Philippine President Benigno Aquino rules out bid for second term

Philippine President Benigno Aquino has ruled out any attempt to seek a second term, a highly controversial proposition that would have required the rewriting of the constitution.

In August Aquino had hinted at such a possibility. But he quickly ran into opposition in a nation still haunted by the dictatorial rule of the late president Ferdinand Marcos.

Aquino, elected by a landslide in 2010, is limited by the constitution to a single six-year term.

"There are some quarters that were saying I should try and go for a second term. I don't think that's a right solution," he said in a speech to businessmen.

Aquino instead urged voters to "discern properly" who to vote for in the 2016 elections for his successor.

The president had previously hinted that he might seek to rewrite the constitution, possibly allowing a re-election bid. His remarks were met with much criticism. Surveys also showed that the majority of Filipinos opposed this option.