A trip with LAM

The First Lady, Liza Araneta Marcos, invited me and my group to join her plane trip to Masbate April 13, 2026 to grace the opening day of the 30th Masbate Rodeo Festival.

When it comes to generosity with her time, effort and heart, no one can perhaps beat the First Lady. LAM is extraordinarily sincere, warm and gracious.

Her inviting us in the presidential plane, said Bulletin editor Chino Leyco, was an unusual move. She invited the press not just to tag along, but to sit in the presidential cabin for the whole flight, a level of access you dont typically see from her office.

With Masbate icon Maloli Espinosa Supnet, I, a northerner, helped convince LAM to fly to Masbate to boost the southern island province’s thriving cattle industry and its top tourism attraction, the rodeo. She agreed despite a super busy week. She was making preparations for the May 7 to 9, 2026 ASEAN summit hosted by President Marcos Jr. in Cebu, hold a huge Lab for All health care caravan launch in Taguig on Tuesday, April 14 and of course, celebrate her 33rd wedding anniversary out of town April 17. Last year, BBM flew to Masbate after a devastating typhoon.

Happy wedding anniversary, ma'am Liza and sir BBM. The President calls her my First and only lady,  loving partner, my forever Valentine, the heart of our home and the calm in the middle of everything. Enthused BBM on LAM's birthday in 2022, Words have already been said as to how valuable she is as a person and how remarkable she really is. Sometimes it's really hard to believe that she did me a favor by marrying me.

In its most recent cover story, BizNewsAsia reported on how LAM wields the soft power of the presidency. She harnesses her intellect, legal prowess, strategic thinking and considerable people skills to bring about transformation in many facets of the presidency and governance. Such as the renovation and restoration of Malacañang's physical assets, including toilets; the Teus, Goldenberg and Laperal mansions; the Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli (PBBM) river esplanade and redevelopment; diplomacy, the arts, local crafts, SMEs and inclusion. She does these things while being the fulcrum of stability and unity in the First Family and in the nation amid the gravest economic, political and geopolitical challenges.

As a lawyer, LAM is absolutely remarkable. She put up, twice, successful law firms. She has taught in seven law schools, a tedious and time-consuming passion, given her work as a First Lady. Her forte is litigation. Success in law requires intellectual rigor, discipline of hard work, problem solving skills and thoroughness with process and details. One must not only be a scholar in law, one must be a very good and a brilliant manager.

She finished her law in 1985 at the Ateneo de Manila University where she also completed her bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, in 1981. She took up postgraduate studies at New York University. She met Bongbong Marcos in New York in 1989. They got married at the San Francesco Convent in Fiesole, Italy, on April 17, 1993.

As wife, LAM is extremely supportive of Bongbong, but adds, I am mataray (sassy). They have three sons, Sandro, 32, the House majority leader; Simon, 30, and Vinny, 28.

Writes Chino in the Bulletin Business Section about the Masbate event:

“The trip kicked off at the Maharlika Hangar in Villamor Airbase. Since the President took office, the First Lady has made renovating this hangar a priority. It now serves as the official terminal for the First Family, which lets them skip the public crowds at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) entirely.

“Marichu Villanueva, the associate editor of The Philippine STAR and a long-time Malacañang reporter, noticed the change immediately. She remembered it as a basic, small structure with almost no security tech. Today, it feels like a boutique international airport, fitted with X-ray machines, immigration desks and dedicated lounges for staff, media and security.

“About 15 minutes before takeoff, the President’s son, Vinny Marcos, showed up in a simple blue polo. Despite who he is, he skipped the VIP section and waited with the media for his mother. A crew member mentioned that Vinny actually prefers sitting at the back of the C-295M with his friends. He even boarded through the rear cargo ramp instead of the main door his parents use.

“The First Lady was the last to board, dressed for a day out in a native Filipino shirt, jeans and sneakers. One of her first moves was to walk to the back of the plane to hand out cowboy hats she brought for Vinny and his group.

“When Lopez suggested Vinny move to the front cabin with the  VIPs, the First Lady declined, saying her son was perfectly happy where he was.

“The First Lady explained that using public terminals in the past required massive security presence that frustrated regular travelers and delayed flights. Moving to the hangar was a way to stop that disruption. The renovation also turned up some strange remnants of the old building. She described a few ‘weird’ finds, including a bedroom where the walls and ceiling were entirely covered in mirrors. She wondered out loud why a bedroom was even necessary in a transit point.

“The mood stayed casual. The First Lady talked about the President’s schedule and brushed off the wild rumors that circulate online.

“She laughed at recent ‘death rumors’ about her husband, noting that for people who want to believe the worst, no amount of ‘proof of life’ will ever be enough.

“At cruising altitude, she pulled a bag of V-Cut chips from a basket and passed snacks around the cabin for everyone to share.

“Between snacks, she opened a MacBook in a custom shade of blue you won't find in an Apple Store. She had it finished in actual car paint after seeing a friend do the same with an iPhone.”

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