TION

SP

T
RO

ALESSANDRA DE ROSSI
A N D H E R D E C L A R AT I O N O F I N D E P E N D E N C E

WHOS FUNDING WHO? THE PRESIDENTIABLES AND THE MONEY BEHIND THEM
RODRIGO DUTERTE MASTER OF SEDUCTION / THE TRANSFORMATION OF LENI ROBREDO
RAFFY ALUNANS WAR / ON THE ROAD WITH FPJ / CONFESSIONS OF DONALD TRUMPS BUTLER
PLUS! WHO WILL WIN THE ELECTIONS ACCORDING TO THE OCCULT

IA L

97

ELEC

EC

HE

APRIL 20

ROGUE MAGAZINE / 220 PESOS

s pri and a e
e ani a o el
ake ou back o ose lon a o vaca ons.
e re brin in summer me bliss. a s our promise
e

ani a o el ummer amp is us around

a uned.

   






e corner.

 
  

 


NES
MANILA-HOTEL

OM H

ISSUE 97

CONTENTS
Ap r i l 2 0 16

COVER STORY
72
THE JOYFUL
MYSTERIES OF
ALESSANDRA
DE ROSSI
Even while riding
the success of Hele
Sa Hiwagang Hapis,
Alessandra De Rossi
chooses not to rest on
her laurels. Philbert Dy
questions the belle of the
local independent film
scene about breaking
the mold of the typical
artista and the pursuit of
personalpassions.

2 A PR I L 2016

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARK NICDAO



ISSUE 97

CONTENTS
Ap r i l 2 0 16

FEATURES

82

106

PALM BEACH CONFIDENTIAL

Few people have greater access to the details
of Donald Trumps wants and needs than his
butler, Anthony Senecal, who has served the
controversial business mogul on his Mar-a-Lago
estate for decades. Through Senecals eyes, Jason
Horowitz probes the private life of the man
who may become, for better or worse, the next
President of the United States of America.

FATE OF THE NATION

Never mind data and debates. In order to engage
the implications of something as carnivalesque
as the Philippine 2016 elections, it only makes
sense to turn to something equally incredible:
the supernatural. Yvette Tan consults the cosmic
powers-that-be to determine, depending on
who becomes president, what possible futures lie
ahead of the nation.

88
HOW THE 1% WILL VOTE
Behind every successful politician is a grand
mass of machineriesmore often than not
in the form of the countrys richest and most
powerful businessmen. Nelson Navarro offers
a rundown on whos backing who this election
season, while Iris Gonzales reveals how the
interests of politics, big business, and the people
behind them, overlap.
4 A PR I L 2016

98
THE EVOLUTION OF
LENI ROBREDO
The beginning of Leni Robredos career in public
service was initially characterized by tragedy and
a lack of political support. Today, it seems the
majority of the nations populace have pledged
their love for the vice presidential hopeful,
giving her a runaway lead over her political
competitors. Paolo Enrico Melendez sheds light
on the narrative the Filipino people have come
to know her by.

112
ALL HIS TO GIVE
Raffy
ff Alunans return to public service after a
20-year-long absence from the political arena
was not met with a grand welcomethe
senatorial aspirant must grapple with the issue of
re-establishing his relevance. And yet, this does
not seem to deter him. Arianna Lim speaks to
the former DILG Secretary about his reasons for
diving into the political fray once more.

ISSUE 97

CONTENTS
Ap r i l 2 0 16

SECTIONS
15

37

49

63

AGENDA
The most expensive show Netflix
has ever spent money on tackles
the life and reign of Queen
Elizabeth II; Ernest Concepcions
art reflects an unshakable
motivation to constantly evolve;
Tapella highlights the strengths
of Spanish cuisine with the flavors
of foreign cultures; the campaign
materials of past presidents convey
how our nation has evolved
throughouthistory.

SPACE
The private spaces of historys
most feared totalitarian leaders are
reimagined through contemporary
interior design; the unique quality
of transparent furniture can
improve the ambience of any room;
the collection of Jean-Michel Frank
pieces released by Herms conveys
the designers lifelong search for
peace; the brilliance of multimedia
maverick Poul Henningsen lives on
in his light fixtures.

THE EYE
Louis Vuittons Americas Cup
collection of travel wear takes
inspiration from the nautical;
Senator and lawmaker Sonny
Angara shares how his personal life
shapes his political endeavors; the
recent proliferation of blue-face
watches have changed the game
for timepiece enthusiasts; Russian
designer Gosha Rubchinsky
combines high fashion with Soviet
Union iconography.

THE SLANT
Bibeth Orteza recalls her time
spent on Fernando Poe Jr.s 2004
campaign trail, and how she came
to know the man behind the
movie star; Victor Andres Manhit
assesses the advantages and pitfalls
of how social media has influenced
pre-election dialogue; Patrick
Paez dissects the unorthodox
rhetoric and charismatic prowess
of uncanny presidential candidate
Rodrigo Duterte.

6 A PR I L 2016

Editor in Chief PAOLO R. REYES

Design Director MIGUEL MARI

Creative Director MIGUEL LUGTU

Executive Editor CARMELA A. LOPA

Features Editor JEROME GOMEZ Managing Editor JACS T. SAMPAYAN

Design Editor DEVI DE VEYRA Editorial Assistant JAM PASCUAL
Copy Editor ARIANNA LIM Online Editor MIO BORROMEO
Editor at Large TEODORO LOCSIN, JR.

ART
Senior Designer PATRICK DIOKNO
Photographer at Large MARK NICDAO

Junior Designer CHESCA GAMBOA

Photographer STEVE TIRONA

Illustrator MENEER MARCELO

On the Cover
Alessandra de Rossi wears
Calvin Klein Collection
high-waisted trousers and
Dr. Martens leather boots
Photographed by Mark Nicdao
Styled by Patrick Galang
Makeup by Robbie Piera
Hair by Mark Familiara
Photographer Assisted by James
Bautista, Chris Soco, and Egoy
Digital Imaging by Carlo Sardes of
Mooo Digital Productions

Contributing Editors BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE, TRICKIE LOPA, TATS MANAHAN, NEAL OSHIMA, JJ YULO,
MICHELLE AYUYAO, JAMES GABRILLO, DON JAUCIAN, L.A. CONSING LOPEZ, NICOLA M. SEBASTIAN,
MANOLOTHO, TEDDY MONTELIBANO, GUTSY TUASON, MARTIN VALDES, MARITES VITUG
Contributing Writers PHILBERT DY, JASON HOROWITZ, GIAN LAO, DINDO MANHIT, PAOLO ENRICO MELENDEZ,
NELSON NAVARRO, NINEZ CACHO OLIVARES, BIBETH ORTEZA, PATRICK PAEZ, CARISSA POBRE, COCO
QUIZON, VINNY TAGLE, YVETTE TAN, MIXKAELA VILLALON
Contributing Photographers & Artists GILBERT DAROY, JL JAVIER, TIM LOPEZ, AT MACULANGAN,
DAN MATUTINA, ERIC THAYER
Interns BEA MARIANO, GIO MENDOZA, MARK SANTIAGO, ERIKA UY

PUBLISHING
Publisher VICKY F. MONTENEGRO / vicky.montenegro@roguemedia.ph
Associate Publisher ANI A. HIL A / ani.hila@roguemedia.ph
Senior Advertising Sales Director MINA GARA / mina.gara@roguemedia.ph
Account Manager VELU ACABADO
Advertising Traffic Officer & Production Coordinator MYRA CABALUNA
Marketing Associate SAMANTHA ANGELES
Associate Circulation Manager RAINIER S. BARIA
Circulation Supervisor MARK ROLAND LEAL

Unit 102, Building 2, OPVI Centre,

2295 Jannov Plaza, Pasong Tamo
Extension, Makati, 1231
Telephone: (+632) 729-7747
Telefax: (+632) 894-2676
Email: mail@roguemedia.ph
Online Presence:
Rogue.Ph
Facebook.com/rogue.magazine
Twitter: @rogueonline
Instagram: @rogueonline
Tablet version available at:
Zinio.com/Rogue
Official Internet Service Provider:

Circulation Assistant JERICO ALDANA

Dispatch Supervisors ERIC GARCIA, JIMUEL TATAD
Controller EDEN G. ARGONZA Credit & Collection Officer DODGIE OCAMPO
Finance Analyst JEMMALYN LUCERO
HR Supervisor SZERINAH ANN SAMULDE
Administrative Supervisor DEANNA GUEVARRA

For subscriptions, back issues, bulk

orders, and other circulation concerns
please contact : Rainier S. Baria at
(+632) 729-7747 and
rainier.baria@roguemedia.ph
ROGUE MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY, ELEVEN TIMES PER
YEAR. THE EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS OF THE MAGAZINE MAKE
NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES IN RELATION TO THE

This issue would not have been possible without the help of
ALEXI ALUNAN-SARMIENTO, ROBIN SARMIENTO, SEN. BAM AQUINO, TIMI AQUINO, RAPA LOPA, PIA OJEDA,

ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THE

ADVERTISEMENTS, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES ADVERTISED IN
THIS EDITION. OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE
SOLELY THOSE OF THE AUTHORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY
REFLECT THE VIEWS OF ROGUE MAGAZINE. THIS MAGAZINE

BIEN BAUTISTA, RICKYCARANDANG, FRANCIS LOUIE ESQUIVEL, HEART EVANGELISTA, RYAN FAUSTINO, RAFFY
OCAMPO, PATRICK PAEZ, MARY REYES OF LOUIS VUITTON

IS FULLY PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT, AND NO PART OF THIS

MAGAZINE MAY BE USED OR REPRODUCED IN ANY MANNER
WHATSOEVER WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE
EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS.

