Senator Juan Flavier: THE doctor IS STILL in

"Very humbling and surprising." Re-elected Sen. Juan Flavier thus described the results of the latest senatorial elections, where he placed second overall–next only to broadcaster and subdivision neighbor Noli de Castro–but topnotcher for the administration People Power Coalition.

STARweek caught up with the diminutive senator, prolific author and unofficial Senate resident physician at his home in Tierra Pura Subdivision in Tandang Sora, just three days after Filipino voters elected him unanimously to the Senate for another six-year term.

Flavier, who turns 66 in June, was catching up on his sleep after the hectic campaign as well as making up for lost time with his grandchildren, one of whom was just hovering around, the infant son of his only daughter Joy with Today writer Robby Alampay. He also sounded excited over the latest declaration of the World Health Organization that the Philippines, which has not registered a single polio case in the last five years, is finally polio-free.

Basking in the afterglow of certain victory, the Baguio-raised senator said it was a candidate’s "moral obligation" to help clean the country of election-related junk.

Some takes of that afternoon conversation, over juice and crackers, and the doctor’s famous bedside manner very much in evidence:

How do you feel now that it’s all over but the counting and you’re safely ensconced in the upper rungs?

As of today, it was a very humbling and surprising result. Ang daming malalakas na kandidato who really pooled all their resources. Nakikita mo naman sa mga poster na lang wala akong maibuga. Kaya yung last few weeks, sabi ng mga kaibigan ko, aping-api na tayo, maglagay naman tayo (ng bagong poster).

Kaya it was very humbling and surprising to land number 2. Buti nga ngayon nakakatulog ako, hindi katulad ng mga nasa borderline, very fluid yan, eh. In 1995 I was number 5. Kaya nga it was surprising because the phenomenon was that usually you do well in one election, and in the next, hindi mo na ma-equal, bumababa ka. Pero ito hindi, five ako noon at ngayon number two. Noli is unbeatable, he is a phenomenon by himself. I already got more than I bargained for.

You will be sitting in the same chamber as De Castro and holdovers like Ramon Revilla, Tito Sotto.

You know, for all the banter about people like Ramon Revilla there, may contribution rin yan, e. Kaya for Noli, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and I hope he will learn very quickly. Ganyan naman, it’s a learning process, it’s the best university there is. Plus ako, ang attitude ko sa newcomers, I like to help them, to serve like an older brother and a tutor of sorts. Ganyan ang gusto kong ginagawa, e. Everyone is teachable and they become useful in their own way. The others, sanay na ako, e. Holdover si (Gregorio) Honasan... of course bago si Ping (Lacson). I generally get along well with people.

Who would you consider your mentor when you were starting out in the Senate?

Most of them. People like for example Ernie Maceda was very helpful to me. (Juan Ponce) Enrile also was very helpful. Tapos sila (Raul) Roco, Bert Romulo, Neptali Gonzalez, Orly Mercado...who are all giants in their own right. Of course (Teofisto) Guingona was also very helpful.

Do you think the Filipino electorate has matured, or do they rely more on popularity than on track record and program of government?

In some ways the Filipino voter has matured; but I think they are still also affected by popularity, name recall ...as exemplified by Noli de Castro. When you come down to it, his 15 years of broadcasting brought to bear in his phenomenal showing. And I like to think that when people like the (former) First Lady (Loi Ejercito) seems to be able to make it, na-carryover yung kanyang ginawa na mga medical mission. And partly sympathy votes. In that sense we have not matured as yet.

But from a relative basis, from ’92, ’95 to ’98 and now, I think there are a growing number of voters who are much more discerning, more platform oriented, achievement focused.

As a non-trapo, what’s your view of the recent political upheavals, both EDSA II–which you did not attend–and III?

There was a big difference, e. Itong sa II, there was an element of outrage because of what happened in the impeachment. Yung hindi binuksan yung second envelope, there was an outpouring of emotional outrage. Yung EDSA III, medyo hindi ko mahawakan yung causa. There was rage, but the cause, kung ano yung pinaglalaban, ay medyo na-subsume to the issue of poverty...and "inapi kami"–tinatawag niyo kaming unwashed, mahihirap, minamata niyo kami–parang yon ang lumabas e. Which could not be consistent with an EDSA II type of demonstration. But it happened, and I was very aghast and very surprised by the violence which can be partly explained by the heavy use of liquor and, if reports are to be believed, some amount of drug use. But behind that is the rage due to...alam mo tayo, ayaw nating inaapi at minamata tayo e. That was the main difference.

