Courtesy of PROBE PROFILES
SEN. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s strength—the legacy of his parents—is also his weakness. Blessed with sudden popularity reflected in the presidential surveys, he has become the favorite punching bag of every presidential wannabe.
Aquino enjoys a 60 percent rating in the most recent nationwide survey of the Social Weather Stations on presidential aspirants. A previous SWS survey in Luzon showed half the respondents favoring him.
Thrust into the presidential race without the usual preparation of a serious contender, the only son of martyred senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and revered former president Corazon “Cory” Aquino has been the object of political innuendoes from rivals who question his readiness to be president. Does the younger Aquino have what it takes to duplicate, if not surpass, the track record and greatness of his parents?
Aquino was subjected to a series of questions about his personal background and achievements during his more than 11 years in Congress—nine years as representative of Tarlac and more than two years as senator. The following is a transcript of a one-on-one interview of Aquino, the Liberal Party standard-bearer, by Probe Profiles’ host Cheche Lazaro.
Q: Noy, nung ipinanganak ka, ano yung earliest memory mo of your childhood?
A: Siguro yung my birthday parties. Yun parang first, siyempre, sarap yung pagkain, lahat type mo, yung puro games, and then, I think, both of our parents were really very hands-on parents. (CLL: Ah talaga?) Yung trips to Baguio, for instance, in Easter. Yung, one time, we came from Mass, then my dad stopped the car, I think that was Wright Park. Tapos there’s this guy in a horse, who was going home already, pinakiusapan, so everybody watched me riding muna for like, five, ten minutes also. And then of course, the rest of our family. My mom, my sisters, were all in the car waiting for me to finish. Pero yun, sabi, “Gusto mong mangabayo?” Sabi ko, “Oo.” Tapos sabi, after a while, sabi, “Ops, halika na dito, tama na yan. Uwi na tayo.” Yung sibling rivalry siguro also, kasi four girls, one boy.
Q: May sibling rivalry?
A: Well, the two tended to pick on us at some point in time when we were really very young–
Q: Sino, si Ate Ballsy mo at saka–
A: Ballsy and Pinky. So I was telling Viel, “Alam mo dapat magkampi tayo, inaapi tayo pareho.” Sagot ni Viel, “Hindi pwede.” “Bakit hindi pwede?” “Girl ako eh.” “Pero inaapi ka rin!” Sabi, “Oo, pero girl ako kaya kailangan girls stick together.” So when my mom was pregnant with Kris, I was saying, “Sana boy ‘to para medyo dumami naman yung boto namin pagka nagkakaroon ng division sa bahay.”
Q: Ba’t ka inaapi ng mga ate niyo? Anong klaseng pag-aapi ang ginagawa sayo?
A: Si Pinky kasi really wants, yung parang really delights in teasing, no? Parang, actually, up to today. So, pag yung nagbibiruan kami, she’d try to get up on this window we have, and we have next door neighbors and then she’d say, siguro eleven or twelve parang I had a crush on this neighbor, sabi, “Noynoy loves so and so” and scream it at the top of her lungs! And medyo next door neighbors na best friends ko pa sila at that point in time. Pero mga one week, two weeks di ako makapakita dun dahil nahihiya ako. Nung, when we were in Malacanang, Pinky didn’t stop yet. Yung she was abroad, siguro she missed me, mga two weeks into the trip, she calls up and says, “Hello, Noy, mataba ka pa ba? Bye, mahal ‘to.” Then she puts the phone down. Sabi ko, “Okay ka rin, mag-ooverseas ka pa, pero mang-aalaska lang.” But, yeah, I’ve gotten so used to it, in fact, if it ceases, no? Yung, I’ll probably wonder if there’s something wrong with her.”
Q: Hanggang ngayon, ikaw ang laging tinutukso? She picks on you?
A: You know, pati nga sa school, some of it she has forgotten. One day I was studying, we were kids, high school na siguro ako nun. She had, PE tests the following day. Badminton. “Halika, tulungan mo ‘ko.” Sabi ko, “Sa’n?” “Eh kailangan ko magpractice ng badminton dahil bukas yung test namin.” Tapos yun nga. “Pupulot ng shuttlecock kung sinong di nakatama,” tapos the whole time parang, “Ang hina mo naman!” Sinabi ko, “Ginulo mo na pag-aaral ko, aalaskahin mo pa ‘ko ng husto dito.” But that’s just ano. When I got shot, she was the only one of my sisters who attended to me. So, medyo talaga, sabi ko no’n, well, bakit ang bait masyado nito? Bakit Florence Nightingale ito? I thought I was dying.
Q: You were in Malacanang?
A: Yes. Arlegui na by the time I saw her. But since it was so hundred eighty degrees of what she normally is, no? So I said, “Meron yata akong di nakitang tama, baka ito na ang The End.” Hindi, I think, if I had a blood pressure attached to me, it would have been shooting up, no?
Q: –Hindi mo inakala?
A: Yun eh, talagang carinosa naman lahat sila eh kaya lang si Pinky, naiiba, masyadong brutal most of the time.
Q: Carino brutal siya.
A: Siya yung brutal side. So maganda rin, tough with me through the years.
Q: When you were growing up ba, nasa pulitika na yung father mo, di ba?
A: Yes.
Q: He started very early. So, when you were born, you were born into politics.
A: Yes.
Q: What did you see, what do you remember? Sumali ka ba sa kampanya? Tumulong ka ba?
A: When we were in Tarlac, he was governor at that time. Yung very first impression, kasi he had it in a parang main hall. He had a desk, he had a secretary, then everybody that wanted to talk to him was in that main hall. So, para sakin parang, “Uy, daming may gusto sa tatay ko ah! Tama lang naman na gusto niyo.” Parang, I wasn’t really aware of the concept that the governor was hands-on at that point in time.
Q: Were you awed by him?
A: Yes. Yung, “let’s go” na lang aspect niya, yung he had this gait in walking that was, the pace was really rather fast, no? Even after he had his bypass, yung he will, just in case, a minimum particular speed, everybody would be sort of trotting or jogging just to keep up with him. Pag yung going to mass, when you weren’t ready, magbihis ka sa kotse. The minute he says, “Let’s go!” You’d better be ready to go.
Q: Ganun siya?
A: And I was told that in Tarlac at one point in time, they were gonna go around, he stepped into a jeep, he says “let’s go” the driver immediately started the car and left, no? But my dad had forgotten something, so he had alighted from the vehicle and, siguro, they were in the next barrio na before the driver noticed that my dad wasn’t with them and they had to go back. Kasi parang masyadong automatic na pag “let’s go” ganun. And of course, yung toughness. I am told, I think I was a year and a half old and they thought I was gonna die because I’ve intestinal flu, if I’m not mistaken. I couldn’t retain anything. And then, I was so small, my mom was holding on to the needle from the dextrose the whole time. She was beside the bed. One of my dad’s best friends had already advised him that that particular night could have been my last. Then someone, somebody chanced upon the idea of feeding me bananas and that was something I could retain and that enabled me to survive. So yun yung dedication ng parents.
Q: Anong klaseng mommy ang mommy mo? Kasi you know, people know her by different titles. What kind of a mom was she to you?
A: Whenever you’re in trouble, disturbed about something or another, you can go up to her, even when she doesn’t like to have, get and receive unsolicited advice, so in turn, she doesn’t give unsolicited advice. She’s not the type who will be telling you every minute and every second what to do. But when you do approach her and tell her, and from out of the blue, you can probably present her a problem, she’s not wanting, yung, for instance, I do therapy kasi. They put hot packs on my back to relax the muscles, etc. Unfortunately, one particular day, they overfilled the water bottle so as soon as I put it on my back, it burst. So I got scalded with the boiling water. So yung parang first reaction was to go here and my mom was having lunch. “Mom, pumutok yung water bag.” Sabi niya, “Umupo ka dyan.” She got towels, dipped it in ice water yata and put it immediately. Then called our neighbor who happened to be a doctor, or actually is still a doctor and they rendered first aid right away. Yung even then, she was–
Q: She was just a mommy.
A: She was that even when she was in Malacanang–
Q: Mommy pa rin siya?
A: There would be downtimes that she’d raid my closet and say, “Oppps! I checked, kasi itong mga shirts mo parang pang major operation na when you wash cause it’s so threadbare na.” But then again, parang sobrang comfortable, and she really couldn’t stand it. So, parang ano, siguro four or five times when she was president, naghahabulan kami. She’d inspect it, give it, para gawing basahan, hahabulin ko naman, “teka muna, kunin mo na lang ‘tong bago, amin na yan.”
Q: You’ve never been one for clothes or–
A: No. More functionality.
Q: Kanino ka nagmana sa pagkaganun mo?
A: Both, both of them siguro. None of them were attached to anything material. Unless it really had a sentimental value. My mom had a white fountain pen that she was using when I was in grade school siguro. And I think she was no longer president before she gave up on it. Yung the type na the finish have already been worn and bare at the top and the rest. I assume it was from my Dad.
Q: Regalo ng daddy mo?
A: Siya yung type nya yung pump that could no longer pump, the lid was separating–
Q: Ganun?
A: She had a TV set that I think we all chipped in to gift her, and there was a point in time that we had to practically pray to the remote control to get it to work. But she never replaced it. She had money naman to replace it.
Q: You were, in a manner of speaking, pinanganak sa isang sikat na pamilya, isang pamilyang may pera. Pa’no kayo naging ganun kasimple, ang mga magulang mo? Nung lumalaki ba kayo, buhay mayaman ba kayo? Anong klaseng buhay yung meron niyo?
A: I don’t think they were one to splurge. Yung, one time nga, kid, candy favorite. Talagang hoarding, talagang savoring each and every morsel of it. Suddenly, dad got the bag, and started–and told me, “‘Lika dito,” –my dad, magkasama kami. And everybody, he’d give the candy to. Talagang, even if they wanted a different bag, “Kumuha kayo rito.” Then my job, giving me the bag, empty the bag. Alam mo, hindi maganda ang swapang. After that, pag meron ka ulit nun, mag-share ka na, at least mase-save mo yung mga may ayaw. Yung nature, by example, yung pagbinati raw yung relo niya at some point in time, “Type mo ba? Sa yo na” to the people he gets to talk to. Tapos yung, I don’t know, parang from them, from out grandparents, wala talaga, hindi talaga inuso yung mag-splurge. If you wanted something–meron rin naman siguro, I mean we had a colored TV, hindi naman right away. Naabutan ko pa rin naman yung black and white, pero–
Q: Pero hindi ka lumaki na gutom, hindi ka lumaki ng hirap
A: No, no. Everything was attended to. Pero when you wanted something extra, you work for it. You want to buy this, you save. Wala yung punta ka ng punta, hingi ka ng hingi. And then we were conscious, ‘no, going to a movie, for instance, parang nagbigay, my mom would give me, my dad would refrain from those, even if we wanted to. When I went to Tarlac for a vacation, I distinctly remember na I was sent with my aunt who was based there at that time. So, everything I did, I was a kid, yung food, yung tira–may bahay, all of that. Wala nga akong gagastusin pero kailangan may pocket money maski papano, so when my dad dropped me off there, he was giving me about twenty pesos or so. Sabi ko, “Dad, binigyan na ‘ko ng mommy.” So parang he was torn between getting it back and giving it dahil iiwanan nga ako. Sabi niya, “Hindi, yun sa mommy mo, eto sa akin.” Pero that was very rare. Pero during the martial law years, even when they were apart, they see to it that we really have, parang somehow, a connection, you ask one, it was like asking the other. May uniformity and similarity of response sila.
Q: Tell me nga about your being only son nga. Sabi mo, inaapi ka ng mga ate mo, mahirap ba? You were hoping na Kris would be a boy.
A: Hindi. They were also the ones who convinced me, “Hindi, better na isa ka nalang,” ganyan-ganyan.
Q: Bakit, nahahalata ba na ayaw mong nag-iisa ka?
