Renovations up for Cory's house

By JOCELYN VALLE
August 12, 2009, 12:32pm

The Aquinos’ house on Times Street, Quezon City will be demolished to give way to a bigger residence for Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and the two sons of his youngest sister, Kris Aquino.

Kris herself revealed the plans for the modest one-story home that has stood for decades in an interview with her “Showbiz News Ngayon” co-host Boy Abunda last Aug. 10.

“Yes, gigibain namin,” she said. “Ang hiningi lang ni Noy sa akin, dalawang kwarto for him and a meeting room. So, because alam mo naman ako feeling ko ako ang magbabayad, [ay] pwede akong magsabi: Josh needs a pool. Sabi ko, Josh needs playroom and he needs a tutorial room because ‘yun ang special sa kanya. D’yan s’ya nagtu-tutoring lahat.”

“Nakapangalan na kay Noy parang deed of donation,” she continued, still referring to the house on No. 25 Times Street. “Pero ako ‘yung dikta nang dikta. ‘Sorry, Noy,’ ang sabi ko, ‘Yung open kitchen gusto ko, ha? Kasi d’yan tayo magre-reunion. Tapos sinabi ko na may room ‘yung mga anak ko para when they spend time with you, hindi kung sinu-sino ang i-uuwi mo. Sorry, sorry, Noy. Hindi naman n’ya gagawin ‘yun.

“Tapos sinabi n’ya talaga sa akin, ‘My God, you mean you’re gonna live with me? Sabi ko, ‘No. Two to three nights in a week, I’m there. Pero apart from that, you have privacy kasi baka naman mabwisit ka na sa amin masyado.’”

Kris added that Noynoy asked to stay in the house for at least months before its demolition. “Kasi sabi n’ya the structures here are very, very important, and parang makahulugan sa puso n’ya,” she explained. “So sinabi n’ya, give me time to adjust pero meron s’yang lilipatan na maliit na condominium. Then sinabi ko rin also na ‘Noy, pag kinasal ka naman na, out na kami.’ Hindi na kami makikipagsiksikan pero si Josh can always go any time.”

Noynoy is the only son and unmarried member of the Aquino family headed by the late Ninoy and Cory. His other sisters are Ballsy, Pinky and Viel.

In her eulogy during the funeral Mass for her mother last week, Kris related that her eldest son Josh, a special child, had asked Noynoy not to get married because in the absence of Cory, he had become the boy’s “security blanket.”

Kris hastily added, though, that she and the rest of the family would understand if he decides to have his own family.

The 49-year-old senator, whose past girlfriends include broadcast journalists Korina Sanchez and Bernadette Sembrano, is said to be dating a councilor from Valenzuela City.