Is presidential frontrunner Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III now softening up on his vindictive stance towards President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo?

First, Aquino changed his mind on who should administer his oath of office as he now expresses his preference for Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio Morales to swear him in as the country's next President.

“I'm inclined to her (Justice Carpio-Morales) if she will accept it. We have the same views,” Aquino told reporters.

Carpio-Morales was the lone dissenter in the Supreme Court's decision to allow President Arroyo to appoint the replacement of erstwhile Chief Justice Reynato Puno, who retired last May 17.

Aquino, who maintains that an incumbent President is constitutionally banned to make appointments during the election season, had earlier said that he would rather be sworn in by the chairman of Barangay Central in Tarlac City where he is a registered voter than by Corona.

And second, Aquino has agreed to ride in the same car with President Arroyo during the send-off ceremony at his inauguration rites on June 30.

“If she wants it, then it is okay but I won’t impose it on her,” the senator from Tarlac told reporters. So, is Aquino actually going “soft” on President Arroyo? Aquino told the Manila Bulletin in a text message that he is not “vindictive” towards the current administration.

“What I promised is closure on all the unresolved issues of the current regime. Justice not vengeance is what is aspired for. Resolving these issues therefore prevent a recurrence of the same,” Aquino said.

“Not that I’ve softened but I really, I am really committed to No. 1 setting up a mechanism where we have closure of everything,” he stressed.

Aquino said judicial will be the stick that “we will wield on everybody, past and present, and hopefully in the future.”

He likewise pointed out that he was brought up by his parents to respect people who are older than him, particularly women.

“When I was growing up, my father taught me that when an older woman raises her voice, you should not, especially if you are younger than her, answer back. And if ever you answer back, you are liable to be hit on the head as a lesson for disrespecting women,” Aquino said.

“I carry that lesson with me even now, President Arroyo is older than me, she was even my teacher in college, and she is a woman. And if we ever get the chance to debate, I will not forget to respect her,” he said.