A: Well, I think I have to ask them that. Bakit nyo nga ba ako kinumbinsing dapat isa nalang? And, I have advantages, you know? Wala akong hand-me-down toys, lahat nung toys sa akin, originally mine, no? Yung clothes were the same thing, no? But at the same time, yung reverse naman dun, all the expectations as far as the male members of the family, sa akin din yun ano? So pag may, mayroong nagawa, ako lang–sa studies ko, unang-una during the high school years, no? Talagang magnified. My dad would tell me na, “I have dreams of you being a leader of students, ganyan-ganyan. But you can’t even pass your algebra,” or something like that. Talagang medyo ano rin yun–
Q: Mahirap na lahat nung pressure napunta sayo?
A: I had a very good support mechanism, no? From the family to our help to–parang all in sync. Walang nagturo
Q: In some families, pag nape-pressure ka kasi pamoso yung tatay mo, pamoso din yung nanay mo, parang ikaw, as a person, na ikaw talaga, nag-iisa ka pa namang lalaki.
A: At some point in time. Sabi ko, “Bakit ako makikicompete dito sa dalawa? Pa’no mo tatalunin, no? So anong point nung hahabulin mo to surpass dahil hindi mo nga masu-surpass, di ba? When you have memories of my dad versus the reality, how can the reality ever compare at that point in time, ‘no? So ano ba yung importante? Importante lahat nung sakripisyo mo, may kabuluhan. Hindi magiging walang saysay. So that drives me on. So, yung I guess, not to many people know, for instance, what I did in the House nor in the Senate. And that’s a conscious –and even in our district ‘no, after the first term. Sabi ko, pag yung may pinagtulungan tayo, nakagawa tayo ng kalsada, nakagawa tayo ng eskwelahan, whatever, bakit kailagang ipagduldulan at ipagmalaki sa inyo na ako yung dahilan? Sa paniniwala ko, binoto niyo ko para dito, para makamtan natin yan. Nung san ilalagay yung kalsada, kasama kayo. Kasi my style was, go to the baranggay and ask them, “Ano bang pangunahing problema? Anong palagay niyong solusyon dito?” Tapos consensus namin dyan. So yung pinagtulung-tulungan namin, from the time na bago ka pa lang maupo, naupo ka, tuluy-tuloy ang kampanya na i-determine kung saan pupunta yung pork amongst other things. Sila yung nagturo kung bakit importante yung pork, by the way. But then, pag hindi ka, wala kang Cabinet Secretary dumaan sa inyo or presidente nakakita ng problema, yung congressman naman magla-lobby dun sa kailangan mo. So, anyway, talagang ganun, no? I really felt kinda conscious na
Q: Hindi ka nag-rebelde at any point?
A: Well, sa tingin ng tatay ko, parang hindi ako kumpleto dun sa style niya, no? Yung, para bang siya ano, master of so many things, I mean, parang jack of all trades. Ako, I tend to concentrate on several aspects na feeling ko doable ‘to and in the now.
Q: So did you have discussions with your dad? I mean, was your dad pushing you, sabihin, “Noy, kailangan gawin mo ‘to.”
A: No, no, no–
Q: Wala?
A: I think every time they, they make an important decision, may consensus with the family.
Q: Lagi?
A: Although, yun ako naman, I guess I didn’t, I was the first one to really catch on na before he talked to us, may decision na siya. Pero at the end of the process, sa tingin niya, lahat kami sang-ayon dun sa…They’ll think of yung anxieties, yung fears, all of those things. Talagang parang naging process. Sa mom ko, parang mas talagang deliberation and consultative. Well, with my dad, siguro at times that we have disagreements, I really need my mom, no? I would like her to say na–they’re parents, ano? They want you to have, parang to benefit from the road to success, ‘no? And sa kin naman para bang I want to go to where you’re going, but perhaps I will not follow your exact route, yung in all the details
Q: Ang hirap nun, Noy, ha?
A: Hindi pero, at a certain point, nagkaroon ho kami ng siguro confidence in each other, lalo na my dad, no? When the day he left Boston to go back here, wala nang mahabang, “O, ito yung listahan, ah, may checklist, ito gagawin mo, ito responsibilidad mo, etc.”
Q: Wala.
A: The last, nung, we had several discussions leading up to his departure over the two years plus that we were there. And also at that time, it’s Martial Law here, so by that time he stepped out of ano, there was a door kasi adjacent to the kitchen which is leading to the garage. I was driving him to the airport. All he did was ano, look at me, parang, he nodded his head, actually, parang tumingala, na parang, “O, alam mo na lahat.” And then ano, I nodded in affirmative. Yun na yung extent ng discussion.
Q: That was the last?
A: Oo. I was sent to bring his dogs to a Filipino couple who was gonna take care of them. We had two dogs kasi. They were so acclimatized already to the Boston weather, that the dogs suffered here, no? So, by the time he called up, I was delivering the dogs. Sayang. But then he wrote each one of us a letter
Q: What do you mean “by the time he called up” nasa Taipei siya?
A: I’m not sure, I think, it was, basta one of the stops that he had. Then he called up the house, managed to talk to everybody
Q: Pwera ikaw?
A: I was sent to an errand to deliver the dog.
Q: Oo. Pero ikaw naghatid sa kanya?
A: If I remember correctly, yes I was the one.
Q: Kasama mommy mo?
A: I can’t remember that aspect. The image, kasi was more on the pathway leading up to the garage. Tapos medyo, baka rin nagba-black out ako dahil tatay ko kasi medyo kaskasero magmaneho.
Q: Ah, siya nagmamaneho?
A: Hindi naman a lot of times, basta the minute na late siya, at pag ganun, talagang yung speedometer parang nababali yung needle. At ang problema ko naman nun, siyempre tatay ko siya, you know, pinagsasabahin ko na lang, “Kung saka-sakaling maaksidente, driver’s seat–ay passenger–suicide seat pa naman niya ‘ko, passenger’s side pa, ano?” Sabi niya, sya rin naman ang nagdala sa kin dito sa mundo, kung lalabas ako dahil sa kanya, tabla na lang siguro yun
Q: Napaka consenting mo naman dun sa kanyang pagka kaskasero?
A: Never naman kasi sa min parang nagsabi turuan mo yung magulang mo
Q: In your family, were you, tinuruan ba kayong sumagot o yun bang–
A: Yes, you have to stand up for what you believe in.
Q: Talaga.
A: Pero in practice, parang kadalasan ako yun. Baka yun yung rebellious side ko.
Q: Ikaw yung madaldal?
A: Talagang, well, siguro last na nangyari ito when my mom went to Fort Bonifacio, during the marine stand-off. Debate kami dito. At ako lang ang nagdedebate sa kanya. Lumipat kami sa bahay ng lolo ko, tinuloy ko yung debate dun.
Q: Na ayaw mo siyang papuntahin?
A: At saka medyo impulsive, so tumataas rin siguro yung boses ko. Yung “Mom, yung nasa loob hindi mo kakilala. Yung nasa labas gustong lusubin yung nasa loob. Nasa gitna tayo. Ang dilim dyan, ang kitid, di natin alam yung terrain. Pa’no ka namin ise-secure?” Parang…
Q: Natakot ka para sa mommy mo?
A: Yung, talagang medyo ano yun, how should I put it? Lampas sa alanganin na sitwasyon, talagang tagilid ang sitwasyon. As tthe member of the family in charge of their security, I pointed that out to her.
Q: Pero tigas ng ulo ng mommy mo?
A: Lider namin siya. But I think she concluded it, “Kailangan kong pumunta dun, tulungan mo na lang ako, pwede?” Yun parang, “naintindihan ko yung sinasabi mo, pero kailangan kong gawin ‘to, tulungan mo nlang ako.”
Q: Sumama ka? Andun ka diba?
A: Oo, siyempre ako yung primary body shield, negotiator, etc, adviser, all that.
Q: Okay. Teka ha, I just want to fill in the blanks on your past. Nung kaisa-isa kang lalaking anak, yung burden na sabi mo, pinagbilinan ka ng tatay mo, di ba?
A: Uh-hmm.
Q: Thirteen years old ka lang?
A: Yes.
Q: Ano yun? Kwento mo sa min yun?
A: He wrote an article. It came out in either a Singaporean or Thai newspaper, critical of the martial law regime. A Spanish friend, he and Senator Diokno were sent to Fort Magsaysay. When they were brought there, they were blindfolded, they were handcuffed to the military man with them, they had forty-five pistols stuck in the ribs, then they were not told when they were gonna be back kasi Senator Diokno had no participation in the article. Nagkataon lang, silang dalawa lang ang nakakulong.? So, parang talagang dinala sila dun sa Fort Magsaysay—
Q: Alam niyong sumusulat siya? Alam niyo?
A: Kami siguro nag smuggle nung article na yun outside. At that time, I wasn’t aware of what it was even. I participated in some of them in the latter years
Q: Yung pagsa-smuggle out nung mga articles, hindi ba kayo natakot? Hindi ba natakot ang mommy mo during that time?
A: I think mayroon rin pero parang kailangan namin tulungan ang tatay namin. Naniniwala kami sa pinaglalaban niya.
Q: Nung nagbibisita kayo dun sa Fort Magsaysay and even before that–
A: Hindi bumibisita, once lang.
Q: Sa Fort Magsaysay. Pero before then?
A: Hindi, parang nung umpisa, mga once a week, tapos naging twice a week. Eventually, they gave my mom parang an overnight pass pag Saturday, tapos kami Sunday the whole day.
Q: What was it like? I mean, did you ever think that that was what everybody was undergoing?
A: Well, talagang damang-dama mo yung parang, lalo nung na-release na si Senator Diokno, yung point na parang nag-iisa kayo talaga. Yung pagsinasabi ng tatay ko yung “Truth will out,” “Right will provide might,” yung tsaka yung parang nag-iisa nga siya, kalaban mo yung buong estado. Ako naman yung para bang, “Pa’no kaya mangyayari yun?”
Q: Did you ever lose your sense of humor?
A: Hindi naman.
Q: Hindi?
A: That sustained us. I guess you can find humor in any adverse situation. There are times na, well, yung earthquake in nineteen-ninety—in 1990. Some of my friends were part of the government effort sent to Baguio to help. Nasa John Hay sila. Sa bahay parating may aftershocks, lalabas sila, nandun sila sa garden. “Eto pala pare yung al fresco sleeping.” At maski na umaalog yung lupa na nasa labas ka, okay ka dun, makakatulog ka rin.
Q: Back to Fort Magsaysay.
A: So na-curtail yung visits. In fact, I think that was the time that there was a six-by-six truck by the army that brought back everything that my dad had in his cell, to include the toothbrush. And, parang yung, they put it here when my mom said, “Bakit naman sinosoli pati toothbrush?” And the answer was, “Eh di na po niya kailangan.” And, sabi ko, I didn’t–I was exactly beside her, behind my mom and I was listening to the whole thing, no?– “Ba’t di kailangan yun?” And, of course, ako yung only boy, yung anger was really welling up, I mean– so anyway, we got to eventually, I think the Supreme Court ordered that we got, we went from Fort Bonifacio, we were told we’d be allowed to visit na, tapos medyo gumagabi na, hindi pa kami humihinto. And then eventually, we found out, it was Fort Magsaysay–
Q: In Laur?
A: In Laur. Tapos yung parang concentration camp talaga. May barbwire, may wires na mukhang electral wires attached to the barbwire. May sawali all around. Then, this was still the–’73 was the period that military men really looked military, di ba? Yung crew cut, yung thin bodies, etc. Dun puro long hair, puro naka-civilian. And so parang, eto ba yung sinasabi nilang monkeys, yung hit squad ng gobyerno nung araw, no? Tsaka parang napakaliblib niyang lugar, eh no? So the Dioknos, all of them were in tears, nauna sila–pinadaan na sa tatay nila, including the boys. Ang tatapang ng mga Diokno, parang to think, mas matapang pa sila sa amin. For them to break down was parang, ano kayang nakita nila at ganun yung naging emotions, sabi ko. When we saw our dad, ganun rin. I really was fighting my tears also. My dad was disheveled, he had no glasses on, he was holding on to his pants. He was unshaven and talagang distraught. And he was talking about, “You know, I really prayed, prayed to the Blessed Mother, to give me just one more opportunity to see all of you, and I guess this is it.” Kris was, what, all of two probably, by that time. And, di ba parang not the type to be speaking yet. But she sensed there was really something wrong with that whole scene, and she just laid her head on my mom’s shoulder practically the whole time. Ako naman, yun talagang, controlling my emotions. I had my back to a particular wall which was still warm at about 7:30 or so in the evening. And this was towards the door leading to the outside. And my dad had one of the innermost rooms. He was describing all white, yung heat is severe, he’s myopic ’cause he needs the glasses every time that he’s conscious, they removed that. They removed yung wedding ring, yung watch.