THE EDITORS NOTE

ISSUE 97

Ap r i l 2 0 16

The Lost Mar Roxas Interview

I love my mother. One of the last things my
father told me before he died was:Do not cause
your mother to shed a tear. Which is not to say
that you dont discuss, you dont argue, you dont
have your own point of view. I think my mothers
ambitions and dreams for me are the same as any
mothers ambitions and dreams for her children.
Within 24 hours, I saw my father go from being a political celebritysenator, head of the
opposition, possible President after Marcos
to becoming jobless. Before, he would go to golf
clubs and everybody would want to play with
him.Then during Martial Law, nobody wanted to
talk to him. He made phone calls, but they were
not returned. People shunned him. I was in high
school. I saw that. But I also saw how he never
gave in. He never bought in to what Marcos was
selling, whatever the cost was. I respect him for
that, and I aspire to be as strong as him.
When Marcos declared snap elections in 1986,
I was watching it on TV like most Filipino
expatriates in New York. The very next day, I
went to my managing director and told him that
I wanted to take a leave of absence to work in
Cory Aquinos campaign. So there I was at the
JFK airport on a cold and snowy December 26,
wearing an overcoat, scarf, gloves. By December
31, I was already at the Iloilo airporthot, dusty,
and in summer wear. I stayed for the duration of
the campaign. I was here during EDSA.
My experience in Wharton transformed me
into somebody who is much more serious about
things and less happy-go-lucky. My classmates
were very driven, very focused, and very clear as
to what their goals were and how they were going to go about attaining them. It was not just
passing school. Their goal-setting included the
job, the lifestyle, the city, and the house they
were going to live in.

10 A PR I L 2016

When I was very young, I was, in Visayan,

upod-upod, sama-sama, of my maternal grandfather J. Amado Araneta. So I saw Farmers Market
and Ali Mall being built. I was the one who was
carrying his attach case, who was driving him
around, his all-around messenger.
My first successes, my first taste of victories as a
professional were in the business world. The experience of standing up on the stage and waving,
the satisfaction from that is of recent vintage. So
its not something that I thirst for. I told myself I
would work in the private sector until I am 50 or
55. Then near my retirement, I would do something for our country. That was my plan.
The walk away concept is an important part of
my character. If you dont like the situation, then
walk away. Thats your ultimate safety net, especially when it comes to ethical issues. When you
dont like something, walk away.
Being a congressman, secretary, senator
these are all just titles, these are just jobs. You
cant take these titles too seriously. Otherwise
youll get all screwy. When I was a congressman, I
never used the number 8 license plate.And now as
a senator, I never use number 7. All of a sudden, I
would enter a building and be called Honorable.
I mean, you have to take this tongue in cheek.
Now the conversation in my table is respectful,
stitled, formal. Your friends and the halakhakan is
actually happening in another table, and that is
where you want to sitbut sadly, you cannot.

Paolo R. Reyess
P
Editor in Chief

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK NICDAO

ne of my favorite photographs from

the Roguee archives is a candid portrait of presidential aspirant Manuel
Araneta Roxas II in the prime of his
youth: hands on the steering wheel, careening
down a wooded highway in Capiz, a pair of sunglasses on his wind-swept face.
I first published this photo in the seventh issue of Rogue, where we interviewed then-Senator
Roxas for the magazines first major political
profile, The Road to Malacaang, in February
2008. Thanks to the actress we had put on the
cover, and a controversial centerfold of a TV anchor inside the magazine, that issue was hoarded
by a few groups and hardly saw the light of day.
Thus, with your indulgence, allow me to run
a few excerpts from this relatively lost Mar
Roxas interview, which took place in December
of 2007the fateful year when Roxas finally took
leadership of the Liberal Party and first set his
eyes on the presidency.

santonishoes.com

SANTONI BOUTIQUE
Shangri-La Plaza East Wing | Ph. +632 654 4610
Shangri-La at the Fort

MONTENAPOLEONE
Newport Mall (Resorts World Manila)
Ph. +632 831 9807

ISSUE 97

THE GUEST LIST

Ap r i l 2 0 16

Bibeth Orteza is
an activist, cancer
survivor, member
of the MTRCB,
and ardent student
of history. She has
Nelson Navarro
written two booksis
began his journalism
currently working on
her thirdand has
career with Graphic
magazine in 1968. He
written screenplays
co-founded the antiand teleplays. She
won Best Supporting
Martial Law Ningas
magazine and later
Actress in the New
served as a columnist
Wave Category for
for major broadsheets
Toto in the 2015 Metro
and as co-anchor on
Manila Film Festival.
ABS-CBN and GMA. Wife to Carlitos,
He is an author of 11
mother of Aya
books, including the
andRafa.
biography of legendary
journalist Max Soliven.

12 A PR I L 2016

Yvette Tan is best

known for her work
in fantasy and horror,
for which she has won
numerous awards. She
also writes non-fiction,
focusing on food,
travel, and personality
profiles. Follow her on
twitter and Instagram
@yvette_tan and check
out yvettetan.com for
more of her work.

Paolo Enrico
Melendez is an
awarded writer known
for his satirical short
fiction. He is from
Tanauan, Batangas.
For this issue, he writes
about the narrative,
campaign, and cultural
significance of Vice
Presidential candidate
Leni Robredo.

Patrick Paez is
the head of news
production at TV5 and
oversees the online
show Kontrabando.
His latest program
conception is what
he calls a weekend
newscast in the form
of a quiz/gag show
called Barangay
Utakan. Before turning
network executive,
Paez was a field guy
covering politics,
disasters, and the
fighting in Mindanao
and Afghanistan.

JL Javier is a freelance
photographer. He
graduated with a
degree in Information
Design from Ateneo
de Manila University.
He primarily takes
portraits, but also
likes to shoot fashion
and travel. His
inspirations include
the photography of
Richard Avedon,
the paintings of
Rembrandt, and his
dog Jeffrey.

Jason Horowitz has

worked as a writer
and political reporter
for The Observer, The
Washington Post, and
The New York Times.
Beyond the private
life of Donald Trump,
Horowitz has been
covering the US
campaign trail.

Eric Thayer is a visual

journalist based in
New York. As a regular
contributor to The New
York Times, Getty, The
Wall Street Journal,
Sports Illustrated, and
Reuters, he has years
of experience covering
two presidential
campaigns and is
working on a project
focused on the USMexico border.

BEST-SELLING
COMPACT PASSENGER CAR
FOR 2015

Excite your drive with the Corolla Altis. With cutting-edge styling, a longer wheel base for a more spacious cabin,
Dual VVT-i matched with 7-speed CVT for excellent driving performance, the Corolla Altis will set your heart pounding.

OW

FU DU

VVT i ENG NE

CUTTING EDGE STY ING

UXUR OUS NT RIOR

NEW 7 S E D CVT

ASC Ref. No. T105P101514T

CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER HOTLINE (CAC): (02) 819-2912

www.toyota.com.ph

Ap r i l 2 0 16

E DI T E D BY

JAM PASCUAL

AGENDA
F O O D + E N T E R TA I N M E N T + C U L T U R E + T R AV E L

Making waves as the most expensive show Netflix has ever produced,
StephenDaldrysTheCrownpromises to be a drama of royal proportions
WORDS BY VINNY TAGLE

ISSUE NO.

97

AGENDA TELEVISION

IF THERES ANYTHING the Hillary Clinton

campaign has shown us, its that until now, female
leaders dont have it easy. Even when theyre
ahead of the pack, theyre subjected to immense
scrutiny and criticism, with the public and their
political opponents examining everything, from
their personal lives as mothers and wives right
down to the cadence of theirspeech.
Queen Elizabeth IIs ascension to the throne
is a contemporary example of a woman taking
charge of her nation at a politically charged
time. Netflixs new show The Crown is based on
her early days as the new queen with Claire Foy
(Wolf Hall) playing her and Matt Smith (Doctor
Who) as her husband Philip. Based on Peter
Morgans play The Audience and with a budget
of a whopping $156 million, the show recreates
Elizabeths reign as a young lady, navigating both
the politics of her country and her bedroom.
Its one thing to have the trappings of power
but another thing to wield it, and The Crown
recreates the challenges she faced to cement her
place in history. In some of the shows juiciest
scenes, Smith acts out the insecurities and
apprehensions of Philip, being married to the
most powerful woman in the country. Are you
my wife or my queen? he asks her, to which she
replies, I am both. Not everything is in order

Based on Peter Morgans

The Audience and with a
budget of $156 million, it
recreates Elizabeths reign
as a young lady, navigating
both the politics of her
country and her bedroom.
PORTRAIT
OF AN ERA
Since The Crown revolves
around the life and reign of Queen
Elizabeth IIand the rest of the
royal familythe shows plot
stretches itself across generations
WORDS BY JAM PASCUAL

16 A PR I L 2016

with the royal family, and their marital turmoil

threatens to derail her rise to power.
But the bigger struggle she fought was against
certain members of the prevailing political
establishment. Following a string of male
monarchs since the death of Victoria, Queen
Elizabeth took the reins of her country right
when the purpose of the crown itself was being
questioned by Winston Churchill, played here by
John Lithgow. With the British Empire waning
after the Second World War, her role in the
modern world was under question, leaving it up
to her to prove her place in BuckinghamPalace.
With Stephen Daldry (The Queen) directing
this show and Peter Morgan behind its creation
and writing, The Crown promises to be an
intriguing and engaging period drama.
ROYAL PAINS

From top: Claire Foy and Matt Smith play

Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, respectively;
tensions rise between the two as the Queen
navigates her dual role of wife and amonarch.

