‘Men of conviction’

Without aid of prepared speech, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) spoke endearingly to Cebuanos about the campaign promises he made before them in the last May 9, 2022 elections. In extemporaneous remarks last week, PBBM vowed to “pay back” the people of Cebu who mostly voted for him and vice presidential runningmate, former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. PBBM flew to Cebu to lead the ceremonial distribution of low-cost housing, and other government assistance, especially to disaster-stricken Cebuanos.

The Chief Executive especially thanked anew Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia for the victory of his UniTeam. The re-electionist Cebu Governor endorsed and campaigned for the Marcos-Duterte tandem. Candidates running in national elections rely much on Cebu’s votes to provide winning edge to a tight contest.

At the Kadiwa event, PBBM related to his audience his conversations with Gov. Garcia who reminded him: “Do you know that this is the first time that you have come back to Cebu since the election?” Citing he was “stunned” to hear Gov. Garcia’s reminder, PBBM told his audience: “Kasi parang kailan lang ay nandito tayo at nagkakampanya.”

“Kaya’t lagi kong iniisip (This is why I always have in mind) the support and the affection that I receive from you I have to pay back. And if it takes the rest of my life, I will happily spend the rest of my life paying it back to you,” PBBM vowed to the loud applause of his Cebuano audience.

Oops. What’s that again? Is he talking about extending his term of office?

Or, was he merely waxing sentimental about his glorious victory in Cebu because the program was held at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex in Mandaue City last Feb. 27? (It was my birthday that day. That, perhaps, kept me too preoccupied to notice it but realized a few days later what could be PBBM’s slip of the tongue.)

Because unless otherwise amended, the country’s 1987 Constitution, the President of the Philippines serves a fixed term of six years, with no re-election.

PBBM is supposedly nonchalant on the issue of amending the Constitution. So it could not be said he got excited at the reports reaching him that the renewed initiatives to undertake Charter change (Cha-cha) have been gaining grounds at the 19th Congress?

The President’s visit to Cebu came a day after the House of Representatives started the plenary debate at the floor on the proposed Joint Resolution No. 6 seeking an elected Constitutional Convention (Con-con) to carry out Cha-cha. One of the controversial amendments being pushed by politicians is the lifting of the term limits of elected officials.

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments and revisions of codes, sponsored on Tuesday night the proposed Joint Resolution to kick the ball rolling for Cha-cha. More than half of the Lower House were co-authors of the Joint Resolution. It included presidential first cousin Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez of Leyte, along with his wife Tingog party list Rep. Yedda and the President’s first-born son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos among the formidable supporters of Cha-cha.

PBBM’s reference to “paying back” his debts even it takes a lifetime to do it might just be a metaphorical expression of his eternal gratitude. Perhaps, he just got emotional after realizing his belated return visit to Cebu came eight months after he came into office.

Speaking about visit, PBBM welcomed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia who arrived here for a two-day official visit. President Marcos has given the visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar a copy of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal’s novel “Noli me Tangere, Tercera Edition 1909.” The two leaders exchanged gifts after their bilateral meeting in Malacañang last Wednesday.

“This is not only because I am happy to see a friend, whom we have come to admire greatly,” PBBM told his Malaysian counterpart in his toast remarks during the official dinner at Malacañang Palace.

From Malacañang, Prime Minister Anwar, along with his wife Azizah and their official delegation motored all the way to a “private” post-dinner reception tendered in his honor by long-time friend, former President Joseph Estrada. It was arranged by the ex-President’s son, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and held at the residence of the latter’s sister, Jackie Ejercito at Forbes in Makati City. “Great friends just pick up where they left off,” Sen. Jinggoy described the reunion of the two leaders who saw each other after a long while.

Mr. Anwar was jailed for nearly a decade after being convicted for sodomy and corruption from 1999 to 2018. When Mr. Estrada flew for a state visit in Malaysia, he clandestinely met with Anwar’s wife Azizah to the consternation of his host, then Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammad Mahathir. As deputy prime minister in Malaysia during that period, Anwar maintained the accusations against him were all politically motivated.

Following his ouster from Malacañang in Jan. 2001, Mr. Estrada also got detained and convicted by the anti-graft court on plunder charges. But in the case of Mr. Estrada, he was subsequently granted executive pardon.

Actually, Estrada first hosted “private dinner” to Anwar  in Sept. 2018. This was a few months after Anwar’s release from prison in Kuala Lumpur. Mr. Estrada was then the Mayor of Manila. Invited to Estrada’s family residence at Polk St. in Greenhills, San Juan City were the late former President Corazon Aquino who was escorted by her late son, then Senator Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III.

In his usual self-deprecating joke, Mr. Estrada shared an amusing observation of his special guests around the dinner table with him. Addressing himself to Mrs. Aquino, the actor-turned politician wisecracked: “You know, Madam President, your husband, the late Sen. Benigno (Ninoy) Aquino Jr., my dear friend here, Anwar, and I are all ex-convicts. We are ‘men of conviction.” But history eventually redeemed them all, though belatedly.