Q: Yun yung dinala dito?
A: Tapos sabi niya, two sets of underwear na lang yung iniwan sa kanya. Besides praying, he and Senator Diokno would alternate singing Lupang Hinirang or Bayan Ko just to ensure the other, that they were still (CLL: Alive) okay and alive. Pero yung parang removing all his sensation. All-white room, may heat, tapos he was afraid that he was gonna be poisoned also, thus, he has confined himself to soup and crackers ata. Then that’s when he said, ano ba, “Pasensya ka na, ang bata mo pa pero wala na akong ibang mapapagbilinan, bahala ka na sa nanay mo tsaka sa mga kapatid mo,” which he wrote, ‘no, from Manila later about two years later. Tapos–
Q: Sinabi niya sa yo nung bumisita kayo?
A: ‘Cause he thought it would be the last time
Q: Thirteen years old ka nun?
A: I was trying to figure out how to reply with my agreement to his request. My promise to him.
Q: You took it seriously.
A: I was trying to remember everybody’s face who oppressed my family. I would render unto them the Old Testament justice at an opportune time. Pero yun–
Q: Nag-build ba yun? Kasi you know when you experience something like that, anger builds up, di ba? Parang yung hatred, anger–
A: Yeah. Martial law, yung laur, hunger strike, death sentence, yung justice system mo, nandun rin, and up to the ultimate top, you know, dumating siya para mahinto yung madugong himagsikan, di mo pinagsalita. Pinatay kaagad, binalibag dun sa van, talo pa yung, di ba yung ginagawang baboy na kakatayin, yung baka na kakatayin, inaalagan ng husto muna. Eto talagang wala. Hindi mo makita yung justice. So,will the anger build up? Yes. I refused to cry when my dad died. Si Senator Maceda was with us in the house in Boston at saka he was really bent in tears so sabi niya, “Wag mong pigilin yung sa yo. Labas mo na!” “Ba’t ko ilalabas, anong silbi nun?”
Q: Yun ang naisip mo?
A: Iniitially, I really thought that those on the other side, they have become rabid dogs. Kasi parang beyond reason already. So, sabi ko a man has a right to defend himself against rabid dogs. Then ano, what stopped me, first, my dad could’ve opted for violent means to return to the local scene but he refused to do so and I asked him beforehand, “Bakit ka pupuntang ganito, ganito? Aasa ka sa kabaitang-loob ng isang taong never naging mabait sa ‘tin. Bakit hindi mo tanggapin yung mga alok, dumaan sa Mindanao, andun yung mga kakampi natin? Meron pang mga ibang tutulong sa yo sa ibang lugar. At pag meron na tayong pwersa, di maki-bargain sila, parang from a position of strength, di ba? Hindi naman yun–
Q: Yun ang sinasabi mo sa kanya nun?
A: Well, tanong ‘no? Hindi ko naman, ayokong utusan ang tatay ko, papayuhan kung–pero tinatanong bakit hindi ganito-ganyan, and his answer was, “Anong mapapala natin kung ganun? Bilang bansa,” sabi niya, “sinong panalo? Ang tanong lang dun kung ga’no katagal ka magsa-suffer, ano? Yung mga namatay ngayon, tapos na sila. Yung mananalo dyan, tigang yung sunod na lupa, anong punto nun? Naglingkod ba tayo sa tao nun?” That’s why he really wanted to win through peaceful, non-violent means, talagang the maximum that he could. This was at a point in time when the rebel left is already in the urban area, moving in ano, moving the revolution from the countryside into the urban laboratory that was Davao, they’re staging for the opportunities also for ambushes na walang night vision equipment, etc. at that time. Daylight ambush, they obliterated two truckloads that I remember seeing in a video tape. Tapos yung pinakita ng tao dito, first year in the House, nung libing. Baka nga may pag-asa, ano? Sabi ko, namatay ang leader natin
Q: Inexpect mo ba yun?
A: No.
Q: No, not at all
A: I expected more the –parang people would be more intimidated, they killed the leader of the opposition. When, yung idea na ganyan na kasikat kaya na nila, pa’no pa kaya tayo? Parang biglang na reverse ano, yung courage nila became infectious.
Q: Sabi ng mommy mo sa min at one interview niya, there was a time na parang pariah kayo na hindi kayo pinapansin–
A: Ina-avoid pa kung minsan pag nalaman kung sino. Si Pinky, I think she was at a party. Teenager when martial law came about nung nalamang anak siya ng tatay ko, “Ay excuse me, sandali lang, baka makulong pa ko nyan.”
Q: Ano yung feeling mo nun when you were a young man at that time?
A: Parang anong kasalanan nung kapatid ko? Kung meron mang kasalanan? Si Kris would ask me then kung kinukwestyon siya sa school, “What does your dad do?” Left it blank. Dun siya. Parang, teka muna, “Kris, bakit di mo naman sinagot ‘to? And she said, eh ayoko ilagay na prisoner ang daddy.” So I don’t know how to explain the difference between a criminal and a political prisoner. Yun pa eh. Kaya pag ngayon, no? Parang okay na rin yun, dagdag training. Yung mga superficial friends and allies, medyo alam mo na yung value of true allies and true friends.
Q: Kaya nga. Hindi ka ba nawalan ng tiwala sa kaibigan?
A: Meron namang pumalit na before martial law, na panig sa ibang faction within the LP for instance, na were on the forefront. Meron namang mga iniintriga pa na against my dad. Pero really, there’s one mayor in Tarlac for instance, every year, in my dad’s birthday, may potluck siyang gathering to celebrate my dad’s birthday, in spite of the fact na he can be removed at any time, he could suffer, di ba, detention, bodily harm, etc. But he didn’t care. Hindi sila ganun ka-close, baka rival political families pa ng Concepcion at some point in time, but year in, year out, he had that celebration. So, nata-touch kami. I think, his hometown, in ’76 that was my first public speaking engagement, gave my dad an award at the height of the martial law.
Q: Talaga? Hindi siya natakot?
A: The whole community came out to give my dad–
Q: Marami bang ganun during that time o kokonti lang?
A: Dumami nang dumami eventually pero nung umpisa, ’78 elections, nung nag-umpisa kami, nagtataka kung nagsasalita ka pa dahil walang, ang makikinig lang sa yo yung electrician na pinadala namin to set up the lights, yung karpintero na nagtayo nung entablado, baka yung isang taong taga-dun sa community para ituro sa min yung eskinitang binigyan kami ng permit para mag-rally dun. Yung mga eskinita kasing binigyan pati yung mga taga dun, hindi ganun ka-klaro kung asan yung–
Q: Eskinitang yun?
A: Siyempre sa KBL yung plaza; yung sa min (CLL: eskinita). So nung umpisa, if you remember the noise rally, that was the culmination. Pero initially, parang nasa loob ng bahay, naririnig mo may movements within the house pero nakikinig with their windows closed, natatakot na ma-identify sa opposition. That noise rally was significant.
Q: So you didn’t expect that at all?
A: Yung sa rally, talagang more intimidated ang tao. Pero hindi eh.
Q: Kayo rin naintimidate din kayo? At at that point–
A: I made my choice na when we are told.
Q: I’ll just go back to Boston a little bit. So nung umalis yung Dad, meron ka bang pangamba na ito na yung huling beses na makikita mo siya?
A: When I delivered the dog kasi to the Filipino friends of my parents, I don’t remember exactly, I think it was really the day after he left. Pero my dad’s plate number in his vehicle had a four then the letters, sa Boston kasi numbers then the letters eh. Yung letters were EAD. So, this doctor friend of my parents, he’s a psychologist, he was saying, “Alam mo yung nakita ko yung plaka, ewan ko kung bakit ako nagfocus dyan kaya lang yung four di ba, parang yung fourth letter is D. Tapos EAD.” I think that was before my dad reached Manila.
Q: Yung plate number niyo?
A: Yung plate number–
Q: Four, D–
A: Basta 4 yung last number of a three-digit number. 4EAD ang letters. Then, my mom has kept on insisting to my dad, “O, at the very first opportunity, thrrough you or somebody else, please inform us that you’ve arrived safely”. The original plan kasi was for me to be with him and Kris also. Kris was enrolling to get back to school nga, at some point they decided, I think my mom, kasi parang konti na lang ang subterfuge, I will also go as Benigno Aquino, magulo namin yung mga nagmo-monitor. Then my mom said, “Alam mo kaysa tatlo pa kayong inaalala ko, pwede bang sabay-sabay na lang kami umuwi?” So we’ll just close up the house and then follow. I think the original plan was two weeks later.
Q: Nung naging presidente na yung mommy mo, did you ever think that she will become president?
A: Number one, no, ‘no, pati yung point na, like the rest of my sisters. Parang, “Bakit ikaw ang bubunggo kay Marcos?” “Bakit ikaw yung nasa unahan nung mga binabala sa kanya ‘no?” Yung, tapos, even my dad’s admonition: “Kawawa naman yung papalit kay Marcos! Swerte nang hindi ipagtabuyan sa Malacanang.” So, I think a lot of the fears were justified when she did get into power. Yung wala namang transition team, walang shadow cabinet. Tapos parang that was my dad’s thesis in Harvard and MIT. Once you get the military to taste power, how do you get them to return to the barracks willingly? And they never finish either. And my mom had to come up with an answer whilst in power. She inherited the economy that was contracting by 1985. You had an insurgency and the NPA front was like twenty-five thousand armed members at that point in time. You had so many things in your plate and practically nothing to do something in terms of addressing the problem. You know, and so that makes the turn around by 1986 of very moderate positive growth in the GDP that much more surpising kasi it was primarily fueled by goodwill that produced expectations of the people that things are gonna get better.
Q: Okay, so mataas yung expectations?
A: It got delivered naman. Problema nga lang, dahil pinabayaan mo ngang ganun, yung growth mo sa economy tindi rin, no? I, for instance, yung sa cement industry had two factories operating a large shipment by the time my mom got into power. Within the first year, they had resuscitated all the other existing cement plants. They were having three shift production lines and they still had to import. So, that was I think for the siguro ’87, ’88 and practically ’89, I think we had six percent growth every year. Yung Cebu Export Zone, Ì think went thirty-five to a hundred and eight locators within the first year. Kaya naman ang kuryente dun ang laki namang problema. Tapos you go around maniniwala yung tao, aayos na sitwasyo natin, at talagang umayos nga
Q: Pero ano nga, ang taas-taas ng expectations, so marami ring nadisappoint.
A: We’ll, yun unrealistic naman. Kasi even my dad said, “From the black to the white, there are grays.” Parang, from the black, hindi pwedeng white tomorrow.
Q: Were you scared for your mom?
A: Oo. Yung PSG for instance, at the onset, first of all, yung sila yung militar, kami yung nasa kabilang side. Yung, armas, ‘no? Yung hindi tatangay ng presidential security van, nauna yung mom dun, yung natira sa min parang pira-piraso talaga yung, maghanap ka pa’no ibubuo. Yung arms ng PSG are what they brought from their mother units. At some point in time, they’d be recalled by their mother units already . Yung, well, during the snap elections, most of my mother’s security detail bluffed. May clutch bag na may bote ng coke sa loob, t-shirt, twalya na parang bumubukol-bukol yung bag. When we got into Malacanang, hindi naman sasabihin kong same ratio pero malapit na dun. So yung mga revolvers for instance na minamasahe mo to open the cylinder. Yung may one point pa na isang pinagdududahan naming mole, leads coup d’etats, so yung plethora of arms, talagang advanced, high tech, ganun. We had a couple of uzis and machine guns borrowed from the NBI. So, yung psy-ops dun, dadaan-daan yung, parang pinagpasa-pasahan dun sa mga members ng PSG na magtatago, pagpapasahan, dadaan dun, may dala run, para kunwari ang dami namin nun. Pero of course, that was also recalled at a certain point in time dahil kailangan ng NBI.
