila Cathedral for the Red Mass of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines today, the 7th of June...

he said he had an upset stomach and was not able to sleep Tuesday night due to brownouts.

Hmmm, for such a busy guy, the President seems to have time to attend an otherwise unnecessary Catholic Mass -- an event that served no other benefit than to cost him another notch etched on his tardiness scoreboard for the Media to eat up.

Finally, no Noynoy gaffe is complete without the customary reference to at least one of his illustrious parents...

My mommy does this, and that...

To wit:

He recalled that his late mother President Corazon Aquino preferred to go to an event five minutes before the schedule so that the people will not wait for so long or be pressured to start ahead of time if she came too early.

But of course Mr President. You are indeed an Aquino. It's the whole reason you are president today, to begin with.