'Sobrang lungkot ang pagkawala ni Sir': PNoy in the eyes of his yaya, driver
MANILA, Philippines — For Yaya Yolly and "brother" Nory, the late former President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III was more than the larger-than-life figure who continued his family's uncanny role in Philippine politics.
He was simply the one who casually joked about who should get married first between him and his yaya of 30 years and the boss who Nory drove around town since his college days.
Yolanda "Yolly" Yebes had been with Aquino as part of his staff since she was about 27 years old.
In several stories that came out after the former president's death, Yebes had been described as someone Aquino was fond of. He would joke about him getting married first before she does. He is also a fan of her cooking.
In the radio program of Vice President Leni Robredo on dzXL, Yebes described her former boss as "very kind" and "hindi palautos."
“Si sir sa bahay iyong talagang nag-uusap kami kung ano iyong gusto niya. Napakabait. Iyong hindi siya palautos talaga. Kung ano lang po ‘yung mga sinasabi niya, iyon iyong sinusunod ko,” Yebes said.
She stayed with him and did not go back to her hometown in Tarlac during the quarantine.
"Ang sakit po. Ang sakit po talaga kasi parang siya na po iyong naging pamilya ko. Magmula po noong pandemic hindi po ako umuwi sa amin talagang iyong inaalala ko po na baka mahawaan siya, na maanuhan ng sakit talagang hindi po ako umuwi. Kahit iyong mga kapatid sabi nila OK lang na ako makauwi kaso sabi ko inaalala ko si sir. Iyon po naintindihan naman po nila iyon sa amin,” Yebes told Robredo in her weekly show.
Nory Mariano, meanwhile, shared that Aquino called him "brother." He started driving for PNoy when the former president was still a freshman at the Ateneo de Manila University.
In the article by Bum Tenorio published in the June 25 issue of The STAR, Mariano shared anecdotes about his former boss.
“Sobrang lungkot ang pagkawala ni Sir. Sa katunayan, ang tawag niya sa akin ay ‘brother.’ Ang turing niya sa akin ay kapatid. Araw-araw kaming magkasama,” he said.
He also shared about how Aquino still had the energy to find humor amid a life-and-death situation. He recalled how Aquino was seriously wounded from the ambush during a coup in 1987.
A bloody-faced Noynoy asked him to wipe his face. Out of panic, Nory grabbed a piece of cloth without checking what it was for.
“Dumating siya sa Arlegui. Ibinaba siya sa tangke. Buhat-buhat siya. Sa kusina siya idinaan. Puno ng dugo ang mukha niya. ‘Pakipunasan mo naman ako,’ sabi n’ya sa akin. Sa taranta ko, may nadampot akong basahan, iyon ang pinampunas ko sa mukha n’ya. Binabanlawan ko ang basahan pagkatapos kong punasan ang dugo sa mukha n’ya. Noong pangatlong banlaw ko, sinangga na niya ang kamay ko. ‘Brother, palitan mo na ang pamunas. Malansa',” recalled Nory.
The former president had the lodged bullet on his neck throughout his life.
Nory was also a recipient of the former president's kindness. When Aquino was serving his term from 2010 to 2016 and residing in Malacanang, he allowed Nory and his family to live in the Aquino's residential house in Times Street in Quezon City.
“Sa totoo lang, ang turing na kasi nila sa akin ay pamilya. Noong president siya, pinatira n’ya ‘yung pamilya ko sa Times. Anim kaming miyembro ng pamilya ko na nakatira sa Times. Asawa ko, mga anak ko. Pati 'yung nag-a-alaga sa apo ko, doon na rin pinatira ni Sir,” Mariano shared.
Passing of a dear boss
On the night of June 23, Yolly prepared Aquino's favorite Crispy Pata and Sisig Plus Burger for dinner. Her boss told her he would just call for her if he was ready to eat.
When he did not call for her, she checked on him at midnight and found him sleeping. She said that she does not disturb him whenever he is sleeping because it is his only time to rest. She left instructions to his security staff to wake her up when Aquino called for her.
She woke up at 5:45 a.m. and asked the security staff if her boss called for her. They said he did not. She shared there's a button in Aquino's room that he uses to call for her.
Nervousness kicked in and she called for the staff nurse to check up on their boss.
“Tapos iyong nurse na iyong nagpunta sa kwarto kasi sabi ko parang iba iyong tingin ko kay sir pero nasa La-Z-Boy pa rin po siya,” Yebes said.
Later that morning of June 24, it was announced that the former president passed away due to renal failure secondary to diabetes.
Along with PNoy's sisters, Yebes and Mariano were among those who blessed holy water on the late president's casket to say goodbye to him before he was cremated. The country might have lost one of its presidents, but for Yaya Yolly and Brother Nory, they lost so much more — a compassionate boss, a dear friend.
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