Q: So yung seven coup attempts na yun, tumatak ba sa isip mo yun kasi ikaw yung–
A: Oo. Yung, first of all, yung “sayang” aspect. Sayang na parati tayong pa-take off na nun, economically. And that, yung sa kin kasi that’s the first intervention. Yung, my Dad even said that. Yung first freedom, we really have to have to manage this freedom for all. So, may build-up kayo, nandito na yung investors. Ganado na. Tapos kudeta. Oppps, eto na sila, lipat tayong lahat. In ’87, I have a friend who’s working on a contract, from Taiwan. I think for six months, going back and forth. Signing nila was three days after the August coup– August ’87 coup. So–
Q: Lipat kagad sila?
A: Hindi na umabot dun, sorry. And that is duplicated so many times in so many instances. ’89 same thing. Yun ang pwede. Sayang. The second aspect, no? Yung, kasi talagang para sa kin, black and white yung time na yun eh. Etong mga taong ito na lumalaban sa atin, hindi naman for some better cause, but rather, how to you know, arrogate power unto themselves. And, yung they were arming themselves–the EDSA was February, as early as March. They were the ones primarily raiding all those armories of the loyalists. And they will not turn it over to the AFP at that time. And I was telling my mom these reports. But at the same time, those on the other side were at the height of their pagiging pogi, yung partners ninyo in a sense, by EDSA—
Q: After all of that, nag-ano ka ba, did you become skeptical kasi yung mga–
A: Di naman.
Q: Akala mo friends o tumutulong ay hindi pala.
A: Hindi naman, pero I knew I’m glad to be out of Malacanang by ’92.
Q: Let’s go back to that time na binaril ka, pakikwento nga yun, anong nangyari dun?
A: I was in the house actually when it started and at that point in time
Q: Here?
A: Arlegui. I had a fight, quarrel with my girlfriend at the time, then I had to go.
Q: Sino namang girlfriend mo nun?
A: I’ll leave it out. On the way back, that’s when I heard that Malacanang had been ano, assaulted. On the way, we passed through Fort Bonifacio, Senator Biazon was, I think commandant at that time of the marines. He was manning the checkpoint. Sabi ako, nandyan si Pong Biazon, okay siguro dyan. Parang napa-detour ako sa bahay ni Joker Arroyo where I saw Jojo Binay and several others, ‘no, of mom’s group. That’s when we heard one of the reports na may attack sa Philcoa, then Malacanang was also attacked. Nag-paalamanan, sabi ko, “Teka, balikan ko pamilya ko. Kailangan nandun ako.” I wasn’t informed, we had intelligence kasi they were to attack, one or two days. And that was also the period in time when every week, may coup.
Q: So you were not sure?
A: At tsaka, hindi, wala namang, wala ring nag-inform sa kin for various reasons na may movement na pala from Nueva Ecija amongst other places. So, my only plan was to try and get as close as possible to my, where my family was, and if we had spotted the enemy, if we had, if we were gonna engage it, and just to fight to disengage, no? Unfortunately, I bumped into them at the only blindspotted JP Laurel. You know, may curve, befor St. Jude? And straight to JP Laurel, merong soldier that was traversing Concepcion-Aguila, sabi ko, “Nandiyan yata sila, dito tayo.” Eh naliligaw pala yung iniwasan namin. Yung nasa harap, naroon ang main body. And they were facing Sta. Mesa. So, I shouldn’t be where—that was where our first checkpoint was. ‘Kala ko amin. Eh nagre-retreat na pala yung kalaban. Then, we dialogued siguro five minutes or so, yung tsaka magulo na sila. Scout rangers na yung nakatapat namin binola na, training–test mission, test mission. Binola sila nung mga opisyal nila. “Test mission na ‘to, kailangan isaklolo natin ang Malacanang, lulusob ang mga rebelde,” etc. May mga nagdala pa nga ng notebook. Sa ranger kasi, pag nag test mission na, magkaroon ng isang encounter, everybody graduates. So nung bumaba ako, dadalawa opisyal nila, ang problema yung isa armor, yung isa ranger officer, kailangan sa ranger, teams, para one for every eight. So wala nang control masyado dun sa tao. Kada magtatanong, para sa’n po yung nagtatanong, may tinanong ako, pero yun din response, sampung teams, parang kanya-kanya na, wala na yung, wala yung cohesion nila. So, parang pinababa ng kotse, pinasakay ng kotse, pinababa ng kotse, tapos, parang ganun no? Yung during ] na yun. Eventually, maya-maya, tapos “atras, atras kayo, atras.” Pagpasok ko ng kotse, dun ko naramdaman na parang me nagpaputok yun. One, two, three shots. Tapos eto na, sabay-sabay na. Medyo me, I got hit in the first volley. I think it passed through here. I have a bullet in the neck here. I have three bullet wounds here kasi my hands are up raised. “Sandali, sandali,” ka ko. Akala ko kakampi naman sila. The guy beside me. There was only one security man with me tapos there were three in a backup vehicle. Yung three in the backup vehicle, I think they also got hit in the first salvo. The one who actually save me came from the backup vehicle. He drew the fire. He went to the side, he engaged the enemy also, parang they were ninety-four vesus our six. And hindi pa, five pala, sorry. Five to include me.
Q: Kasama ka na dun?
A: Pero hindi, nag-eengage nga itong one marine sergeant, and he got hit in the thigh, he was applying a tourniquet, nilapitan siya tapos, hineadshot with an M-14. Yung two; one PC, one Air Force in the back up vehicle are the ones who went under the Land Cruiser, yung back up vehicle, pero dumaan na yung rebel sa kanila, parang inesprayhan.
Q: May namatay?
A: Three of them. The only one who survived was the one with me, pagkatama sa kin kasi, parang napahiga akong ganun, sinampahan niya ko sa taas. Pagsampa niya, tumama yung ribs niya dun sa gear shift know, napaangat siya so tinamaan. So got hit three times in the head, but he survived. He lost an eye, tapos he got thrown out of the car. At some point in time, may rifle grenade, exploded in the hood, pero natira dun sa salamin ng kotse was yung portion na may tint dun sa taas sa may windshield. Yung wiper siguro, baka two inches of one of the wipers.
Q: Wow.
A: Tapos yung, they were at the peak of their training eh. Tamang-tama pati yung pano yung “coals of fire” na tinatawag nila. Eventualy I got to talk to the head of the escort unit who was on his tenth anniversary, wedding anniversary, he was outside, nakapasok lang siya. And he was the one who engineered the rescue after about thiry-five, twenty-five minutes.
Q: Na nadun ka, bleeding?
A: Yung dugo kasi was spurting like sa garden hose. Tapos nung, I was assessing what I could still do. So akala ko iilan lang tinaman, nakita ko buo, dun ko napansin na meron palang nasa-spout dito. Pa’no ko itotorniquet sa leeg? And then afterwards, nalaman ko pa at the time, digit pressure na lang na ganun. If you see, at least three bullet holes, eh. Eto parang mainit na mainit yung sensation. So hinihipan ko, yun pala ano yun, lalong mag-iinduce ng oxygen, lalong sasakit. We have a natural anesthetic hormone in out body, natural sedative.
Q: So, on hindsight, what should you have done to that wound?
A: Hindi dapat tinatali.
Q: Yung torniquet?
A: Yung torniquet.
Q: Kelan nalaman ng presidente na natamaan ka?
A: The point na sinaklolo ako, yung sumaklolo sa kin, apat no? Yung naiwan na kalaban, kinse. Tapos parang confused yung kalaban, confused din yung konting nagrescue (CLL: Kung sinong kalaban at kung sinong hindi?) Oo. Tapos tumirik pa yung armored vehicle na sinakay nila ako dun. It’s called the Samaritan vehicle, the one with the red cross. Yung medic got this run from the machine gun and started wiping away the blood. I said, “Bakit kaya ‘to kinuha, bakit basahan lang nilalagay dito, no?” Anyway, they really didn’t know who was in control of the clinic at that point and most of the PSG kasi was deployed for the next day’s engagements of my mom, mga five or so. So talagang severely depleted yung PSG nun. So when I got to Arlegui, they brought me to the back, the dirty kitchen. Nakita ako nung senior civilian agent that was with my mom. Bloody raw pa ‘ko nun. So, ang tagal, ilang beses akong tinatanong ni Mommy, “Nasan ba si Noy?” “Ay nandyan na po, nakita ko na,” sinabi nitong Senior Civilian Agent. Then proceeded to hold on to the curtain and dragged it along to close, to close that window that had a view of the place where they brought me into. Tapos nung, somebody who headed the group, sinabi niya, “Hinahanap ka kanina pa! Puntahan mo.” “Anong sasabihin natin dito, nadapa? Mag-alala pa. Pabayaan mo na.” “O, mag-intercom ka man lang.” “O sige, amina yung intercom.” So, binola namin, in short. “Mom, hinahanap mo raw ako.” “Nasan ka ba?” “Ah, nandito lang sa likod.” “Ginagawa mo dyan?” “Ah pinalalakas ko lang yung tuhod ng mga bata.” “Bakit, humihina na ba?” “Ah hindi naman, ganyan lang talaga, tense bago mag-umpisa.” “O sige, sige.” About three or so in the morning. Then she was told mga seven-thirty in the morning.
Q: That you were shot.
A: Oo. And of course, everybody got, ano. It was told to her by my brothers-in-law and she prodded who told her. Parang, ano “Binola niyo pa kong lahat kagabi! I’m not only the president, I’m also the mother and you all lied to me, how dare you lie to me? Don’t you dare ever do this!” Saka, my mom doesn’t really have, you know, parang gestures, talagang she was pointing her finger at all these three. Eventually, I had to explain it to her, sabi ko, “Anong point nung sasabihin sa yo, matetense ka, guguluhin mo pa yung mga decisions na kailangan mong gawin, wala namang danger.” At least, I hoped there was no danger, I wasn’t passing out naman.
Q: So difficult yung years na yun, Noy, for you?
A: Ah yes. My training kasi is marketing, ‘no? I was in the private sector. I was relegated to finance parang backroom, backroom pero para walang undue influence on anybody raw when I–you know, I sell to somebody, I’m the son of the president, how they can refuse aspect. Eh parating sinasabi you have to be like Caesar’s wife, no?
Q: Was it difficult to be the son of the president?
A: May mga times naman na nakakatakas ako just to have some normalcy in life.
Q: Tumatakas ka?
A: Umaabot ako ng Tarlac by myself.
Q: Nagbubus ka? Anong ginagawa mo, nagdadrive ka?
A: Ah, nanghihiram ng mga kotseng ginagamit ko pero hinihintay kong, you know, matulog lahat–
Q: Para bang pressure cooker?
A: Oo. We have twenty-eight newspapers who are operating on negativism. They would come out with a headline, babawiin five days later in the inside page. Yung, oposisyon kami, wala kaming magawang mali, nung naupo kami, wala na kaming nagawang tama. It got to the point na pati paglusob ni Saddam sa Kuwait parang, tumaas yung presyo nung krudo, parang may kasalanan din tayong konti dun.
Q: Alam mo yung pitfalls na yun?
A: Uh-hmm.
Q: And sabi, ang sabi nga mga kapatid mo they could hardly wait to get out of Malacanang. Ikaw rin?
A: Oo.
Q: Bakit?
A: Wala na. Alam pati kung sinong nililigawan mo, parang mayroong may vote of confidence, parang ang daming nakikialam?
Q: Ngayon, pumasok ka naman? Ano naman yun?
A: Well, after a while, di ba, parang part of the territory na yun. It’s part of the cost of doing what you had to do. I’m still in the mold na if everything my parents and countless others that are nameless and faceless did, for all of us, amounts to no changes, talagang that would be the hardest thing to accept. Saka I’m still committed to that. To really make those changes na hindi lang real and apparent, but permanent.