1965

1977

1982

1997

2000

2015

The
Conservative
Party of the UK
creates a formal
election process
for electing
prime ministers
into parliament
without the
involvement of
the Queen.

The United
Kingdom
celebrates the
Silver Jubilee
of the Queen,
marking 25 years
as a sovereign.
The whole
nation celebrates
with street
parties and a
public holiday.

Prince William,
Duke of
Cambridge, is
born. Prince
William is the
son of Charles,
Prince of Wales,
and is currently
second in line
for the throne
after his father.

Princess Diana,
rst wife of
Charles, Prince
of Wales, is killed
in a car crash.
Her funeral
broadcast holds
the record of
being one of the
most watched
events in British
television.

This year marks

the death of
two members
of the royal
family: Princess
Margaret
and Queen
Elizabeth the
QueenMother.

The Queen
is officially
recognized
as historys
longest-reigning
British monarch
on September
9, surpassing
Queen Victoria,
who ruled from
June 1837 to
January 1901.

THE CROWN IS SCHEDULED TO PREMIERE ON NETFLIX LATE 2016.


  
 
  






   

    
 
   
Presented by

AGENDA FOOD

DOWN TO
THE BONE
Chef Akrame Benallal,
armed with two Michelin
stars and a knowledge of all
things meat, brings his take
on French cuisine to Manila
withAtelierVivanda
WORDS BY JJ YULO
PHOTOS BY PATRICK DIOKNO

18 A PR I L 2016

IMPECCABLY GROOMED AND sporting a

jacket with silver embellishments coolly
thrown over a T-shirt (a look that, when
done wrong, hearkens back to 1980s Miami
Vice), Akrame Benallal, chef and owner
of Atelier Vivanda, might come off
as a frivolous sort of food person,
at least at first glance. You know
the kindthe ones who care
more about their celebrit
than if their slab of beef is
cookedperfectly.
And certainly his oft-quoted
philosophy of equating his menus
to fashion lines canand probably
willraise eyebrows amongst the cattier set
of food enthusiasts. In an article by Tracey
Furniss in Good Eating, Benallal says his
food is like a collection. The fine dining is
haute couture. The bistro more pret-a-porter.
(Atelier Vivanda is his pret-a-porter, in case
you were wonderinga Frenchified love
letter to meat and potatoes.)
But upon closer inspection, clearly there
is more than meets the eye to this young
Frenchman of Algerian lineage. There is
intensity in his eyes, a certain focusnot

unusual for a cook of this caliber who in

his early 30s garnered two Michelin stars.
His rsum is certainly stellar, and his
foundations are definitely solid. How can
they not be when youve worked with
Pierre Gagnaire and FerranAdria?
Benallal says he doesnt let
anything cloud his creative
process. An avid eater wherever
he goes, the chef is impressed
by ingredients, by feelings, by
moods. He never copies a dish.
Again alluding to the fashion
world, he says, Its like Jean Paul
Gaultier or Yves Saint Laurentthey
have their own opinions and go with it. They
have conviction.
If anything, its people who make
his creative juices flow. Observing the
average Filipinos penchant for ordering
anything with egg, he made sure egg was
on this menuin this case a plate of white
mushrooms, resembling the petals of an
orchid, with a soft poached egg in the
middle, oozing unctuous bright yolk when
pricked. Yolk porn at its finest.
Make no mistakeAtelier Vivanda, this

SHANGRI-L A MALL E AST WING

RESORTS WORLD MA XIMS TOWER

CIT Y OF DRE AMS MANIL A

GREENBELT 5

AGENDA FOOD

church to all things meat and potatoes, will be

under societys microscope. In the current global
food environment, where accolades like stars and
ranks on lists are put aside, and where the actual
cooking is given more importance, it is ultimately
in the good ol grub that contemporary chefs
and restaurants are put to the test. In Manila,
where restaurants are opening faster than rabbits
multiply, this is law.
Good thing that in this sense, Benallals menu
is laser sharp. A plate of foie, that seemingly
ubiquitous offal, comes looking very different
from the usual seared, crusty lobes. This one is
pale, and upon first glance may put some off.
But when served atop a celery vanilla coulis and
candied kumquats, it takes on an entirely new life.
Vanilla is a brilliant addition, bringing about an
aromatic softness to the richness of the duck liver.
The good chef shows how much he cares by
giving the same exacting touch to his potato
sides. Eschewing frites because everyone does
frites, hes made his own little puffy balls of
pomme dauphine. Youll pop them all without
knowing it. A classic gratin dauphinois is a
creamy, food coma-inducing treat. And pomme
darphin resembles the rosti of your dreams. A
choice of any of these comes with the main event:
meat. Angus striploin, veal rump, chicken breast,
ormy favoritejuicy duckbreast.
The desserts arent an afterthought, either.
A little shot glass of chestnut cream and yogurt
with a pistachio financier on the side is a perfect
20 A PR I L 2016

Akrame Benallals rsum is certainly stellarand his

foundations are definitely solid. How can it not be when
youve worked with Pierre Gagnaire and Ferran Adria?
CHOICE CUTS

Clockwise, from above left:

Aside from a wide selection
of meats, Atelier Vivanda
also boasts an extensive
variety of cheese in their
stock; gratin dauphinois;
Holstein beef rib. Previous
page: Duck breast, and the
knife which conveniently
equips the tables on Atelier
Vivandas ground oor. The
mindset of Akrame Benallal
(inset) in equating food to
fashion can be summarized
in one conviction: the
refusal to follow trends.

conclusion to your meal. For a little bit extra, you

can even order veal sweetbreads, an XL ribeye,
or a massive Holstein beef rib for twothe
ultimate sweat-inducing indulgence.
Atelier Vivanda (U-A-8 Burgos Park, Rizal

Drive, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig;848-2632) is

a strong restaurant that opened earlier this year,
one of dozens supposedly set to be unleashed to
the eating public. The neighborhoods of BGC
are certainly shaping updeliciously.

FLOOR TILES: Dover Antique 59,6x59,6cm & Dover Caliza 59,6x59,6cm WALL TILES: Dover Caliza 31,6x90cm.

CASA EUROPA
Mezzanine, The Innty Tower
26th St., Bonifacio Global City
T: +632 519 3515
Manila

www.porcelanosa.com

AGENDA POLITICS

THE ROGUE BALLOT

Out of curiosity, we asked the employees of Rogue Media, plus our regular contributors, whom they would vote for
in the upcoming elections and why. Take it as our unofficial prediction if you will, but well let the data speak for itself
WORDS BY JAM PASCUAL

7%

2.5%

22%

39%

RODY
DUTERTE

39%

VOTED ON THE BASIS OF WHO SEEMED TO BE THE LESSER EVIL AMONG THE CANDIDATES

FILLED20%
OUT THE MOCK BALLOT, BUT WILL MOST LIKELY ABSTAIN IN THE OFFICIAL ELECTIONS

CANDIDATES

22 A PR I L 2016

27%

VOTED FOR THEIR CANDIDATE BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED IN THEIR PLATFORM

VICE
PRESIDENTIAL

12

2.5%

41%
20%

TOP
SENATORIAL
CANDIDATES

ROY
SEERES

MAR
ROXAS

GRACE
POE

JEJOMAR
BINAY

MIRIAM
SANTIAGO

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

61% LENI ROBREDO

17% BONGBONG MARCOS
12% ALAN CAYETANO
10% CHIZ ESCUDERO
0% GREGORIO HONASAN II
0% ANTONIO TRILLANES IV

1. DICK GORDON
2. SERGIO OSMEA III
3. FRANKLIN DRILON
4. LEILA DE LIMA
5. RISA HONTIVEROS
6. FRANCIS PANGILINAN
7. RALPH RECTO
8. PANFILO LACSON
9. JUAN MIGUEL ZUBIRI
10. TEOFISTO GUIGONA III
11. RAFAEL ALUNAN III
12. ROMAN ROMULO

71%

Voted for their

candidate
because they
believed in
theirplatform.

