A quick tour into Berna’s heart

Tourism Sec. Berna Romulo-Puyat passes the ‘who, what, where, when, how’ test with flying colors

When Tourism Sec. Berna Romulo-Puyat was Agriculture Undersecretary, she visited seven tribes in Bukidnon and every one of them had distinct rituals. She was told that every part of a chicken has a meaning.

“The eyes stand for clarity,” Berna was telling some friends over lunch at the Florabel fine-dining restaurant in Estancia Mall, Pasig City. “If you eat the eyes, you will see your projects pushing through. Water means clarity and wine means maturity, and the feet means you can walk the talk. If you eat the heart of a chicken, magkakaroon ka ng love life. When they learned that I was a widow, they told me, ‘Kainin mo para magka-lovelife ka.’ And I did.”

She loves wearing clothes made of local fabric.

There was no signal in Bukidnon. But as soon as Berna returned to Manila, guess who was the first to text her, asking, “Are you free to go out?” Yes, Charlie Cojuangco!

Well, to make a story shorter, Berna, 49, and Charlie, 55, became an ”item” even if, according to Berna, “there was no ligawan at all.” They had dinner, just the two of them, and they found out that their friends must have set them up because they decided not to join them. They clicked. Charlie has two children (Claudia and Jaime) with his late wife Rio Diaz; while Berna also has two (by her late husband Dave Puyat), Maia (AB Psychology from Ateneo) and Vito who is graduating with a degree in B.S. Psychology from Newcastle University with First Class Honors, which is the highest possible grade classification a student can achieve in the UK. 

Now that she’s Tourism secretary, Berna is toying with the idea of organizing a “Singles Tour” in Bukidnon.

“Effective pala,” she laughed. “I had known Charlie long before that dinner and he’s very shy, an introvert, and that must be why it took time before he gathered enough guts to invite me out.”

During her oath-taking as Tourism Secretary in Malacañang with (from left) Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Sec. Bong Go, Berna’s dad Alberto Romulo, Pres. DU30, Berna’s mom Lovely Romulo and Berna’s daughter Maia.

To dig deeper into Berna’s heart, Conversations decided to make her take the “who, what, where, when, how” test…and she passed with flying colors!

Who

Who is your role model?

“My dad. He has been in government for so long and he has never been charged for corruption. He has kept his name clean. He always says, ‘Mabuting you end your government career na malinis kaysa maraming pera’.”

Who is your favorite saint?

“St. Bernadette. I was named after her.”

Who is the first person that you call when you have a problem?

“I belong to three Viber groups composed of friends from way back, among them Happy Ongpauco-Tiu and Lisa Gokongwei. They have been with me for a long time. They are the ones I call especially about problems of the heart. I don’t call my sister (Mons) kasi sesermonan lang niya ako, hehehe!!!”

Berna with her sweetheart Charlie Cojuangco

Who is your favorite author?

“The book I am reading now is called The Bucket List Philippines which was commissioned by former Tourism Sec. Mons Jimenez and executed by Jun Ventura. It features the different tourist spots and each chapter covers a specific interest in the Philippines such as animal encounters, outdoor adventures, surfing, kite-surfing, snorkeling and diving, heritage sites, popular festivals, local food items, unique tours and dream wedding spots. I told my staff, ’Yan ang pupuntahan natin every week’.”

Who do you consider your greatest teacher?

“My father. When I started working for government, he was the first to tell me, ‘You must have your own lawyer and your own accountants.’ I shouldn’t trust daw just one lawyer, dapat daw maraming abogado. He also reminded me, ‘Huwag ka sasama sa bidding.’ Example daw, if there are five bidders, ‘yung apat na matatalo will say na nalagyan ka.”

What

What is the last thing that you do before you go to sleep?

“Check my celfone for messages. I am OC (Obsessive-Compulsive). Hindi ako mapakali kapag mayroong unread messages. I answer all messages. I have two celfones, one Globe and one Smart.”

What is the first thing that you do as soon as you wake up?

“The same. Check my celfone for messages.”

What are in your bag?

“My two celfones, phone charger, lipstick and wallet.”

...with her children Vito (graduating with First Class Honors from a UK school) and Maia (AB Psychology from Ateneo)

What makes you mad?

“Corruption. It’s so irritating because it’s not your money. Kung pera mo, no problem; otherwise, if it’s not yours, masama! Like everybody else, kinakaltasan din ako ng tax…di ba ang laki ng tax? When you learn na napupunta lang sa bulsa ng isang corrupt official ang tax mo, di ba nakakairita?”