Q: Pero yun nga, you yourself said, if after all the sacrifice of your mom, of your dad, first, and then your mom, changes had not come, di ba frustrating yun? I mean, what makes you think na ngayon at sumasabak ka, magagawa yung hindi nagawa ng ilang taon na–
A: Kaya naman ako umabot dito sa point na ‘to, kaya naman maganda yung surveys, it was not because of something I did, but it seems that the people have really awakened and are taking. Di ba nawala nga yung pinapasahan ng responsibilidad, bakit ganun ano? They took it upon themselves to do their rightful share and if I’m gonna be the instrument of focus, then so be it. If I’m gonna be, di ba in the lead, but I won’t reach the finish line aspect, okay na rin. Basta matuluy-tuloy nila, matapos yung ginagawa, we’re going to the final chapter, then that would be worth it. Yung the reverse of doing nothing naman will be the same question my parents had to answer. You could’ve done something and you chose not to. I think I would blame myself with that aspect.
Q: Okay, nung namatay si Tita Cory, nagulat din kayo. Ang daming gulat sa buhay niyo ha? Nagulat din kayo sa mga reaksyon ng mga tao?
A: We expected na mga close namin, mga supporters, mga certain cabinet, in the government will be there. People saw she did a good turn at some point in time, pero not that outpouring that we all saw.
Q: Not to the level that your dad–
A: Uh-hmm. At meron di ba, sa dad ko, may halo pang anger dun. Dito parang yung love, yung appreciation, yung remembrance. Tapos parang naging mas hopeful ‘no, yung what-has-been can probably be again.
Q: Was there a specific time, Noy, that you can tell us na this is the point na yung, well, for one, I think, everybody was saying you were just waiting to be out in the limelight, right? What was the speicfic time that you decided na, hindi pa tapos, I have to do something.
A: I think the day before I announced the decision was when it was really finalized, ‘no? Yung mga ganun.
Q: Nahirapan ka?
A: Oo. Yun nga, galing na kami dun. Kung hindi ka naman, you know, papataba dun sa kaban ng bayan, ano pang plus na nandun ka? Sa yo lahat ng problema? Sa yo yung, dapat sinolve mo kahapon bago pa sinabi sa yo? Yung, parang, pati na yung mga mag mabibilang mo afterwards eh. Yung, what’s the benefit of going through that? Again, talagang nade-demonstrate. Nung, when I went to the retreat in Zamboanga, pumasok kami ng Davao na airport, first time kong mag-out-of-town after, yung parang, I think that was the time after Mar slid down already. Grabe yung reception sa NAIA pala muna. Pag land ko sa Davao, you have, I took about an hour to finish half of a sandwich sa dami nung “Pwede bang pa-picture?” May mga nagsasabi ng kanilang two cents worth, yung nangungumbinsi, yung nakikiusap. Pagdating dun sa Davao, same thing. Pagdating dun sa Zamboanga, more of the same. Parang at the very first moment na pwede silang, yung mga naghihintay sa terminal, pwede kang lapitan, nandun na sila. Muntik na kong hindi nakapasok ng terminal. And basta yung, baka nga totoo na yata tong gising na yung mga tao–
Q: Bakit, hindi ka ba naniniwala nung una?
A: Yung baka naman hanggang dun lang. Kasi one of the columnists allied with the Cory administration said, “That’s to be expected, but afterwards, ‘no? They will divide among so many lines, but it will be a spent force right after.” That doesn’t seem to be the case. So, yung what, the day, the night before I announced, I was talking to Ate, and I said, sabi ang daming naliwanagan, ano? Kausap ko sila Sister Agnes, gusto ko kayong makausap sanang lahat para magkaroon tayo ng, you know, parang voicing out ng lahat. Para we can march in one direction, no? Or at least I can ease them of the burden as much as possible also.
Q: They didn’t want to, di ba?
A: And they said, “Alam mo nagkausap-usap na rin kami, at mukha talaga itong tamang landas, you have our blessings na.” And that, s”Okay na ba sa inyong bukas i-announce?” “Eh kung ganun rin naman ang i-announce natin, pwede na rin bukas.” So, I declared the following day on the 9th I announced. Tapos yung, then it has gotten even, sabi ko, there has been more phobia, you get really tucked in reinforcement that the final chapter might really be here already and that we will effect those changes.
Q: Arent you afraid?
A: I crossed the line in 1983. I made a choice. Parang, you liken it to a soldier in World Wat I, you’re in the trench, you know you’re gonna go over the trench tomorrow, so you have all of your fears. But the moment you cross that line, and go over the fence and the walls, wala na, you’re committed to get there.
Q: But knowing what’s on the other side of the trench, doesn’t that make you afraid?
A: If I let myself be afraid, then baka fear would lead into inaction and to a delusion of what should be, should have and could have been already. If there’s one fear or anxiety, I use it as the main motivating factor. If we are successful in this campaign, hopefully by the time it ends we will all be able to say, “Eto’ng nagawa!” versus “Sinubukan namin ang makakakaya namin.” And lately, with all the studies that we’ve been doing and lately is like the last two weeks also, again, a lot of the problems are not that intractable. Magugulat ka na ganun yung revenues for instance, we’ve readjusted the deficit ceiling by, I think, three times already and we were supposed to have balanced budget already by now. So sabi, “Pa’no kang babayad nung deficit sa lahat ng programa, polisiya’t proyekto ng gobyerno?” Tapos pinakita sa kin yung leakages sa revenue collection at magugulat ka na kung gano kalaki ang idadagdag dun sa revenues. Just by not doing anything yun, but doing what is already there.
Q: Lahat nung presidentiables na iniinterview namin, binibigyan namin sila ng parang list, checklist, ano? Pa’no mo susugpuin, I mean, they tell us that almost 30 percent goes to corruption, di ba?
A: Baka that’s the lowest estimate.
Q: Thirty is low?
A: Baka. Yung some LGUs that have been coming up to me have been complaining how bad it is right now.
Q: Oo. Pano mo susugpuin yun?
A: Sasample ka. Yung corruption laws are there. They’re supposed to be modules of other countries. Pero yung certainty ng punishment when you commit a crime is not there. I’m told that an average six years of gestation ng bawat case. Look at the chief justice when he had this Justice on Wheels program, they went to the Bicol area, I think, Quezon also. They disposed of close to three thousand cases in two days or three days. So balik kaya dito kasi kaya eh. We have been even imagining how we’ll do it and who are the people you will task to do it no? And part of, if we’re lucky, the inauguration speech will contain a provision that will be asking for an increase in the size of the bilibid. We will also have a certainty na, yung pasensyahan na lang tayo pag kayo’y, hindi niyo kami sinersyoso, kami seryosong-seryoso sa inyo. But on the other hand, that’s the stick. We also want the carrot. Why do you make it impossible for somebody to behave, to behave properly. For instance, the president makes fifty thousand pesos per month, gross. And then the salary standardization law, it will be increased to sixty nine thousand or thereabouts. Parang big deal, no?
Q: Masyadong mababa?
A: Parang maski sinong ilagay mo dun panong hindi matutukso? How can he sustain even if he had only one child to send to a proper school in a salary like that? So, it’s not realistic, ano? So, let’s give them all a fighting chance, so the people we’re asking to behave, na hindi yung pagpunta diyan, pasama ng pasama yung sitwasyon na to make it impossible for them. So maybe yung difference is, there will be that enforced law, but the second aspect is ano, there has to be a recognition that the carrot has long been, there’s no carrot actually. It’s coming, it should be there. Yung rewards system for instance sa attrition law, I’m told, yung parang, if you meet your goals or you surpass your goals, you’re given an x amount. Bonus. The private sector does that. If you don’t reach your goals, you’re given a reprimand and eventually, you’re terminated.
Q: Magagawa mo ba yun?
A: Nasa batas ng yun eh. Ang problema, it all stopped being applied. Tapos pati na rin yung goals no? Yung parang dina-downgrade ng dina-downgrade yung goals.
Q: Sige ha, Noy, isa-isahin natin ha kasi iniisa-isa namin. RH bill, ano yung stand mo dito?
A: We have doubled our population from EDSA, and yung every time na you go to a community, nandyan pa rin yung stereotype: yung nanay na may infant, may dalawang nakatangan sa palda at talagang walang trabaho yung pamilya, ganun. Yung, sinabi ko lang, at kinakagalit ng simbahan, aminin natin may issue na kailangan i-educate lahat. Actually, educate sa akin. First focus is, parents have a responsibility to the children they’ll be bringing in. Therefore, there’s a need to plan their family, to meet the needs adequately. As to how to plan their family, the church can, well the state cannot intervene, the church, can participate in the education programs na advocacy. Pero at the end of the day, bahala yung mag-asawa sa pamilya nila. Tumulong, gumabay ang estado. I don’t advocate also yung drastic regimes like the one China, Singapore, Japan did, ano? All of those I think have gone the way, parang they’ve reversed themselves, no? Their problem now is how to increase their populations. So, I don’t agree, yung alam mo yun, it goes back to the central credit, bahala yung mag-asawa. Gabayan natin, bigyan natin, eto yung options. At lahat nung simbahan na gustong magparticipate, sumali sila dun sa education na yun.
Q: Di ka takot sa simbahan na sasabihin, “Etong si Noynoy eh…”
A: Ang turo ng simbahan kasi sa kin, may konsensya kang dapat magsabi sa akin kung anong dapat kong gawin.
Q: You will support the RH Bill?
A: To certain safeguards. For instance, may provisions nga dun sa artificial, okay? Problema ko lang dun, budget item yun. Yung budget na hindi ginagastos nawawala. Baka yung budget na nandyan, available, baka itulak, ipilit yung, yung horror stories when I was growing up was, pumunta dun consultation, paglabas dun na ligation. Yung, hindi ako papayag, dapat may actions yung ganun.
Q: Pag sapilitan?
A: Oo. Pag may mali yung tinuturo, for instance, dahil para maipromote yung ganitong produkto, no? Another product. Yung pag nawala sila sa function nila to educate at naging advocator, whatever, medyo, you’re advocate for this or that particular instrument in artificial issue sa kin yun.
Q: But you will make, for example, pills and artificial methods available?
A: I think the state should have those. Kasi yun yung pinaka-endangered eh.
Q: Yung peace process. Pa’no mo ihahandle yun?
A: Yung long term, tagal ko ng dream ‘to, my original idea is cross-pollination. We bring in students from Mindanao, distribute them to the Visayas and Luzon, and you get students from Luzon and Visayas and have them educated there. Have the old boy network or Old Person Network na lang sa mga gender-sensitive. Sila yung support mechanism going through the college years. May trust na madedevelop friendships, etc. Once they have the range of power, then they start from a position of trust. The main problem kasi the people we have negotiated have always been on the opposite sides who have talagang very little trust to the other side. How do you get to anyone–
Q: –It’s a long, it’s a long process.
A: Yun ang long term. Yung second is find negotiators from both sides that will really get parang closer to that goal, but at the same time, as talking, I don’t think we should allow any of the banditry to happen. Basta yung you have naman set of agreements. You’re armed, the constitution doesn’t sanction it, pero sige, we will tolerate; these are the conditions how we can tolerate. Yung mga pag hinahabol mo yung Abu Sayyaf, etc. o may partnership. Yung details nun will be worked out, no? But the bottomline is, let us not have the people who are there continue to suffer. For instance, yung sa education, we’re always, parang mamili ka lang kung pa’nong criteria yung ARMM ang nasa ibaba. But in terms of resources, ang dami nang, from the national government to foreign funding, primarily sa kanila din pupunta.
Q: Bakit hindi matapos-tapos yung awayan dun?
A: Papasok naman ako dun, ako’y taga-Luzon, Kristiyano, handa akong makinig at kakausapin ko lahat sila. Baka naman ako, bagong mukha sa kanila, o baka naman mabigyan ako ng konting testing na maging daan na magkaintindihan. Pero hindi ko ginaguarantee na overnight, from no trust to absolute trust. I don’t think that will happen. Pero sabihin mo na rin yung, pag nasecure yung areas, no? Massive yung economic development and intervention sa gagawin mo.