19%
Voted on the
basis of who
seemed to be the
lesser evil among
thecandidates.

10 %
Filled out the
mock ballot,
but will most
likely abstain
in the official
elections.

All votes were turned

in anonymously
through the
circulation of mock
ballots. Apart from
voting preferences,
participants were
asked about other
details such as age,
sex, and precinct.

TOP 3 POLITICAL PAIRINGS

ROXAS
ROBREDO

DUTERTE
CAYETANO

POE
ESCUDERO

AGENDA ART

INTO THE WILD

Forever changed by a decade spent in the grit of New York, artist
ErnestConcepcion returns to the Philippines hungry and driven
WORDS BY MIXKAELA VILLALON / PHOTOS BY JL JAVIER

ORGANIZED CHAOS

From top: Ernest Concepcion

in his studio. Whether it be
artistic style or his choice of
residence, Concepcion is
not the type to stay in one
place forever; The Necessary
Steps for Getting Lost, oil,
enamel, colored pencil,
gypsum on canvas, 36 x 48.

24 A PR I L 2016

IT LOOKS LIKE food, Ernest Concepcion

says, gazing hungrily at one of his most recent
worksan abstract eruption of reds and yellows.
I want to eat it.
Concepcion admits that his explorations in art
are primarily guided by gigil. Its an untranslatable
Filipino word that can be roughly explained as an
intense emotion, an urge to throttle someone or
something. One can be gigil about a cute puppy
or endless traffic jams. Its a clenched-fist, grittedteeth, trembling-jowls emotional state that finds
one at the cusp of doing something unthinkable.
Like wanting to eat a painting, or buying
a one-way ticket to New York with no plan
and $700 in his pocket in 2001, a few months
after9/11.
I just wanted to get out, says Concepcion. I
was in my early 20s and adventurous. I wanted
to prove to everyone that I could do it. So I went
straight to the lions den to see if I could continue
making art.
Taking that leap was no small feat. Prior to
leaving, Concepcion took up Fine Arts at the
University of the Philippines, experimenting with
video art under pioneer conceptual artist Roberto
Chabet. Going to New York meant being in a
situation where he had no choice but to sink or

AGENDA ART

The Manila art scene is

young. I always think of
it as a teenagersmart,
know-it-all, but if you
criticize it, biglang iiyak.
swim. It meant crashing on his sisters couch,
juggling three jobs, and squeezing blood from
what little time he had left in a studio he rented.
I went back to drawing because I was broke.
Nang-gigil ako mag-experiment because I wanted
to prove that my work changes. Its bound to
develop. Especially in New York, if youre not on
your toes, matatabunan ka. In one city block, there
are like, 50 artists. How do you stand out?
Hard work and staying on his grind earned
Concepcion a slew of residencies like the
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Workspace
Program and solo exhibitions in New York,
Minneapolis, and Manila. In 2013, with
the growing demand for his work stateside,
Concepcion moved back to Manila for good.
I came back for practical reasons. Here, I have
more time to spend in the studio.
On the difference between the New York
and Manila art scene, Concepcion speaks
about government support, camaraderie, and
competition. And while the Big Apple may
be big, art shows find the same circle of artists
regularly seeing and supporting each other. Here,
not so much, he says, laughing.
Concepcion recounts a time when a friend
messaged him on social media about another
Filipino artists work that looked uncannily
similar to his. Some local galleries dont know
better. When I came home, biglang tumahimik.
But the Manila art scene is young. I always think
of it as a teenager: smart, know-it-all, but if you
criticize it, biglang iiyak.
As is, Concepcion doesnt have time for trifles.
Hes keeping busy and churning out works at a
frightening speed, gearing up for a solo exhibit
at 1335MABINI under the working title Just a
Hint of Mayhem.
I consider every show like a music album.
The artwork are like songs, says Concepcion. Ill
put together nine or 10 works. Theres going to
be a sleeper hit in there, an old favorite, a classic,
or something that I dont really like but I keep
coming back to it for some reason. Thats why I
26 A PR I L 2016

METHOD TO THE MADNESS

From top: Luna War, oil, enamel, colored

pencil, gypsum on canvas, 36 x 48; Hey You,
Sunshine!!, enamel and gympsum on canvas,
48 x 48. Concepcion's show runs from April
23 to May 20 at 1335MABINI in Malate.

dont repeat my old stuff.

He says hes started deconstructing his
imagery. Concepcion shows off an artwork
of the House of Representatives session hall
defaced with wild splotches of paint. A lot of
artists can paint really well. But to break it apart?
Thattakesa lot.

JUST A HINT OF MA YHEM WILL BE EXHIBITED FROM APRIL 23 TO MAY 20 AT 1335MABINI. VISIT 1335MABINI.COM FOR MORE DETAILS.

AGENDA FOOD

FLAVOR FUSION

From left: Mango gazpacho with salmon roe and

crab, salad with candied walnuts and cheese, and
the Chefs Selection of 8 Tapas, which is inuenced
by Vigan and Moroccan avors; Tapellas Huevos
con Morcilla sisig, which integrates Spanish blood
sausage and replaces rice with shoestring potatoes.

A Recipe for
Reinvention
With Chef Robert Spakowski
at the helm, Tapella sees new
life combining classic and
modern sensibilities
WORDS BY CARISSA POBRE
PHOTOS BY JL JAVIER

28 A PR I L 2016

ITS NOT ALWAYS easy to reinvent a classic recipe,

but the new menu at Tapella strikes the balance
between the curious and familiar. For years, the
tapas bar and restaurant has been a go-to for
traditional, rustic Spanish food. Their seafood
paella has long been touted as a signature dish.
Now, taking over the restaurant from his aunt
Xandra Cacho, New York-trained Chef Robert
Spakowski (inset) is revisiting dishes as an
exercise in curiosity, serving new combinations
that find harmony between nostalgic flavors and
those we have yet to try.
The platter known as Chef s Selection of 8
Tapas epitomizes the kind of variety that the
new menu embodies, inspired by Spakowskis
travels throughout Spain. From the Spanish
chorizo and Vigan longganisa mini burger with
cheese, to the Moroccan beef skewer served
with a side of aioli, the selection is an array of
bright colors and flavors that easily captures the
festive tapas culture of Madrid. For Spakowski,
playing with different flavors is an opportunity
to experiment, but at the end of the day it still
comes down to simple, approachable food. The
mango gazpacho is a play on a classic recipe
with the fruitiness of mango commingling with
the fresh tomato base, surprising with pops of
salmon roe along the way. A salad of mixed

greens combines tomato and onion, sweet

candied walnuts, and lightly creamy goat cheese,
with a reduced balsamic vinegar dressing that has
the pleasant acidity of tamarind.
Tapellas Huevos con Morcilla sisig is
notorious for its combination of classic sisig
and Spanish blood sausage over a bed of crispy
shoestring potatoes instead of rice. With brightyellow yolky eggs, it can be mixed together the
way sisig is meant to be enjoyed. Based on an old
family recipe, the truffle cream pasta is another
rich comfort food, topped with crunchy jamn
serrano. Even Tapellas signature drinks have
the spirit of mixology behind them. The Ronin
Sangria is a white wine sangria with Japanese
sake, cucumber, and freshly-made candied
ginger that follows on a clean and refreshing
finish. For a stronger kick, the Banzai Sangria
mixes Spanish white wine, sake, and vodka, with
lychee and an assortment of fruits marinated
in the alcohol.
Tapella (G/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center,
Makati; 757-2710) was always considered
modern for its time, yet for a while catered to a
more European palate. With its new menu of
a Spanishplus Filipino, Japanese, Italian, and
even Moroccantwist, it seems theres much
more to be curious about.

AGENDA POLITICS

HR Manager
As the previous head of
the executive branch of the
government, we believe that PNoy
might have an administrative
trick or two up his sleeve. Hes
experienced with strategically
hiring people for special positions
within his cabinet and making sure
theyre the best person for the job
(at least to his knowledge)so a
post-presidential career as an HR
Manager may not be
sofar-fetched.

Life After The Presidency

The man who espoused daang matuwid will soon
find himself at a crossroads after stepping down. We
have a few suggestions on what PNoy can do next
WORDS BY COCO QUIZON / ILLUSTRATED BY TIM LOPEZ

EVENTOLOGIST
Presidents go to lots of really great
events in different countries. PNoy
would have denitely learned a
thing or two from all the cultures
hes seen and worked with. And with
all the great pictures from all the
parties hes ever attended, he has
enough content to create the most
convoluted mood boards. Plus, as
a former president who has faced
a harrowing issue or two during his
term, crisis management is totally
up his alley.

30 A PR I L 2016

SIX YEARS AGO, Noynoy Aquino was a

sprightly 40-something thrust into the
center of the gleaming political spotlight
as the hopeful panacea to our social ills.
While reality may have taken a different
turn, stepping out of high office might be
the breath of fresh air that he so desperately
needs. How will he start anew, you ask? We
have a few ideas.

