Comeback for Juan Ponce Enrile?

He can recite the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and he’s still a voracious reader, with Bob Woodward’s “Fear: Trump in the White House” his current book of choice.

In his work as a senator, he is a proud author of Republic Act 9522, defining the archipelagic baseline of the Philippines. But he’s unaware of the 2016 ruling of the UN-backed Permanent Arbitration Court in The Hague, which awarded the country “sovereign rights” over Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and Recto (Reed) Bank in the West Philippine Sea.

Juan Ponce Enrile also has no clear recollection of some of the things he recently told the only son of the dictator he helped oust.

Enrile looked impressively hale for his 94 years as he faced The Chiefs the other day on Cignal TV’s One News channel.

But he invoked the memory lapses of age when asked to clarify his declaration that no one was arrested or suffered human rights violations for their political or religious beliefs during the Marcos dictatorship.

“I do not remember. Did I say that? When?” JPE initially asked us, reminding himself aloud to be more careful with his “semantics” in public.

Told that there were video recordings of his statement, he remarked with a smile, “If I said that, I must have been in my un-lucid interval.”

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Enrile acknowledged that yes, people were arrested during martial law, on the strength of the dreaded ASSO or Arrest, Search and Seizure Orders that all bore his signature. And of course he remembers a number of those arrested, several of whom he says were his friends: Ramon Mitra Jr., Ninoy Aquino, Jovito Salonga, Jose “Pepe” Diokno, Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. He helped some of those arrested, JPE said, in various ways such as by trying to make their detention more comfortable.

Why was Pepe Diokno in jail for two years? Wasn’t that for political dissent? Enrile says he can’t recall: “My memory is failing me now.”

And yes, there were abuses. Enrile acknowledges that he authored Proclamation 1081, which imposed military rule, he said, “to quiet the society and prevent bloodshed.”

As martial law administrator, however, he says, “you cannot control everyone in the military… there are always aberrant people who do not follow rules.”

“I’m sorry for that. I have to apologize. It was not our intention to harm society. We wanted to protect society,” he told us.

Is the nation ready to forgive? The midterm elections in May 2019 will give the answer.

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Obviously, Enrile believes there are advantages to age: his experience in his various roles in government, and the perspective that comes only from having been in this planet longer than most of the rest of us.

He believes he can bring these assets to the Senate in tackling the immediate problem of inflation and what he considers as a looming energy scarcity. In retirement (and previous incarceration), he had a lot of time to ponder complex issues such as the proposed shift to federalism. Like President Duterte’s economic team, Enrile believes the country can’t afford the shift, particularly for a much expanded bureaucracy and legislature.

Enrile sent his comments on the matter to Duterte, then chief presidential aide Bong Go, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and “the majority floor leader” (I guess of the Senate). And then, believing that federalism would be a raging issue, Enrile decided to take his views directly to the people. And that, he told us, was why he filed his candidacy.

Some people wanted him to run for governor, but he considers local positions to be “very tedious” and he prefers to deal with policy decisions and global problems in a national post.

As for the human rights issues being raised against him, believe it or not, “I abhor anyone torturing anybody,” he told us. This, he said, stems from his torture, at age 17, at the hands of Japanese occupation forces during World War II when he joined the Hunters ROTC Guerrillas: “I know how it is to be tortured.”

The torture and age don’t seem to have left him with any considerable health impairment.

Enrile suffers from common age-related afflictions: weak eyesight and hearing. But he says his blood pressure hovers between a healthy 120-130 over 60-70, for which he takes maintenance medicine. He has few lines in his impressively smooth face; he swears it’s no thanks to dermatology and he denies undergoing stem cell therapy.

His impaired hearing and eyesight can be amplified by modern devices, he said, as he stressed, “The only thing that you cannot amplify is your brain.”

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For all his memory lapses, real or feigned, Enrile’s brain remains formidable. And this is what he is offering the electorate in May 2019.

How does a 94-year-old (turning 95 on Valentine’s Day 2019) mount a national campaign? He will visit radio stations, markets, cinemas, malls; his daughter Katrina will run his social media campaign, he said.

Enrile emphasizes that there are minimum ages set by law for various positions in government, but no age limit. He asked us: “Why should they deny me the same privilege to present myself to the people?”

While he is “a little bit weaker now” physically, he stressed that his mind is still strong enough for public service. “I am not forcing anybody to vote for me.”

If elected, he will be happy to serve again. If not? Enrile said he would gladly go back to swimming in his home province of Cagayan.

“It’s up to the people to judge us. It’s up to the people to decide,” he said.