Q: Debt problem? Yung utang-utang?
A: That I want to study further. We’re in a period in time, siyempre ideally, pinautang niyo kami sa alam mong walang kasilbi-silbi, dapat ho may moral responsibility kayo dyan, dapat naman bigyan niyo kami ng better, better terms at the very least. Baka pwedeng i-condone yung iba. But the reality is, we’re in a recession, credit is tight. And we need deficit financing and certain policies and programs. So, I do not advocate going back to situation na barter trade ang magiging medium natin for exchange. So, I think, yung once the global economy has stabilized, we could probably have parang a review all of these outstanding debts which is really an sizable portion of the budget. That has been a frustration for such a long time. Nag-umpisa kami, amidst of the Asian financial crisis. And then we worked it out. Then, but I think, it’s this stage in these countries, these banks that lent us, because they just had to lend out their money, matagal nang napaka-immoral, then medyo, I think they also have to pay a certain portion of the price that we all will be paying.
Q: Pork barrel?
A: Baka ma-modify namin but we’re still undergoing the process of consulting. Basta the idea is, ayan carrot and stick. We’ll remove it, but once removing it, we’ll replace yung parang we increase the funds available to the congressman to handle the district concerns– kailangan ng tuition, kailangan ipagamot, kailangan ipalibing, etc. Yung, a congressman for instance has staff members–six. A councilor of Manila has twenty-four. Yung, ang point is, pa’no ba kung ang idea is, wag natin nada-dilute lahat ng projects, kayang gawin yun. Removing, kung hintayin niyo siya naman yun, ang kapalit nun, we need the cooperation of congress also, there has to be a way whereby their needs also are met, and the needs of the constituents are met.
Q: So you will not remove it?
A: Subject to negotiation. At the most, baka something like President Erap’s limited, specific areas.
Q: Charter change?
A: I’m not convinced that we need to change the constitution. But I’m open to having it studied, having a plebiscite
Q: When?
A: Well, if you want the possibility for it, it has to be rather earlier.
Q: Kung maupo kang presidente, will you initiate charter change?
A: At least the commission to study it or even you know, when we’re tackling that issue kasi in the house, si Justice Nachura was a congressman at that time, heading the committee on constitutional by-laws, nagdebate kami. And the opening statement was an overwhelming clamor by the people. And then I asked him, how is this demonstrated? Kasi dun sa mga pinuntahan nila for the consultations, may areas na were not populated or the most populated. For instance, yung CAR, which is the least populated, naghearing sila. And I don’t think they had hearings in Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog, which after the NCR, parang at least, they were in the top five. Parang pati sa Central Visayas yata, I don’t know if they had in Cebu for instance. So, parang scientific method to identify this as representing the entire country, and they have written, there is no scientific basis. It was just responding to invitations from the various communities. So this is the foundation of our laws, that’s how we agreed to deal with each other. What is the foundation? The foundation is the constitution. You remove the foundation, there will be disruption and everything. So, debates would start with “Do we need to?” before you “How?” Para kung may “how” I’ll willingly encourage constitutional convention.
Q: Not constituent assembly?
A: Not constituent assembly. Pero ang problema ko lang dun sa convention is may danger nga na baka maging open-ended.
Q: Foreign trips kung ikaw ang maging presidente?
A: The last time I travelled was, President Estrada was still president, I think that was ’99. I’m not fond of travelling.
Q: Even if you become president?
A: If I have to, meaning, pupunta ka dun, may signing ng significant grant na hindi matutuloy. O sige. Sort-of that. Kumbaga, kung aattend ka to address this conference or what, never mind.
Q: EO 464.
A: No such thing under my term. There has to be transparency. Kung tama yung ginagawa niyo, bakit hindi pwedeng magstand ng scrutiny? At kung sobrang bababuyin naman ang other branches of government, di yung taong bayan na siguro ang magtatanggol sa amin dun.
Q: Si GMA ba kakasuhan mo?
A: First of all, I want closure dun sa many issues and she seems to be either directly, peripherally involved in some of these. Having said that, my father did teach me rather that democracy’s test is your ability to defend the rights of your enemies, especially, not just of your friends. Yung paniwala niya, pag pumayag kang may maapi yung isang grupo, eventually lahat ng grupo aapihin. Yung grupo ng lipunan, ano? So kung ayaw mong ikaw na lang ang natitirang aapihin, ay siguraduhin mo sa umpisa pa lang pinagtanggol mo na yung karapatan mo. So, in our system, innocent until proven guilty. I will ensure that she gets all of her rights–people around her, etc, members of this current administration. At the end of the day, I want closure. Yung pasensyahan na lang kung san umabot.
Q: Meron ka na bang naisip na cabinete?
A: Dadalawa palang ang taong kinausap ko.
Q: Meron ka nang kinausap?
A: Well, kasi usap, yung patanong sa taong bayan. Sabi ko, ayokong ito, ‘tong inudyok niyo kong tumakbo, tinulungan niyo ang kampanya, binoto niyo ‘ko, hindi ko matatapos. Pag iniwanan niyo ‘ko, babagal yung proseso. Kung andyan ho kayo, magmomonitor ng mga nangyayari sa lipunan, kung kayo yung babantay sa mga members ng legislation na maging representante niyo talaga, mas mapapabilis natin yung proseso. So, those who were former cabinet before I would really be advising on particular areas of expertise, I’ve been asking. I’ve asked actually two. Of the two, isa lang ang um-oo, yung isa medyo ngumiti nalang.
Q: Pwede mo bang sabihin samin kung sino yun?
A: Wag nalang. Basta yung isa kasi, para bang nakikita na niya yung, parang tama naman, nagiging usap-usapan, parang flattered naman na nagtiwala ako sa kanya. Pero at the same time, parang yung skills niya parang napakamarketable. Medyo matagal-tagal nang nahagupit yung taong ‘to at babalik yung normalcy at saka yung pag-aayos niya sa pamilya naman niya. Naiintindihan ko rin.
Q: What will you do, anong gagawin mo, first 100 days?
A: Magpaplano kami, even the first day.
Q: First day?
A: First day, first week. Yung first week, I think, at the very least, yung first week, we will demonstrate the idea namin nang, pabibilisin namin yung process ng justice. Sabay na rin dun sa fight ng corruption. Kung ba–
Q: Yun ang una mong aatupagin? Corruption and justice
A: That has to be, otherwise all the other interventions won’t work. Look at the fertilizer scam. Yung last year we were tackling the 2009 budget, tapos yung core report on the 2007 expenditures. Ang lumabas dun, merong NGO na dalawang beses binigyan ng farm inputs, money for the farm inputs –it’s the same NGO, the same problem, according to the COA doesn’t exist, yung at least in allocation that they said. Tapos yung five hundred thousand in 2004, binigyan ng 34 million in 2007. Yung ano, para bang di lang sa nahuli na, di man lang nahiya na itago, lalo pang pinalaki yung krimen. Pero, hindi nga ako pupunta dyan sa lumipas, baka from the first day, yung aking watch na, dun kami magpapakita na seryoso kami dito. The idea is maimbestigahan, makasuhan within one week.
Q: Bakit importante sa yo yun?
A: Para lahat will tow the line, hindi kami nagbibiro. Wag nila i-dilute, lahat itong mga intervention na ito, I said, yung magmo-monitor ka kunwari ng fertilizer input program, okay. Meron stages of growth ang plant. Namo-monitor na kagad yun eh. Para kaagad, may systems built in na pag niloko ‘to at some point in time, huli kaagad. Hindi eventually. The consciousness kasi is six years. You have to effect the changes.
Q: Is that short?
A: Well, sa dami ng iiwang problema sa atin, oo.
Q: Who’s the man to beat in this election?
A: Parang pare-pareho na yan
Q: Pare-pareho na.
A: Yung siyempre the administration with the vault and machinery. Tapos there’s somebody in the opposition also–
Q: Pinsan mo yun?
A: Well, sabi nila wala pa silang convention di ba? Baka magbago pa.
Q: Magiging problema ba yun na si Gibo first cousin mo?
A: Second na, actually. Our parents are first cousins. I knew that my problem is not because he’s in the opposite side, perhaps ano, I can expect a higher level of debate with him. Yung, kasi sanay naman ako, nine years sa congress namin. Parati kami atang opposite sides of the question.
Q: Nagkasama kayo?
A: From the first day to our last day–sabay yung terms namin.
Q: Sabay.
A: The 11th to the 13th congress.
Q: You’re good friends?
A: I won’t say were very close. Dun lang kami nagkakilala. Never met him until, I think we’re already close to a year in congress. I was presenting a committee report on the committee on civil, political, and human rights before the committee of which he was a member.
Q: Really? But you’re cousins?
A: Sixty-five pa naghiwalay yung pamilya eh. We never, yung when we were in the States, our generation was having a reunion. Namatay yung daddy ko, mga pinsan ko, pasensya na kayo, dito kami. Sixty-five, kasama na ni Tito Danding si Marcos, no? He was my Tito Peping’s opponent, my mom’s brother. So alam kong–
Q: there’s this divide in your family?
A: But at the same time, we have learned to respect each other and nakikita ko yung perspective nila, nakikita nila yung perspective ko. Iba yung backgrounds namin. Siguro for that matter, yung priorities magkaiba rin.
Q: Pero yung mga lolo’t lola niyo, magkakapatid?
A: Mga lolo namin ang magkakapatid. They’re brothers.
Q: Magkapatid. Malapit-lapit din yun, di ba?
A: Oo, pero yun nga, nung 1965 nga sila nag-away dun sa holding company.
Q: Sa inyong papanaw ngayon, since you declared, siyempre now you’re the target, you’re like the, like the mango tree that has a lot of fruits. Sa inyo, ano ang pinakamasakit na batikos na nagawa na sa yo, na sinasabi tungkol sayo?
A: Ay naku, marami rin siguro
Q: Pero ano yung pinakamasakit?
A: Sa kin pare-pareho lang yun, karamihan naman nun halos walang katuturan. Nung isang araw, nasa PCIJ ako, sa 20th anniversary, I was asked to speak. So may nagtanong dun, blogger daw siya sabi niya, parati hong, parang they’re making a mockery of your hair. Sorry na lang, sabi ko, what can I do about that, that’s what God gave me. Meron daw sa girlfriend ko, merong yung mga nasa paligid ko raw. Meron yung wala akong kaalam-alam. Variations of wala akong ka-alam-alam.
Q: Anong sagot mo dun? Kasi sabi mo kanina, talagang iniwasan mo yung ipaalam sa mga tao kung ano yung mga ginawa mo. Bakit mo ginawa yun? Para kang hindi pulitiko.
A: Public servant ang tingin ko sa sarili ko eh.
Q: Ano bang deperensya?
A: May kontrata ka sa tao eh. Lahat kayo nagsabi, “Paglilingkuran namin kayo.” Tumupad ako sa usapan namin. Tapos, sasabihin ko, “Hoy, dapat masaya kayo tinupad ko yung usapan natin,” ang labo naman yata nun. Yung the people should really have a right to expect expert performance from their representatives, people that they gave this opportunity to. Yung there are others naman who’ve been with us, specifically, “What did you do here,” etc. Meron namang nagsasabi rin kung ano talaga.
Q: Okay. Sa palagay mo ano yung pinakamatindi mong kontribusyon, in your political life?
A: Nung sa House, napakadaling–intindihin mo yung bansa, yung distrito mo lang. Pero, palagay ko consistently, in the three terms that I was there, regardless of who I had to stand up to, I did. Nung nasa human rights ang pangunahin kong responsibilidad, may time na parang napakasuki namin na napaka-powerful ng security services. Kami lang ang talagang nagta-tackle ng problema. Nung wala na sila in power, ang dami rin biglang bumabatikos dun. Pero nung panahon na matindi sa kapangyarihan, kami lang dun sa committee’ng yun. Naging issue pa nga yun sa isang kalaban kong kasalukuyan, magiging kalaban ko dahil ayaw kaming bigyan ng subpoena para mapilitang dumating itong taong ‘to. Pero yung sa impeachment, ilang beses naman akong talagang tumayo na naghahanap ako ng katotohanan. At tinanggal ako sa pwestong ipinilit nilang ibinigay sa akin dun sa huling kongreso ko binangon, sa 13th, dahil hindi ako nagto-tow ng administration o party line.