I personally don’t join in those things because I’m an asthmatic. If there is good reason, I have no problem attending every now and then, but I have to be careful about my health. Two, attendance there doesn’t prove anything. Sabi ko nga, magpunta ka ro’n makakasalubong mo puro balimbing at saging. Balimbing, yung nagfli-flip-flop. Saging, yung madudulas na tao na hindi mo halata nakalusot na pala. The bottom line is hindi ako mahilig sa ganon.

You’re in a sort of crossroads now, with six years as senator behind you, and another six before you. Can you tell us how much you feel you’ve been able to accomplish and how much more you can do?

I was asked several times during the campaign: Bakit mo gustong bumalik sa Senado? I’ve been a conscientious legislator. Six years yan, wala akong absent, wala akong late, at saka hindi ako nagka-cut classes. Nandoon ako, hindi ako umaalis hanggang mag-adjourn, 8 or 9 (p.m.). If that is not a sign of conscientiousness, I don’t know what is. Are you substantive, that’s another question. Let me put it this way: In the 11th Congress, you can check the record, Senate Bill No. 1 consecutively up to No. 134, ako ang author. People are surprised that I have economic bills, development bills... Now of that 134, only 13 have passed, including the so-called Clean Air Act, the Solid Waste Management Act and 11 others. That means 121 have not passed. I want a second mandate to be able to pass the 121.

Then they tell me can you give us an example what kind of bills you are interested in pursuing. I’m very interested in the P10 billion bill in order to repair and modernize the provincial hospitals. In fact that’s Senate Bill No. 1. It’s a hard bill to pass, but that’s my interest. Very inadequate ang kanilang equipment, I don’t know if you’ve had the chance to go around. Very antiquated, but that’s a simplistic way of putting it. The bill reached the finance committee, but we have a big deficit, so hindi mapa-andar....

Pero yung mga iba, gaya nung No Smoking Bill ko, nai-pass ko sa Senate. Pero hindi umandar sa Lower House. Yung Countervailing Act to protect our imports, nakapasa, Seat Belt Act, nakapasa. The Generic Act was passed when I was Secretary of Health, so we helped write that, also the health insurance act. Pero yung nai-pass ko yung traditional and alternative medicine act –ako yung author and sponsor–which recognizes herbal medicine and acupuncture. Maraming mga health bills. Gaya ng Food Fortification Act which would require the addition in three years of iron, vitamin E and iodine in the four staple foods: rice, flour, sugar and cooking oil. Nai-pass yun, ako ang author and sponsor nu’n.

Interesado pa rin ako sa No Smoking Bill, Senate Bill No. 3, nai-pass ko pero hindi umubra sa House. Then we have the Land Use Act which should rationalize...kung ano ang magiging residential, industrial, commercial... Wala pa, e. That’s also my bill. This is part of the 121 bills that I want to push. Also the anti-political dynasty ... naku, mukhang mahihirapan ako riyan at papatayin ako ng mga kasamahan ko!

Looking back on the impeachment trial, do you think all the recent political upheavals could have been avoided if the second envelope had been opened and the process allowed to continue?

Ang basa ko run e, the non-opening of the envelope only hastened the emotional factor. Pero kung lumabas yun at nakita ang data na alam na natin na nandon, aba that’s very strong evidence against (former President Joseph) Estrada. So if he was impeached, the case would in effect go to the Sandiganbayan, which is happening now. Napabilis at nagkaroon ng question mark, like hindi nabigyan ng pagkakataon yung side ni Estrada, but that’s neither here nor there because in the courts now, he will be given a chance to be heard.

What do you do in your spare time ... I heard your son’s a diver.

I’m not an avid diver. The part I enjoyed most in our visit to him in Palawan was being with the children and grandchildren, so we had fun. What I do mostly is I read and write. I’m not a trained writer, but my hobby is writing parables. People ask me why are you always on the Senate floor, what do you do when you get bored? Sabi ko I’m writing parables.

But I do a lot of my writing in the morning. Pag-gising ko, usually nag-e-exercise ako sa stationary bike, mga 15 to 20 minutes. Then I go through the voluminous documents on the Senate bills. I also do a lot of reading and writing in the car. I’m a compulsive letter-writer, and I answer all my mail personally, around 30 to 60 letters a day.