Aquino has to live up to the expectations of Filipino Nationalism, which his countrymen expect him to exercise as the Commander in Chief of their Republic. If he takes up a softer stance on China in the Scarborough Shoal issue he would have been labeled an 'unpatriotic' Filipino and would have questioned his loyalties to the Filipno Constitution and Republic and right wing Filipino pundits would have claimed his Chinese ancestry as suspect.
You have to know that Chinese Huaren in the Philippines have had experienced racial discrimination throughout history there since the Spanish era. From a persecuted minority to one of the most successful minority group and most influential now in their country. So you have to probably understand his 'excessive' national policies in terms of territorial and geopolitical machinations.
Other than that, you have to appreciate his diplomatic calibre. From how he has handled the rebels in the south in reaching a historical peace accord in Mindanao, the same year he finds and writes an agreement with Taiwan on a historical Taiwanese-Filipino Fisheries Accord , which now effectively diffuses maritime disputes between Taipei and Manila and to an extent Beijing.
On one hand he is juggling national image and defense goals by inviting the US military to help patrol their waters, which is heavily unprotected due to the limitation of the Philippine defense spending. And on the other hand he takes advantage of his Chinese cadres by facilitating direct flights from Beijing to Manila, Shanghai to Manila, Shanghai to Cebu, Shanghai to Davao through Cebu Pacific Flights (owned by John Gokongwei; a Chinese-Filipino industrial barron and billionaire). He has increased diplomatic rapproachment with the Chinese through cultural exchanges, local government exchanges, and through greater trade and business ventures. His right arm in coaxing China to cooperation on more developmentalist-inclined areas has been the Chinese-Filipino Chamber of Commerce, which he is a member of and a proud supporter.
In fact Aquino even communicated with Taiwanese representatives in Hakka , btw. Not in English. That says much about the man.
You would be surprised to know that there are Filipino politicians in the Philippines that see Aquino as being too soft on the Chinese and being a Chinese sympathizer. Not everything is very black and white, my friend.
Reality is different.
And by the way, the most pro-China possible candidate would be Mar Roxas. Binay is from the same cadre as Estrada, who actually was in support of restrictive policies back in the 1990s. Binay is an opportunist individual. Roxas has more principle. And by principle, Aquino has plenty of that compared with his other peers.
He is the same man that called into question and led the sacking of the Chief Justice of the Phlippine Supreme Court for corruption.
THAT is what Aquino is about.
He's too corrupt. Having him in power will be like having Estrada again back as president.
Roxas is preferable. Or Duterte.