Q: Inipit ka ba?
A: Ah, oo. Two thousand and five nawala na yung aming pork barrel.
Q: Wala? Zero.
A: Zero. Yung two thousand and five, ang pagkasabi sa kin my SARO, special allotment release order, binigay yun. Pero yung pambayad dun, may notice of cash availability alloted, hindi na, hindi na binigay. So may kontrata, walang pambayad. So kung yung agency ay natrabaho sila overall, yung specialty hospitals, nagkaro’n pero kung hindi nila kaya, wala. Tapos kung congressman ka, sorry, ilang beses kang may record di ba? Lumawak ba yung kalsada, yung tulay, yung kuryente, yung eskwelahan? O, buti na lang, marami na kaming nagawa in the seven years bago ako inapi na naging basehan ng mga kababayan ko.
Q: So kapangyarihan ng presidente yun na pigilin yung pagbigay ng SARO o pagbigyan ng release order. Gagawin mo ba yun pag naging presidente ka?
A: As much as possible, hindi, pero the releases have to be guided by the principle of most in need.
Q: Bakit kadalasan ba hindi nangyayari yun?
A: Well, pag gusto mo kasing fair and equitable ang per capital, lumalabas na talagang equal amounts to everybody. Hindi naman equal yung need. I’m hoping that it’d be something like what we did in my district. When I started out, all of the barangays had ten folders each on average. Dahil nga–
Q: –Ten folders?
A: Of requests. Baka makatsamba tayo dun sa isa dyan. Nung second term, patapos yung second term, wala nang nag-aabot. Confident sila na after the discussion, ifo-formalize nila, itataon yung request pero isa na lang dahil may napagtulung-tulungan na kami. May nagbago na talaga, hindi empty promises, to the extent that they were already, sabi ko nga, “O kamusta tayo?” “Sir, ayos na kami, kakatapos lang namin, pero itong kabila naming barangay, eto’ng problema, sila muna ang unahin niyo.” So, nag-umpisa yung malasakit niya sa kabila.
Q: Dun naman sila.
A: Dati wala talagang napapala sa estado, sa sistema. Iba talagang desperado to the extent na baliktad na baliktad. Confident na sila na ayos yung sistemang ‘to, na pwede na silang magmalasakit sa iba
Q: Nung una ka bang tumakbo for congressman, gusto mo ba talagang pumasok sa pulitika nung panahon na yun or meron bang nag-udyok sa yo?
A: Meron naman talagang nag-uudyok nun pero more than anything, I really wanted, I worked in Luisita, talking, dealing with even the farmers outside of Luisita for five years prior to running. Tapos ang daming areas dun, parang panahon ng tatay ko, ganun na yung sitwasyon. Yung kausuotan, yung bakuran, yung kanilang bahay. Tapos parang nandyan sa kin, kaya yata nagkakaganito dahil may mga trapo na interesadong panatilihin yung taong bayan dun sa level na yun, dahil di ba parang, pa’no ba sabihin yun, habang nandun sila sa estado na marami silang kakulangan, takbo ng takbo dun sa kung sino mang nakaupo. Sabi ko, yun yata yung mali, yun yata yung kaya hindi matapos-tapos na pagpapatibay ng demokrasya natin. So, sali tayo sa proseso, wag kayong, yung para sa kin, wag kayong reklamo nang reklamo kung di ka handang makibahagi din. So, pagtapos, yung desisyon, sa akin ba? Hindi. Aalukin ko sarili ko sa taong bayan. Bibigay ko sa kanila plataporma ko. Pag sinabi naman nilang ayaw nila sa kin, walo ang kalaban ko nung unang pagtakbo. Apat nun incumbent pa. So kung matalo ako dito, madali naman sa konsensya kong sarili ko na lang ang iintindihin ko, wala na akong obligasyon sa taong bayan.
Q: Ang kaso, nanalo ka?
A: Tinalo ko silang lahat. Tapos yung next two na batch, para bang hindi na kasing consequential yung mga nakalaban. Ang problema ko lang, merong nagmumungkahi sa kanila, bumalik raw ako sa pagiging congressman ng distritong yun.
Q: Ngayon?
A: After a year and a half in the Senate. “Kung pwede sa susunod na eleksyon, balik na kayo dito dahil ang layo ho ng nangyayari.” Sabi ko nga, mas malaki yata yun. Wala na kaming tumayo na sa pamilya namin, yung sa allies namin, hindi pa umaangat dun sa pwestong binakantihan ko.
Q: Sino bang kumuha ng place mo?
A: Yung pinalitan ko rin naman to begin with, si Apeng Yap.
Q: Speaking of Luisita, you have made a stand tungkol sa Luisita?
A: Regardless of anything we do there, it will always be subjected to political considerations which infringes on the ability for our people to maintain their livelihoods and for economic growth
Q: So anong gagawin nyo?
A: Ako, I want out of it and I was told pala I’m only four percent. I’m not sure nga of four percent of the entire thing or four percent of the family’s holdings. So, inconsequential pala yung aking parte dun so pero ako, my sisters, several of my generation, we all think that it would be best for everybody concerned if we can, if somebody actually who’s only purely into business, manages it, will coincide with the constituents. And that’s when, you know, yung mga biofuel, yung mga other potential areas for growth can happen.
Q: But isn’t that the crown jewel of your family?
A: Yes, but yung bottomline nga four years na, hindi, five years na this year, walang trabaho yung mga nagtatrabaho dun sa hacienda. And talagang they went to desperate straits. Walang trabaho yung mga tao tinutulungan at minamalasakitan lang. Five years na. Ang daming naiipit. Education nung anak, maski yung pantustos nila pang-araw-araw, these people they really have benefits, at its peak, from womb to tomb eh.
Q: At its peak?
A: And pati yung medical benefits. Nung araw kasi, talaga namang, kung hindi ka pwede dito, ipapadala ka pa abroad, kung magpapagamot. We have employees, first and last jobs nila dun eh.
Q: And then what happened?
A: Eh yun na nga point, medyo, there are certain things that happened there. Siyempre, our friends in the left want, for various reasons, primarily yung propaganda aspect, concentrated resources there. I have grounds to question whether the administration also exacerbated the problem and–
Q: But will your getting out of it help the situation?
A: Oo, dahil walang paratang na ibabalik sa min ng ano, kundi yun, parang pagbusiness, dapat business decisions yun. Yung may-ari ng lupa, sino bang partner dun di ba, farmer beneficiariesDi pag nag-usap kayo, papasukan natin kunwari high-value crops. Okay yan. Eto kailangan natin. So sila mag-usap-usap. Wala nang papasok na, yung they just, ilan ba yun, seven of the eleven baranggays are, were in my district. So, humihingi sila ng kongkretong kalsada from one baranggay to the next. Hindi pag-aari nung baranggay yung parteng yun. So nagpagawa ako nun, inincrease ko yung value of a company that I’m a stockholder of issue. So kung wala ako dun, ‘ba pinagawa na yung kalsada dun, kung sino man yung congressman dun
Q: Kokonsultahin mo ba yung pamilya mo tungkol diyan?
A: Well, nag-uusap yung pamilya ko. Pamilya ko may na-extended up to the six siblings. Ngayon, as to the details, I’m not privy to it.
Q: Hindi ba there are other Cojuangco families there?
A: It’s just the, Jose Cojuangco. My, the siblings of my grandfather did not want to participate at that time. Yung joint is yung Paniqui amongst the four siblings
Q: Isa pang criticism is nung nasa kongreso ka at nasa senado, yun nga, sinasabi mo kanina, wala kang ginawa, totoo ba yun?
A: Pa’no yung walang ginawa ako, ako nga yung human rights committee, I was senior vice chair and we had a chairman, may his soul rest in peace, who’s not really that interested. He died, I’d rather not mention his name. He said, “Kayo na magpatakbo dyan.” And in fairness to him, all of the decisions we made, he stood by us. He could’ve have reversed, and he could’ve done so many things para di na na-calendar yun. In fact, when you look at the records of the 11th congress, sino ba ang tumatayo dun sa mga policy ng nang-abuso ng karapatan ng pantao? Like yung ano lang naman yun ehtwo years into that term and in the last year, dun marami nang, and even if you research it, nahiya lang ako dun sa, yung naging focal point ng komite namin dahil ngayon, parang ang laki ng difference talaga sa ginagawang serbisyo sa bayan. Sa budget, ang liwanag dun, tingnan natin sa transcripts, I don’t think I ever missed a budget hearing especially on the floor. Ako yung nagtatanong dun sa intelligence funds. Yung intelligence funds, that’s twenty-four, twenty-four agencies more or less, that have only the chairman of the COA who can look at the details. Congress year in, year out, aportions and appropriates money that they don’t know where it goes to. And I said, parang mali ata yun, responsibilidad natin yung power of the purse and all of that. In short, baka yung sa law, no? Yung hindi naipasa ng Senado, naipasa namin sa House. Okay, may issue sila sa kin dun. Pero yun lang ba ang trabaho ng nasa lehislatura. Yun ay check and balance. Equally important. It’s not really just the number of laws you filed or the bills you filed and the laws you passed no? Pero more importantly, paniwala ko kasi, dami-dami nang batas. Yung mga lawyers kusang nakikiusap, pwede bang recodification? Nagkakaroon na ng confusion sa dami ng amendments, mga narepeal, etc. Sila nahihilo na. So, ang solusyon ba, dagdagan? Hindi. Implementation. Ano yung implementation? Itong budget ang main means para maimpluwensyahan mo yung polisiya. Yung kritiko ba nagparticipate siya dun nung umaga hanggang umaga? Itong last na budget tinalakay 2009, dadalawa kaming talagang buong gabi ni Senator Pimentel. And that’s when I lost ten pounds in a two-week period because it was nine in the morning to one in the morning, and primarily, I think, breakfast lang yung meal yata na it’s two hours travel time to the Senate also, and four or five hours maximum every day, and on top of the Euro generals, on top of Jocjoc, on top of ZTE. Jun Lozada will confirm that, before he left for Hongkong, he was talking to an intermediary, ’cause he wanted already to testify. Pagdating sa airport, ako dapat ang sumundo sa kanya, kaya lang hindi na pinalabas ng airport. Pagdating dun sa ZTE Formoso, head of the IT concerns of the country, ako yata yung nagpalabas na lawyer pala siya pero law seminars ang inaattend at walang training per se formally na IT. Yung, I think it’s unfair to say that I haven’t–I didn’t do anything. And I would challenge even on attendance basis those who are criticizing. Pero more than that, I really have to emphasize the administrations that I’ve worked with, and there have only been two, ito lang ang kailangang ma-check, yung mga abuses na ginagawa, lalo na nitong pangalawa. At hindi nadadaan sa panibagong batas. Ang kailangan du, enforcement muna nung mga existing na batas.
Q: Speaking of the first administration, kay Erap, ano, maraming nagsasabing bakit kinakausap mo ang isang pangulo na napatalsik dahil sa korupsyon?
A: I mean, in all honesty, kung meron tayong, you know, if we could have hindsight at the beginning of it instead of it being on the tailend of it can we really say na the current administration is any better than what we had hoped, that you know, President Estrada’s administration had come up to? My point, President Estrada managed to get people from talaga namang divergent sectors of society. We had Sister Christine Tan, yung kasama namin na nung panahon kontra kay Marcos. Then we have people associated with the Marcos regime also there. One of his stated aims was to unify the country. And hindi lip-service. He managed to do that in his cabinet. Now, why do I talk to him? He does represent a certain segment of the population. I and he’s clearly in the opposition to this current administration. I’m ready to talk to people who launched coups against my mother, so long as they stand up for the reforms we want to change. Pero at the end of the day, how do I get into an agreement with him, siyempre it’s a meeting of minds with regards to principles. If I have to compromise my principles, then sorry, we’ll go our own route.