What are your most valuable possessions?

“Not material, but my children. When I was appointed DOT secretary, the first persons I called were my children…my daughter Maia. She said, ‘I’m happy for you!’ Otherwise, if she said, ‘Ma, huwag na!’ I would have had second thoughts, mapapa-isip ako.”  

Where

Where do you go to unwind?

“I’d rather stay home and sleep. Home is on Vicente Puyat Avenue (named after my dad-in-law) and my office is on Gil Puyat Avenue (named after my late husband’s lolo). Puyat talaga kaya palaging puyat, hehehe!!!”

Where do you go to take it easy?

“Happy’s home where we just eat and talk. Mahilig siya magluto, di ba? Masaya even if there are only four of us. (Happy owns and manages several restaurants including Pamana which has outlets in Tagaytay City and on Mother Ignacia St., at the back of ABS-CBN. — RFL) Ok ‘yan si Happy. Kahit 3 o’clock in the morning tawagan mo siya, kakausapin ka niya.”

Berna (seated, center) having a leisurely lunch at the Florabel fine dining restaurant in Estancia Mall, Pasig City, with Ethel Ramos (seated, left) and Dolor Guevarra (seated, right), and (back row, from left) Salve Asis, Berna’s sister Mons, Lolit Solis, Florabel Co-Yabut (who owns the restaurant), Your Conversationalist and ABS-CBN reporter Jorge Carino…

Where is your favorite hideaway?

“The Cordilleras. I love it there. Very serene. No disturbance kasi erratic or no signal at all. Ang ganda ng Rice Terraces! I often went there when I was Agriculture Undersecretary and spent time with the farmers. I enjoyed joining their rituals.”

Where in the Philippines is your favorite city?

“Baguio and Tagaytay.”

Where is your comfort zone?

“My home.”

When

When was the first time you were in love?

“The first time was with Dave. Biglaan ang pagkamatay niya in 2010. He was only 42. His brother died at 31, also of heart attack, only a month earlier.

“Of course, now I’m in love with Charlie. Naging kami in 2015, five years after Dave died. Did I have other suitors? Oh yes, mayroon! Charlie and I are perfect with each other. I am a widow and he is a widower.

“Charlie is secure with himself. Sometimes, nagkakamali ako and I would call him Dave. Wala siyang paki! Did you know that Rio’s crypt and Dave’s crypt at Mt. Carmel ay halos magkatabi? What a coincidence! Only three steps apart.”

When was the last time you were in love?

“Now…with my work! I remember what Tito Sonny (Dominguez, Finance Secretary, who was Dave’s lawyer) said as soon as I was appointed DOT secretary, ‘You are now in love with DOT.’ I said, ‘What DOT?’ I thought he was referring to a man. Then he said, ‘Don’t get married because you won’t have time for your spouse.’ Charlie doesn’t mind. He is very loyal. Maski hindi kami magkita ng 10 years, I know that loyal pa rin siya sa akin, hehehe!!!”

…with Alan Pineda of apl.de.ap

When did you realize that you were good for public service? (Berna has served as Deputy Cabinet Secretary at the office of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and undersecretary for the Department of Agriculture for close to 12 years under Presidents…PGMA, Noynoy Aquino and DU30.) 

“When I joined the Department of Agriculture, I was having fun. That was in 2006. You have to love your work so it won’t feel like work.”

When do you know that you have to fire an employee?

“Kapag hindi nakikinig. At kapag napatunayan kong corrupt.”

When are you most productive?

“At night. There are no calls, no text messages. That’s when I start to write.”

How

How do you deal with gossip?

“I ignore them. As long as people close to me and people that I love don’t believe the gossip, who cares? Usually, gossip-mongers are one and the same person; iba-iba lang ang password.”

How do you discipline employees?

“I don’t scream at them. I talk to them in private.”

…with Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

How do you discipline your children?

“I ground them when they were younger. Later, I would cut their credit cards.”

How is your typical day?

“As soon as I wake up, I check my celfone. Now, puro sa office ang work but I would like to visit every part of the country. How can I sell the Philippines if I don’t know the places? Sundays I spend with family.” 

How do you see the Philippines in, let’s say, five years?

“More progressive, more tourists. Now, most of the tourists come from, in that order, Korea, China, USA, Japan and Australia. I’m optimistic. We are opening more airports. I’m positive.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)