TRAINEE AT THE
FAMILY BUSINESS

BRAND SPECIALIST
ON T WIT TER

When youve been at the top and

need a change of pace, theres
nowhere else to go but down in
order to change direction. Maybe
after a stint at the presidential seat,
PNoy might take a traineeship spot
at the family business and learn the
ropes from the very bottom notch
think Robert de Niro in The Intern
but with the weight of the countrys
problems still precariously perched
on each shoulder.

If theres anything PNoy knows best,

its how to stay sane and diplomatic
in one of the worlds most thankless
jobs. Having built up a brave mug
over time with skin thicker than
the annual budget proposal, we
believe PNoy has the chops to go
head to head with the masses as a
brand specialist doing tech support
on Twittercopping hate for only
doing his job, hoping that at the end
of the day he actually helped.

AGENDA POLITICS

THE REST IS HISTORY

Political campaign materials are designed to entice, attract, and persuade. We look at the propaganda put
out by past presidents and find that they reveal much about the evolution of a nations interests

IMAGES OF CAMPAIGN MATERIAL COURTESY OF THE PRESIDENTIAL MUSEUM & LIBRARY COLLECTION.

WORDS BY GIAN LAO

CORY AQUINO

FIDEL RAMOS

JOSEPH ESTRADA

GLORIA ARROYO

1986

1992

1998

2004

There is a massive difference between

a slogan and a battle cry. You print a
slogan on a poster, but you take a battle
cry to war. Cory Aquino had both, but is
anyone surprised that supporters from
that era only vaguely remember the
clunky Aquino-Laurel: Tanging Pag-Asa
ngBayan?
Imagine more than a decade of
oppression under Martial Law and the
constant fear of imprisonment. Now,
imagine going to a public square and
shouting: Sobra na! Tama na! Palitan
na! It was freedom before freedom
was won. Those three simple lines were
what captured the spirit of the Aquino
campaign and, more importantly, the
resistance against the dictator.
It also helped that the battle cry itself
was authentic to the candidate. Ninoy
Aquino was imprisoned, tortured, and
assassinated for no other reason than
disagreeing with the president. The story
of the Aquinos made Cory a worthy avatar
for those oppressed by the dicatator.

There were several coup attempts over

the course of Aquinos administration,
including one in December 1989 that
saw vintage aircrafts dive-bombing
Malacaang and rebels occupying 22
buildings along Ayala Avenue. Apart
from sowing fear in the populace,
these incidents helped tank the
Philippineeconomy.
After over half a decade of this, it
made sense that the Ramos campaign
promised security. The candidate was
a decorated military man and was seen
as better equipped than anyone else to
handle a volatile environment. The rst
three words of the sloganWala nang
gulowere written for those shaken
by the turmoil of preceding years, and
perhaps the next threeTuloy ang
asenso!were meant to capitalize on
being Corys anointed one. The strategys
true effectiveness, however, is unclear,
as Ramos won the Presidency with the
smallest percentage of votes in Philippine
history, at 23.58 percent.

This is as close as it gets to a slogan writing

itself. Joseph Ejercito Erap Estrada was
Asiong Salonga. As an action star, he was
the Robin Hood of Tondo. He robbed
the rich; he gave to the poor. Erap was
seen on screen ghting for the little guy,
and this was during an era in which there
was little other entertainment apart from
mainstream media. In other words, even if
you didnt want him to be your hero, you
had few other choices.
Given his lmography, when Erap
said para sa mahirap, he was absolutely
credible in the eyes of his fans. His
audience hears far more than three words.
They see a man sticking up for them in the
face of movie caricature business owners;
they see a man who made a living out of
defeating the system to serve those in
thesidelines.
The result was a landslide. Erap took
almost 40 percent of all votes; none of
the other candidates broke 16. What
actually transpired during his presidency is
anotherstory.

Arroyo 2004 is unique in that it was

essentially a re-election campaignone
that was dened by her main challenger
more than anything else. GMA was up
against Fernando Poe Jr., representative of
forces allied with former President Estrada
and an equally enormous action star. Of
course, one massive difference between
FPJ and Erap was that Erap was a former
Mayor, Senator, and Vice-President. Poe
had zero experience in politics. The GMA
campaign capitalized on this by what can
be construed as an attack on both Eraps
integrity and Poes inexperience.
While the results of the 2004 election
will be contested throughout history,
especially due to the Hello Garci
tape, theres a strong argument to be
made that GMAs campaign worked.
In the month preceding the election,
she kept a signicant lead over FPJ,
which is admittedly a job well done for
a politician devoid of a solid image up
against one of the most beloved gures in
Philippineculture.

32 A PR I L 2016

AGENDA NIGHTLIFE
Berta LopezFeliciano and
Chiqui Banzon

Noel Bautista, Ting Feliciano, Bledes ForsLegarda, Rene Banzon, Johnny Montinola

Ricardo Po and Mon Gonzalez

The Last Dance

Midas Marquez,
Bubot Quicho,
Louie Cruz

For one night only last March,

the citys retired nightowls
resurfaced to relive the 90s
bar that changed Makati
nightlifeforever: Giraffe

Larry Leviste and

Robbie Carmona

WORDS BY JEROME GOMEZ

PHOTOS BY IAN SANTOS

Monica Araneta,
Tina and Robert
Cruz, Tim Yap

dancing-on-tables action,
but the ladies decided to spare Prives
tabletopsand kept their dancing shoes on
the floor the evening of the Giraffe reunion
party. Still, there were enough elements to
remind one of the heady days of the most
iconic bar of the 90s, the one that taught
Makati how to loosen up. There was Louie
Cruz holding court at the center. By the
stairs, Giraffe co-owner Ting Feliciano
sat among buddies on the Chesterfield
sofa. At the DJs booth, there was Boyet
Almazan, pausing to announce the playing
of a Giraffe favorite: Pizzicato Fives
Sweet Soul Revue. Then there was Bubot
Quicho, one of the original owners, who
could recall that New Years morning at the
bar when the DJ signalled the partys end
by playing Donna Summers Last Dance.
The crowd started booing him. He ended
up playing two hours moredespite the bar
having dried up hours before.
WE WAITED FOR

Tweetie de
Leon Gonzalez,
Apples Aberin

Sandy Lamb-Moran with

Junjun and Kourtney Camcam

Bledes Fors-Legarda
and Amado Fors

Boyet Almazan,
Charlie Carmona

Petusa

34 A PR I L 2016

Jami Ledesma,
Louie Cruz

Ap r i l 2 0 16

SPACE
DARK
ROOMS
& IRON
FISTS

E DI T E D BY

DEVI DE VEYRA

DESIGN + INTERIORS + ARCHITECTURE + TECHNOLOGY

TAKE A TOUR OF FOUR DICTATORS SPACES AS IMAGINED FROM A CONTEMPORARY VIEWPOINT,

FILLED WITH TOTEMS OF TRIUMPHS, FAILURES, AND UNFORESEEN OUTCOMES

ISSUE NO.

97

SPACE FURNITURE

BENITO
MUSSOLINI

Il Duce is back. Mussolinithemed vacations are

trending among tourists,
and Fascist architecture is
getting increased media play
that started with Fendis
recent inauguration of its
new headquarters at the
controversial Mussolinicommissioned Palazzo della
Civilta Italiana in Rome.

BOCONCEPT (FROM MOSDESIGN) WOODEN BIRD SCULPTURES. LING QUISIMBING (FROM MOSPACE) PENCIL SCULPTURE. A11 METAL TRIPOD LAMP.
LUCA NICHETTO FOR SELETTI (FROM A11) MANHATTAN SILICONE DISHRACK. BOCONCEPT (FROM MOSDESIGN) LEATHER PANEL. JB WOODCRAFT
ROUND TABLE AND CHAIR. BOCONCEPT (FROM MOSDESIGN) CUSHION AND METAL M SCULPTURE

MAO ZEDONG

It is the late communist

strongmans perfect nightmare:
Beijing replaced NY as the
worlds billionaire capital, and
Maos ubiquitous presence in
both kitsch and highbrow art
cemented his iconic status in
the bourgeois realms of art
and capitalism. Mega Mao, the
privately sponsored monument
recently dismantled by
authorities, revealed a strong
nostalgia for Chinas rockstar
revolutionary.

ROBERTO CHABET HOLLOW BLOCK SCULPTURE. A11 TIN CUP AND PLATES.
STUDIO DIMENSIONE RED METAL CABINET AND FRAMED POSTER

(SEE SHOPLIST ON PAGE 122 FOR MORE DETAILS)

SPACE FURNITURE

FIDEL CASTRO

He hoarded nukes, humiliated

the Americans when he
thwarted the Bay of Pigs
invasion, and sparked an exodus
of migrants when he showed
dissatisfied Cubans the door
to the US. Castros stinging
rebuke of Obama after the
US presidents landmark visit
showed the world that hes
stayed true to his macho brand
of statesmanship.

KAWAYAN DE GUIA MISSILE SCULPTURE. STUDIO DIMENSIONE FRAMED BIRD PRINTS. E. MURIO CANE
AND GLASS TABLE, AND CANE CHAIR. EMILY CAMPOS STUFFED PIG

(SEE SHOPLIST ON PAGE 122 FOR MORE DETAILS)

ADOLF HITLER

Nazi Punk asserted its angry presence

in the music worlda few video games
took inspiration from the Fuhrers horrific
history, while in Japan Mein Kampfs manga
version was released in 2008. Early this
year, Germany provided an opportunity
for fans, scholars, and the plain curious to
enter a dark and dangerous mind with the
release of Mein Kampfs 2016 edition.

