Moving on

On the eve of the start of the official campaign period for candidates running in the coming May 9 national election, doctors reluctantly discharged Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. from his hospital confinement. The senator was downed by pneumonia and was advised to rest some more.

Against his doctors’ advice, Marcos got out and proceeded directly to his scheduled activities that were postponed and reset when he fell ill. One of which was his roundtable discussion with The Philippine STAR editors, columnists and reporters last Monday.

So when Marcos came to The STAR office fresh from a bout with pneumonia, I warned him we’re going to the other building where our conference hall – the venue for our roundtable discussion – is located at the fourth floor. I cautioned him and practically nagged the senator to slow down as we walked from the lobby to the second floor. Marcos though kept walking briskly in red Sperry shoes while I tried to keep pace with him.

Marcos is running for vice president in the coming May election in tandem with fellow Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago as his presidential standard-bearer. Although in remission from lung cancer, Santiago flew with Marcos yesterday to Batac, Ilocos Norte for their proclamation rally to signal the start of the official campaign all over the country.

At the hometown of the Marcoses, the feisty Sen.Santiago delivered a very ominous brief address as she offered self to the presidency.

In case “something happens to her,” Santiago pointed to Marcos “as the next president of the country.” That is, if they both win in the election. The fatalistic Santiago declared: “The country needs a young idealistic leader who will take over the reins of government should I be elected and something happens to me.”

Of course, Santiago was merely being true to herself as lawyer and self-styled constitutional expert. The country’s 1987 Constitution provided for that succession rule for the Vice President to take over in case of death, incapacity or impeachment of the sitting President.

Morbid as it may sound, I asked the same question to Marcos in our roundtable discussion even before Santiago suggested this. But Marcos parried the question, saying he can work with any president who may be elected into office. He named and qualified his answer for each of the four other presidential bets.

“Secretary Mar Roxas is the cousin of my wife; Vice President Jejomar Binay and I are from the north; Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and I are good friends,” Marcos replied. Intentionally reserving for last for added humor: “And Senator Grace Poe is my sister,” Marcos added, guffawing at his own banter that ended with asthma-like coughing.

I mistook shortness of breath for my usual asthma attacks when I had pneumonia once. I had fever and chills in the afternoon and still feeling short of breath even after taking my anti-asthma inhaler. After one week hospital confinement in November 2014, I was ordered to rest for one week more to recuperate at home. But that was me.

Marcos, who placed second in recent surveys of Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS), vowed to keep his campaign on building up one’s self not at the expense of his rivals. Sen. Francis Escudero, running with presidentiable Sen.Grace Poe as independent candidates, consistently topped the VP mock polls in both surveys. Incidentally, Marcos noted, Escudero happens to be his wedding godson in the latter’s first marriage that was subsequently annulled.

Marcos is also running as independent candidate although he belongs to the Nacionalista Party. This is because two other NP members, namely Senate majority leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes IV, are also running as vice presidential candidates. So Marcos, Cayetano and Trillanes are all running as independents after their NP titular chieftain, former Senate president Manny Villar decided not to endorse any of them to keep their party intact.

Apart from being the eve of the official election period, it was also the 56th birthday of President Benigno “Noy” Aquino III. While they don’t see eye to eye on a number of national issues, Marcos still had good wishes for President Aquino on this special day.

Asked during The STAR roundtable if he had any birthday wish for President Aquino, Marcos gathered his thoughts for a while. Visibly trying to be careful with his words, Marcos echoed his hopes for P-Noy saying: “May he find himself a partner.”

“It’s not good to be alone at a certain age. That’s very depressing. I hope he finds himself somebody who could be with him and keep him company,” Marcos added. He is two years older than the bachelor President.

P-Noy’s being a bachelor has been one that has hounded him during his entire term in office. It has also become one of his favorite jokes in speeches at official and informal gatherings.

Marcos cited his own experience living alone for most of his life. The first time was when he was sent by his parents to United Kingdom to study. And after the January 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, the entire family fled out of the country following the ouster of ex-President Marcos from Malacañang Palace and were forced to self-exile abroad until the early 1990s.

Making a matter-of-fact statement, Marcos swore he knows what it is like to have no one to share his thoughts and experiences with. “Even if you are a loner, you still want a friend or at least someone you can talk to, a companion. Even if it’s just coming home after work and you want someone to talk to about the simple things,” he said.

The senator is married to Liza Araneta and they have three sons. Their eldest son, 21-year-old Sandro, is in UK also for study. In a light moment, Marcos revealed that one of his sons expressed interest to go into politics. His two other sons are 19-year-old Simon and 18-year-old Vincent. He stopped short though who among his three sons would follow the Marcos footsteps to politics.

As the nation prepares to observe the 30th EDSA People Power Revolution later this month, Marcos renewed his appeals for unity. Learning from the lessons of the past, he urged the Filipino people to get out of being stuck and help move on the nation. Marcos conceded it’s easier said than done.