Q: Ano yung pinakamatinding prinsipyo mo na hindi mo pwedeng icompromise?
A: Yung paggagawa lang ng tama.
Q: Anu-ano ba ang definition mo ng tama?
A: Ang dami na nun pag specifics. Yung kunyari sa budget talaga. Tingnan mo yung nagawa ko na dati, kesa naman sabihin ko yung gagawin pa. Yung pinag-uusapan parati korupsyon, sasabihin yung inefficiency sa gobyerno. Pag sinabi mong “Bukas patitinuin natin.” Hindi mo kaya yun. So naghanap ako ng bite-size, ano yung bite-size ko sa AFP? Petroleum oil and lubricants, issue namin, I think, nine budgets na yata na napipili kong maglagay ng special provision to deal with that problem. Bottomline, since 1974, they have not been bidding out that requirement. Sa distrito namin, maski sinong congressman nung araw, may bid ka ng hundred fifty thousand project, kailangan minimum three bidders. Pero yung one particular petroleum oil and lubricant budget today amounting to 1.8 billion pesos. Ang estimates between five to ten percent of that can be savings. Pero since ’74, it has not been bidded out, so how do you take advantage of yung disparities in price? What about deregulation? So, everyone may tama. Kailangan nang i-bid, public expenditure yun. Using public funds, ganun-ganun. So, nakakahanap sila ng kung anu-anong dahilan kung bakit hindi pa rin nabi-bid up to now. Kaya hindi ako humihinto sa kanila. Tutok pa rin ako ng tutok, tama ba ‘to, pwede ba yun—sa kin hindi. Ano ba yung 90 million, you translate that into five thousand pesos, divide it five thousand pesos, that’s a number of scholarships per semester you can do in Tarlac and so many other state universities. If it’s a hundred eighty million, more so. And that particular year, they were asking six million na dagdag for the hospitals, and they had it already there. Nineteen hundred and eighty million. There’s, I mean, mamili ka kung anong sector or agency of government, they will tell you what specifically what tama means. But, yung tama is, kaya nga naging tama dapat napaka-natural, dapat kayang-kaya ng lahat, dapat naiintindihan ng lahat.
Q: Ba’t tayo hindi gumagawa ng tama?
A: Ay yun na nga. Masyadong mapagsarili yung mga naiupo natin. Yung concentration na yan na maakit dito para ngayon.
Q: What kind of president will you be?
A: Somebody who would be missed the day after he steps down. Yung, perhaps ano, somebody who’ll be so boring dahil everything works na, finally.
Q: That’s the kind of president you want to be?
A: That’s the drill. At sabi ko, baka nga ganun ang mangyari, kung talaga namang ginagawa niyo, ayos na. Umaasenso yung bayan, nagkakaroon talaga ng opportunities for everybody, baka nga–
Q: –But you have to be a ruthless, a no-nonsense president before that happens?
A: Alam naman ng mga nakakakilala sa akin gaano ako ka–nine years kong pinagtiyagaan yung budget ng AFP among others. Sabi sa kin nung panahon na yun, kasi the one, at sa congress ko pa napasa yun, no? Human rights, kinakalaban mo tong kapulisan, tong sundalong may baril. O, pumunta tayo sa budget, pinatulan mo na naman, puro may mga baril. Hindi ka ba kinakabahang mababaril ka nitong mga ‘to? Sabi ko, hindi ko kayang maging ostrich.
Q: Hindi mo kayang maging ostrich.
A: Kasi lahat nung ’97, nung financial crisis, ’98 yung kami yung nakaupo, hinahanapan kami ng mga kababayan namin ng kung anu-ano. Pag umikot kami sa lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno, puro mga walang pera, tapos nilulustay nitong mga ‘to.
Q: Itong non-traditional campaigning. Anong ibig sabihin nito?
A: Halu-halo na. May internet, mayroon nga yung volunteer-driven. Meron yung volunteer-driven yung wala ho kayong pondo pano kayo malalagay, kung hindi ako magpapabili ng tarpaulin, hindi ako magpapagawa ng leaflet? Hindi ako mag-oorganize nung usapan sa baranggay. Ang laki ng menos sa gastos ko yun.
Q: Hindi ka gagawa ng ganon? Pa’no ka
A: Yung point dun ano, yung mga nag-vovolunteer sa amin ang gumagawa nun. Yung mga, example, batang-bata siya, sinulatan pa ‘ko, yung mga lahat ng tarpaulin sa harap ng bahay, ni isa dun hindi ako nagpagawa. Apat na grupo yata yun. Meron yung sa lahat ng pinupuntahan namin ganun. So, andun yung ano, ano bang drill nila? Kung magkakautang man ng loob, sa min na, which is better naman, mas majority pa rin naman ang pagkakautangan ko, di yung greatest good nga ang mahahabol natin.
Q: Yung funding? Alam natin na pera talaga ang umiiral dito sa eleksyon na ‘to.
A: Alin? Yung pera aspect na kailangan natin hindi katulad nung mga kalaban na from the first item to the last item, puro pera ang fuel. Sa amin ano, yung pag volunteerism nga talaga ang mangyayari at nagdadala. Pati itong mga ni-relief goods namin for that matter. Meron kaming ambag dun, pero ambag-ambagan nga ng concert, ang daming naki-ambag samin.
Q: Nagugulat ka ba?
A: Nandyan naman yata sa pagiging Pilipino yun. Di ba, para mabigyan mo lang, hindi sila Don Quixote, hindi empty gesture, hindi, alam mo, yung nasa kongreso kami, sabi ko kay Butch at one time, “Alam mo Butch okay na din sa kin yung moral victory. Pero kung paminsan-minsan nakakatikim rin tayo ng complete victory, hindi rin ako kokontra, ang hirap naman nito para bang baka wala talaga itong mapapala natin. Baka tayo na lang talaga ang nag-iisip na ganito.” O yung pinapakita ng tao, hindi marami pala kami.
Q: Anong greatest fear mo, Noy?
A: Well, ayoko sanang, yung mahirapan lalo yung mga kapatid ko, ginawang spring chicken kaming lahat. Yung dream nila ay talaga namang manahimik yung buhay naming lahat, yung failure na, di ba parang nandito yung hope? Cha-channel mo na’t concrete action. Ako result-oriented. Sana talaga may mapala. At yung tinatrabaho ko, talagang garantya, may mapala. Paano kung merong mga external factor na hindi makokompleto?
Q: Natatakot ka ba dahil sa karanasan ng Daddy mo, primarily?
A: Yung sa takot kasi, parang yung kaya kong gawin, gagawin ko. Itutulak ko sarili ko na paramihin pa yung kaya kong gawin. Pero klaro sa kin na hindi ko kaya yan lahat. Yung hindi ko kaya, isasuggest ko na. Isa-suggest kung para sa bayan paniniwala ko, siya nang bahalang magprovide ng kung anong kukulangin.
Q: Ang sabi mo kasi, you made a statement that you are the combination of your mom and dad. What particular traits can you tell us, why do you say combination?
A: Well, I start off kasi with the premise that they’re practically one. Tapos meron silang nuance na nagkakatalo siguro, if at all. Tatay ko kasi–
Q: –Are they alike? Yung daddy at mommy mo? Parang hindi.
A: Oo, pero yung paano yung pananaw, pa’no yung analysis, pa’no yung solutions, pa’no yung methodology? Pareho silang nagdadrive. Tatay ko siguro, as an example. One time I was top three in grade school. Top three, proud na proud ka, ipapakita mo yung report, etc, may reward ka nun. Sasabihin ng tatay ko, “Top three lang? Kelan yung two o one?” Nanay ko naman, “Good! Study ka pa, you can do better.” Para bang subtle. Yung, nuance talaga nagkakatalo. Tatay ko parang may desisyon, tapos parang sandali ha, lalabas nun parang collective decision. Sa nanay ko, talagang, baka talagang mas mahaba ang debate dahil talagang nag-gegenerate ng consensus. Yung tatay ko siguro talagang, yun nga, si “let’s go.” He always, he said something in effect na, he thought he’ll not have the time he would need to do everything that he wanted.
Q: Nagmamadali?
A: So, parating nagmamadali. Seven years old pa raw, nagdidiskurso na sa bahay nila sa Concepcion at nakikinig raw yung mga tao, according to my lola. But of course, my lola found in my dad a favorite son.
Q: Favorite siya.
A: Yung sa nanay ko naman, mas soft-spoken. Tatay ko bombang approach, pagsasalita. Nanay ko hindi. Parang yung dialogue daw ang approach. So, I’d want to make a combination of it. Kasi yung sa tatay ko parang nung puro pag tapusan na, “Ang galing-galing talagang magsalita ng tatay mo.” Ganun, di ba? Anong naalala natin? Tandaaan mo. Hindi ko na maalala ang pinag-uusapan nun. Basta ang naalala ko, ang galing niya. Sa akin naman, sana after mag-usap kayo, may maiwan ka na pag-isipan niya, baka makumbinsi mong tumulong sa ano sa parehong pananaw niyo. So how do you match both styles to achieve the results?
Q: What are the best things about your mom and dad that are in you?
A: Actually hindi ko masasabi sa kanila any time na they were driven by selfishness.
Q: Never?
A: Talagang it was always other people-oriented. And regardless of all the challenges that they had to overcome, parang that was so constant. Tapos my dad at a later point in his life, both of them had the strong faith that I mentioned. Yung when mom was sick, yung oft repeated line na, parang hindi ba, yung suffering ko, dedicated to the Lord, ‘no? Ako hindi ko kaya pa yung level noon. Tatay ko rin got to that point. When he was coming back home, there was a phone call precisely warning that there was an assassination plot already unfolding. At least, that’s our suspicion. He got a phone call, bumagsak na yung mukha niya, but he still went on, pushed through with that trip to go back home. Kasi, he felt that the people really had to have the last chance at a peaceful solution for our problem.
Q: Hindi niya sinabi sa inyo kung sino yung kausap niya
A: May dalawa siyang kasama niya nun, yung dalawa, hindi sinabihan. This was in Taiwan. Yun nga, sila nagkwento na bumagsak nga yung mukha after receiving that phone call. Tapos yun, yung sinundo siya sa eroplano, warning sa kanya si Senator Maceda nung sa Boston pa lang, kung enlisted lang ang susundo sayo, may planong masama yun, wag kang sasama. Lahat nga nung sumundo sa kanya, kumuha sa silya niya, puro enlisted. Lowest rank pa yung iba. Parang PFC, Airman First Class yata that time or Airman. One stripe lang dito.
Q: Alam niya?
A: Kinapa pa yung bulletproof vest, nanigurado kung nakavest. Bakit mo gagawin yun kung hindi mo naiisip? So tapos yung ano namin, siguro sabi love of people, love of country, love of God. Sa kin, he went so far as to think about the whole process. Bakit ba tama yung love of people, love of country, love of God. Yung kunwari, you’re a businessman, you want, di ba, an expanding market brings about plenty of opportunities for you. But if you are, if you look at our countrymen mainly as factors of production and keep them, parang, on survival wages, how does your market grow? So, umabot pa ko dun sa next step na yun, hindi lang dahil tinuro sa aking maganda yan, kundi kailangan nating debatehan yan logically. Pakita ko sa yo dati ‘to, tama rin ‘to. I am driven also, but at the same time, para bang importante sa kin yung consensus, walang pilitan, may choices, ‘no? Yung–
Q: Pwede ba yan sa pulitika?
A: Oo. Kung tama yung sinasabi mo. Palagay ko naman mas marami kang makukumbinse kaysa dyan. Palagay mahirap parin. Na-feel nilang nakontra sila. Now they decide, why is democracy good? You’re on opposite camps. I have some ideas, you have good points. You have parang completely opposite idea, but you also have good points. We meld both, we get the good points of each other, we have a better product than what we have coming in to the dialogue. Yun ang essence ng democracy, so why not do that? And I think, when they taught me humility, so I am humble enough to know and admit that I do not know everything. And since I know that I do not know everything, I seek to know that which I don’t know.
(Publication of the transcript was made possible by VERA Files trustee Booma Cruz, who is the general manager of Probe Productions.)