LING QUISIMBING (FROM MOSPACE) PENCIL SCULPTURES. JB WOODCRAFT NARRA TABLE AND CHAIRS
PHOTOS BY AT MACULANGAN / STYLED BY DEVI DE VEYRA

SPACE FURNITURE

The orderly lines of French designer JeanMichel Franks furniture evoke the sense of
peace that eluded him throughout his life
WORDS BY JAM PASCUAL

ONE LOOK AT the Jean-Michel Frank collection by Herms

generates a sense of great calm. This shouldnt be a surprisethe
man was, after all, a design pioneer with a minimalist touch.
Frank, however, was a conflicted man, his troubles starkly
contrasting the tranquil nature of his aesthetic. Born in Paris and
member to a multinational banking family, the designer was a son of
privilege who first pursued law. The year 1915 saw the lives of those
around him take a tragic turntwo of his older brothers were killed
in the frontlines of World War I while his father committed suicide.
All that grief would follow him for the rest of his life like a shadow,
despite the success he would come to gain over the years as
a designer.
g
It was perhaps his encounter with art and style
patron Eugenia Errzuriz that influenced him the most
aesthetically, exposing him to Louis XVI furniture
and guiding him toward a style that equated elegance
with simplicity. High profile fashion designers such as
Elsa Schiaparelli and Robert Piguet would turn to the
Frenchman to decorate their showrooms.
It wouldnt be a stretch to say that his approach to design
redefined opulence (his style emphasized simplicity, but he
preferred to use luxurious material, from mica to mother-of-pearl
to straw-rye marquetry) and the collection he designed for Herms
(Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati; 757-8910)
0 is evidence of this.
Consider the Inverted U nesting tables or the low round table and
folding screen embellished with sun ray patterns. The prime of
Franks career may have taken place between the two world wars,
but his pieces are timeless.

SIMPLE FORMS

Re-editions of Jean-Michel Franks

nesting tables covered with leather
parchment (top) and his settee and
armchair in metal and leather (above)
are available locally at Herms.

42 A PR I L 2016

PARTNER PROMOTION

Street
barware,
Orrefors

Cognac glass

Flute glass

A Case for Clarity

Create a special atmosphere with a timeless
tablescape of pure lines, polished materials,
and a monochrome palette

Fine bone chinaware, Carrara

collection from Dibbern.

Martini glasss

Decanter

ITS QUITE EASY to put together a classic tablescape, starting with the
restrained lines of Orrefors Street barware (top photo). Any dish will look
delectable when plated in a Dibbern ne bone china with Carrara marbel
patterns. Compliment your tableau with the smokey sensuality of the
Altas vase from Orrefors. For those who entertain with open kitchens,
Scanpans sleek cookware is just as fabulous as the other pieces in your
tablescape. Dont forget that details matteryou cant go wrong with the
Topos cutlery by Robbe & Berking. With these classics, gatherings around
the table are bound to be memorable experiences.

Atlas vase, Orrefors

FOR MORE INFORMATION, EMAIL SALES@GARDENBARN.COM.PH, CALL 833-1080, OR VISIT GARDENBARN. COM
M .PH

CTX Saute Pan, Scanpan

Cutlery, Topos collection,

Robbe & Berking

A PR I L 2016 43

SPACE MOTORING

Summertime Drive
Reaching iconic status in the 1960s, global brands Vespa and Mini
introduce two new models to a Philippine audience
WORDS BY ERIKA UY

ITS SOMETHING WHEN a brand becomes a verb.

The word vespare was coined in the 60s, meaning
to go around on a Vespa, connoting a kind
of spirit popularized by films such as La Dolce
Vita, associated with the Italian high life: Style.
Freedom. Romance. Getting away. But beneath
this glamorous faade is the scooters gritty
history. Founded in 1946, Vespa was inspired
by the Cushman scooters that were airdropped
from helicopters. They became the soldiers
alternative vehicle to Jeeps
during World War II.
Now 70 years

old, the legendary two-wheelers make a grand

entry on our shores under Vespa Scooters
Philippines. Available are the newly innovated
models, Primavera and Sprint. Adjustments in
the handlebar, saddle, and height make for a
safer, more stable and more comfortable ride.
Having first emerged in 1968, todays
Primavera has a modern streamlined look,
a pointed and tapered tailstill echoing
the Italian brands namesake. It is powered
by a 150CC three-valve single cylinder
air-cooled engine, boasting 13 horsepower
and 9.5 lb-ft of torque. The addition of
electronic fuel injection ensures performance
without sacrificing fuel economy.
The Vespa Sprint, on the other hand, serves
as a sportier and more dynamic alternative to
the Primavera. It pays tribute to the Vespas
of the 60s and 70s, which were geared
toward a younger audience. Powered
by a 150CC three-valve engine with
catalytic converter that produces 12.7
horsepower and 9.4 lb-ft of torque,

CITY SLICKER

From top: The Mini Clubman is the largest and

most sophisticated model from the iconic British
brand to date. The Vespa Primaveras new
steel body and technological upgrades make it
perfect for todays urban riders.

the new Sprint is the fastest and most efficient

one around. The revolutionary element of the
updated model is its 12-inch tires, making
handling the scooter easier and safer.
Vespa achieved its popularity in the 60s
alongside another stylish icon: the Mini.
Also available in Manila is the new Mini
Clubmansimilarly sporty and functional,
better fit for a family. It has a generous cargo
space of up to 48 cubic feet, making it the
perfect companion for out-of-town travels
and weekend getaways. Though bigger
than other models, its added spaciousness
does not compromise its sleekness. Paired
with BMW engineering under its hood
is a 134-horsepower 1.5-liter turbo threecylinder engine with an eight-speed manual
that allows precise shifting. It also has a
Driving Mode system that lets you toggle
between Sport Mode, which adjusts throttle
and steering capabilities for faster driving,
and Green Mode, which allows for more
easygoing drives and efficient fuel delivery.
Both stylish brands, the Vespa and Mini
have taken into account new technologies
by going digital and have made sustainable,
eco-friendly commitments for the future.
Nothing like marrying style with sensibility.
The Vespa Sprint and Primavera, as well as
the Mini Clubman, can be taken for a spin at
AutoHub Group of Companies showroom
(5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig).

SPACE DESIGN

BRIGHT STAR

Henningsen at his studio

in Copenhagen, 1960s.

Let There Be Light

Through his work in light, furniture,
and cinema, Danish designer Poul
Henningsen left a legacy that,
even today, has not lost its luster
WORDS BY DEVI DE VEYRA

POUL HENNINGSEN is perhaps more known

for his lights, small furniture, and a family of
musical instruments. The designers vintage
pieces command top prices at auctions,
while several of his worksincluding a rare

specimen, the Snake chairare part of the

MOMAs permanent collections. Anyone
unconvinced by Henningsens genius might
be swayed by the PH pianos, a mindblowing series that look like deviant distant
relations to their tradition-bound cousins.
The Danish maverick stirred not just
the design world but also Denmarks sociopolitical milieu as a writer for the countrys
broadsheets and as a dabbler in cinema. He
would direct the controversial Denmark, a
government-funded short film originally
intended as something of a marketing tool to
present Denmark to an international audience.
Panned by critics and the general public,
Henningsen abandoned his directorial pursuits
but continued writing screenplays, eventually
co-writing the sccript for PH Philosophy

of Light, a documentary that examines

Henningsens creative process and approach.
He cast an unforgiving light on Denmarks
issues, but preferred gentler illuminations for
the home to create a pleasing ambience devoid
of sharp shadows and unnatural color tones.
There are no empty gestures in Henningsens
luminaires: the visors diff
ff se and deflect
light, their interiors painted certain colors to
correct the flawed radiance of some bulbs.
The designers partnership with lighting
manufacturer and distributor Louis Poulsen
(Living Innovations, 5th Ave. cor. 23rd St.,
BGC, Taguig; 734-3243), continues to this
day, making it possible for modern-day fans to
illuminate spaces with the soft, warm radiance
that has becoome Henningsens signature stamp
and luminou
us legacy.

Top Threee
A sampling off
Henningsens work showss
his masterful grasp off
technique, and sensitivee
approach to his craftt

PH PENDANT LIGHT

PH GRAND PIANO

PH HAT WALL LAMP

This drop light is the most recognizable

piece from Henningsen
Henningsenss portfolio

This musical instrument is a rare

example of the designers amboyance
exa

Henningsen was also capable of

whimsy, as seen in this wall lamp

AVAILABLE AT LIVING INNOVATIONS ( WWW.LIVINGINNOVATIONS.PH). SEE SHOPLIST ON PAGE 122 FOR MORE DETAILS.

A PR I L 2016 45

SPACE INTERIORS

CLEAR
AGENDA
Transparent furniture makes a strong
comebackits light vibe and clean
aesthetic refresh and lift the
mood around the home
and workspace

BOXINBOX

LOTUS PENDANT

by Philippe Starck for

by BoConcept

Glas Italia (Living

Innovations; G/F, Fort
Victoria, 5th Ave.,
Corner 23rd St., BGC
8302230)

(3/F MOs Design, B2

Bonifacio High Street,
Taguig; 403-6620;
mosdesign.com.ph)

3
PRISM GLASS
WARDROBE
by Tokujin Yoshioka for

Glas Italia (Living

Innovations; G/F, Fort
Victoria, 5th Ave.,
Corner 23rd St., BGC
8302230)

PRECIOUS OVAL
COCKTAIL
TABLE

SOAP BUBBLE
WALL DECOR

by Cdric Ragot for

(3/F MOs Design, B2

Bonifacio High Street,
Taguig; 403-6620
mosdesign.com.ph)

Roche Bobois (2100

Don Chino Roces Ext.,
Makati; 519-8240)

46 A PR I L 2016

by BoConcept

Ap r i l 2 0 16

THE EYE

E DI T E D BY

JACS T. SAMPAYAN

ISSUE NO.

97

FA S H I O N + S T Y L E + G R O O M I N G

P
G

T
A

O
E

In its 33rd year of partnering with the yachting competition, Louis Vuittons
Americas Cup collection continues to champion the luxury houses passion for
travel through leisurely clothes and youthful accessories
WORDS BY JEROME GOMEZ / PHOTOS BY CHUCK REYES

T
S

BLUE KIT BLANKET. RED POLO REGATTA TOP WITH V PRINT. MARINE CARGO SHORTS. NAVY BELT. WHALE
KEY HOLDER. OPPOSITE: MARINE CARDIGAN. CHINO MARINE TROUSERS. PREVIOUS PAGE: WHITE TURTLE
NECK KNIT TOP. CARGO SHORTS MAINE. BLUE BELT. BUOY KEY HOLDER, ALL LOUIS VUITTON

SEERSUCKER MARINE JACKET. REGATTA WINDBREAKER. NAVY BELT. SEERSUCKER CHINO MARINE
TROUSERS. OPPOSITE: CREWNECK MARINE TOP. TWILL CHINO MARINE TROUSERS. DAMIER
COBALT REGATTA CARD HOLDER. WHITE REGATTA PLIANTE SUNGLASSES, ALL LOUIS VUITTON
STYLED BY CHIA WEI CHOONG / GROOMING BY MU WEE MING / MODELED BY MARTIN C OF AVE
SEE SHOPLIST (PAGE 122) FOR STORE INFORMATION

THE EYE STYLE

THE

ROGUE
REGISTER

SENATOR SONNY ANGARA

The first-term senator talks about his favorites, from artists and authors to the places he considers home
INTERVIEW BY JACS T. SAMPAYAN

DESPITE CURRENTLY SERVING as

one of the countrys lawmakers,
senator Sonny Angara strives
to live a complete life. The
Outstanding Young Men 2010
awardee juggles time between his
wife Tootsy, their three children,
and 12-hour work days at the
senate. As the chairman of
the Ways and Means
committee, Angara
has helped author and
push for several tax
reform laws as well as
other pet causes such
as the Whistleblowers
Protection Act
and the Freedom of
Informationbill.
This predilection for
balance extends to Twitter,
where he gamely shares
what happens on the senate
oor, in between tweets about the
NBA and the latest exploits of our
own national sportsmen. Angara
also chairs the Committee on
Games, Amusement, and Sports,
and actively argues formore
resources to be funneled to our

lagging sports programs.

Outside of rigorous
legislative work and
necessary social
functions, his days
are spent bonding
with family on trips,
supporting his eldest
kids budding
tennis career, and
sneaking a set or two of play
himself, when permitted.
With a loaded schedule,
the rst-termer, who
placed sixth in the 2013
polls, is relieved not to be
in this years campaign
trail. Good luck to all
candidates. Im happy
not to be running this
2016 election, he says.
What was your earliest
ambition?
To be a writer or journalist.
What is your
most treasured
possession?
My family, but if that
doesnt count then our
house, because it
reminds me of family and
our happy moments.
Who are your favorite writers?
Nick Hornby, PJ ORourke, and
Bill Bryson.
What would you like to own
that you dont currently
possess?
A plane or chopper would make
my job easier.

What drives you on?

Asense of mission,
some altruism, some
ambition, some of
the values instilled
in me.
What are you
working on
now?
At the risk of sounding
too grandiose: trying to
build a more just society
through legislative reform
(tax, labor, education).
What time of the day
are you most inspired?
I wish there were consistency
here, but dawn is the closest.
Favorite hotel?
Unforgettable for its dramatic
setting was the Fairmont
in Banff, Canada. Its
an old palace set in
the mountains with
lakes and fantastic
scenery. Closer to
home, Amanpulo
and Pangalusian in
Palawan are beautiful too.
Necessary extravagance?
Chocolate.
Favorite city in the world:
Manila and London for most of my
life. Tokyo is moving up, too.
Ideal playlist?
Would be a mix of
genres/eras; some
rock, some
alternative, some
R&B
and hip-hop.
Favorite
artists?
Yasmin Sison. Also architects
Frank Gehry and
John Lautner.

Favorite gadget?
Apple stuff: form and function.
Where do you live?
Manila and Baler, Aurora.
Neighborhood
restaurant?
Apt 1-B,Recovery
Food, and Cibo.
Favorite cocktail?
Scotch on the rocks.
Favorite dish?
Steak au poivre, sisigand
garlic rice, Cebu lechon.
Jeans?
Seven, Uniqlo.
Footwear?
Brown leather shoes and old
school sneaks like Jordans or
Converse.
Watch?
Cartier, Audemars Piguet, and
Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Favorite designers?
Kenneth Cobonpue.
Wallet or money clip?
Wallet.
Who cuts your hair?
Brunos Barbers.
Cologne?
Acqua di
Parma.

THE EYE FOOTWEAR

Basic Instinct
Common Projects makes a case for the ultimate pair of sneakers with pieces
that focus on plush materials and italian craftmanship
WORDS BY JACS T. SAMPAYAN

Prathan Poopat, an art director and design consultant

based in New York, and Flavio Girolami, who runs his
own creative agency in Italy, are longtime friends and
collaborators who both haven an interest in shoes. In 2004,
the pair decided to build on this shared passion and started
the sneaker label Common Projects.
They define this with purposely pared down pieces
that prioritize form, function, and materials. Each pair
is stamped 10 digits broken down into three setsthe
factory identification and style codesnear the sole. They
are all hand stitched in Italy.
With its minimalist ae label has become top-of-mind

in the growing luxury sneaker market. The first pair they

launched 12 years ago, the Achilles, remains a favorite
among known sneaker afficionados such as Frank Ocean,
Nick Jonas, Drake, and Ellen DeGeneres. In a way
Common Projects doesnt feel like ours, says Girolami in
an interview with the New York Times. It feels like it has a
life of its own and belongs to a lot of people.
Common Projects is exclusively available at Univers
(One Rockwell East Tower, Estrella corner Rockwell Drive,
Makati; 553-6811). For this season, the brand follows the
same style principles with hi-tops and low-cut sneakers
done mostly in solid colors.

A SIMPLE PLAN
The Common Projects aesthetic is popular among luxury sneaker brands with solid hues and clean designs
a constant even in current collections

Our Legacy
Two-strap classic sneaker

Raf Simons x Adidas

Stan Smith strap in black

Visvim
Slip ons in black

ALL AVAILABLE AT UNIVERS, ONEROCKWELLEAST TOWER, ESTRELLA CORNERROCKWELLDRIVE,MAKATI; 553-6811; HOMMEETFEMME.PH

Raf Simons x Adidas

Stan Smith in white

A PR I L 2016 55

THE EYE WATCHES

1
OMEGA
Globemaster
One of the stars from last years
Basel World is back with a slightly
bigger case and an even better
Master Chronometer Calibre. Its
new Annual Calendar model,
with prominent detailing,
also features a new
movement.

The Big Blue

The coolest of colors dominate the scene as a slew of timepieces tinged with blue are introduced this season
WORDS BY JACS T. SAMPAYAN

TW STEEL
CEO Canteen

MONTBLANC
4810

AUDEMARS PIGUET
Royal Oak Yellow Gold

JAEGER-LECOULTRE
Reverso Duoface

This Blue Steel model comes in

45mm and 50mm cases and has three
varieties: three-hand, chronograph, and
automatic. The Danish label has pieces
in brushed steel, rose gold, blacks,
andgrays.

The century-old German manufacturer

gives a different take on blue with pieces
meant to entice the world traveler.
The geographic face is complemented
by sleek metallic curves and a rened
guilloche dial.

The Royal Oak line was rst launched

in 1972 and was one of the rst to
break the mold of gold pieces in lieu
of a stainless steel line. This recent
iteration brings the precious metal back
to prominence.

This year is the 85th anniversary of the

Reverso, and the Swiss watchmaker
celebrates this by reimagining the lines
classic designs. The piece to-and-fros
between a granulated silver dial and
darker gray-blue face.

56 A PR I L 2016

THE EYE EYEWEAR

SPECKLED WONDER
Originally made from Hawksbill sea turtles, tortoise shell glasses were extremely popular from the 19th
to the early 20th century. The pattern, now produced artificially, is a mainstay in collections today
STYLED BY PATRICK GALANG / PHOTO BY PATRICK DIOKNO

5
1

1 Persol Persol Icon collection sunglasses, P17,990 2 RayBan round fleck frames, P8,990 3 Dolce & Gabbana Gentleman collection
eyeglasses, P13,990 4 Emporio Armani Color Circles collection sunglasses, P8,990 5 RayBan wayfarer fleck sunglasses, P10,990

ALL AVAILABLE AT EYE SOCIETY, 3/F SM AURA PREMIER HALL, BONIFACIO GLOBAL CITY; 553-3384; EYESOCIETY.COM.PH

A PR I L 2016 57

THE EYE FASHION

Russian propaganda and a post-Soviet

aesthetic define 1984, the latest collection of
Commes des Garonss breakthrough label
WORDS BY JACS T. SAMPAYAN

TALES FROM THE MOTHERLAND

IT WAS A CHANCE MEETING with Commes des Garons president Adrian

Joffe
ff at a dinner party hosted by former Russian Voguee editor Anna
Dyulgerova that turned things around for creative wunderkind Gosha
Rubchinskiy. The Russian photographer-turned-designer was struggling
to keep his eponymous line of casual street apparel from Moscow,
contending with high cost materials and difficult customs conditions.
Upon meeting Rubchinskiy, Joffe,
ff the man behind Dover Street Market,
immediately wanted to stock the designers pieces in the London-based
multi-level retail shop.

58 A PR I L 2016

GOSHA RUBCHINSKIY IS EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE AT HOODWINK, 152 UG/F SM AURA, BONIFACIO GLOBAL CITY, TAGUIG; 553-5559.

I DO THINNGS ABOUT RUSSIA BECAUSE I GREW UP

THERE, THOSE ARE THE THINGS I REALLY KNOW,
SAYS RUBCHINSKIY. BUT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT
MOSCOW.. I TRY TO FEEL WHAT IS THE MOMENT.

AFTER THE IRON CURTAIN

Done in collaboration with Reebok and

Vans, 1984 features activewear in bold
colors, emblazoned with notorious Soviet
symbols such as the hammer and sickle.

But things developed beyond that as designer

and retailer decided on a stronger professional
partnership, evidenced by the Rubchinskiys
line being absorbed by Rei Kawakubos eclectic
fashion house in 2012. But it was only when
they presented their 2015 Spring/Summer
collection in Paris two years ago that the label
really took off
ff its inventory now is at about
50,000 piecesdoubled from the previous
seasonand stocked worldwide.
Launched at Dover Street Market, 1984,
Rubchinskiys latest collection is inspired by
Russian historical propaganda and follows his
usual post-Soviet carefree aesthethic. Jersey
sweatpants, jackets, and denim are marked with
lettering that spells out ready to work and
protect. In an interview with Business of Fashion,

Joffe
ff said that he was captivated by the Russians
style point-of-view. I understood why I loved it
so much. This whole post-Soviet movement of
people free at last and wanting to launch artistic
thingsit appealed to me, he says. I dont see
him as a fashion designer but as a photographer,
a recorder of things. I think to me it hit a nerve
because of its authenticity.
Later this year, Rubchinskiy will be in
Florence as a featured designer at the prestigous
menswear event Pitti Uomo, another barrier that
the breakthrough brand has hurdled. He is quick
to emphasize that his design voice goes beyond
Moscow. He says, I do things about Russia
because I grew up there and those are the things
I really know. But I always try to speak with my
collections, not just about Moscow. I try to feel
what is the moment.
A PR I L 2016 59

TAG TEAM
Fred Perry celebrate the classics by collaborating with British design
superstars for Spring/Summer 2016
WORDS BY JACS T. SAMPAYAN

BACK IN THE late 1940s, footballer Tibby

Wegner began discussing the birth of an English
classic with tennis great Fred Perry. After
successfully teaming up for the earliest iteration
of the wristband, the two set their eyes on the
sports shirt, which they made out of knitted
white cotton. The pair finally launched the item
at the 1952 Wimbledon championships, where it
was a tremendous hit.
The label celebrates this collaborative
spirit once again for its Spring/Summer 2016
collections. The popular Reissues collection
which dives into the Fred Perry archives for
inspirationcontinues to be a staple. Their M2
shirt is shaded with color combinations from the
brands catalogues from the 60s and 70s: olive,
gold, maroon, and black. Other highlights include
reimaginations of the M2 Fred Perry Tennis
Bomber, the long-sleeved Fred Perry shirts, and
a new version of the tartan shirts, updated with
black lichfield and royal oakleigh. The iconic
M12, untouched since the 1950s, is back and

60 A PR I L 2016

makes use of Champagne, Navy, and Ice hues.

Three collaborative collections go center stage
this season. Raf Simons returns for his 13th team
up with Fred Perry for a line that features a bold
euro feel to striped pique shirts, zip front chevron
pique shirts, insert shirts, and sweaters. Nigel
Cabourn joins forces with the English brand
for the third time with a collection inspired by
Perry and Wegners original tennis kits. Training
hoodies, pants, and pullovers have been updated
with the laurel wreath logo and hues such as
Clay and Dull Red. Another British designer,
Bella Freud, partners with the brand for the third
time. Inspired by her 70s London childhood, she
brings her punk detailing and bold touches to
gingham shirts, jumpers, and tennis skirts.
The Reissues collection and all the collaboration
collections are exclusively available at the Fred
Perry Laurel Wreath shop (G/F Greenbelt 5,
Ayala Center, Makati). Moving forward, the
newly revamped space will house the brands
one-of-a-kind lines.

FREDPERRY.COM
Ground Floor Greenbelt 5 Makati City
L2 SM Mega Mall Mandaluyong City
R1 Power Plant Mall Makati City
0Upper Ground Floor Robinsons Magnolia Quezon City
Lower Ground C1 Bonifacio High Street Central Taguig City
L2 SM Mall of Asia Pasay City
M2 TriNoma Quezon City
Ground Floor Ayala Center Cebu City

DID YOU READ THE ONE ABOUT...?

AMBITION, DESTINY, VICTORY: PRESIDENT NOYNOY AQUINO

PHOTOGRAPHED BY STEVE TIRONA (ROGUE, JUNE 2011)

GET ACCESS TO THE ROGUE ARCHIVES WITH THE NEW

ROGUE APP. FOR EVERYTHING BEYOND THE ISSUE,
VISIT OUR OFFICIAL WEBSITE AT ROGUE.PH

FACEBOOK.COM/ROGUE.MAGAZINE

ROGUEONLINE

ROGUEONLINE

Ap r i l 2 0 16

E DI T E D BY

JEROME GOMEZ

THE SLANT

ISSUE NO.

97

OPINIONS + IDEAS + PERSPECTIVES

Fernando Poe Jr. in the

1967 lm Matimbang
AngDugo Sa Tubig.

IMAGE COURTESY OF SIMON SANTOS OF VIDEO 48

R Pandays Last Fight

The Revolution will be Tweeted

Talk Duterte to Me

Bibeth Orteza

Victor Andres Manhit

Patrick Paez

An old friend joined Fernando Poe Jr. on the

road during the 2004 presidential campaigns,
and witnessed how the movie king cast his silver
screen spell across the countryside.

Facebook has changed the dynamics of elections

forever. But does social media really have the
capacity to influence poll results, or are we
wrongly assigning it too much power?

Some find his brash quality beguiling, and his

promises both desirable and repulsive. Whatever
the case, the Davao mayors recipe for seduction
seems to be hitting all the right spots.

Bibeth Orteza
ON HER ROAD TRIP WITH FPJ

Pandays Last Fight

As another Poe guns for the presidency, a friend recalls joining Fernando Poe Jr. on the campaign trail for the 2004
elections, bearing witness to a movie king casting his silver screen magic over farmers and fisherfolk of the hinterlands,
as they lent an ear to an action hero who believed his little people would pull through for him in the end

first worked with Fernando Poe Jr. in his FPJ

Productionss pre-Metro Manila Film Festival offering My Little Christmas Tree, which
screened on November 25, 1977, a full month
before the MMFF. Also in the cast were Nora
Aunor, Chichay, Dencio Padilla, Jimmy Santos,
and Veronica Palileo. We were directed by Pablo
Santiago, a long time FPJ pal since their Lo Waist
Gang days.
Chichay had earlier on requested that she
be let off regularly at 10 P.M., claiming that after that she could no longer recall lines. Chichay
left the set the one day that FPJ came in late,
saying, Pakisabi, umalis na ako. Sa dami ng nakalinya ngayon, imposibleng matapos ako bago
mag-alas diyes!
FPJ arrived some 30 minutes later. I expected

him to send his pal Rudy Meyer to fetch Chichay,

but no. He looked at me and said, Come, lets get
her. I have to apologize.
We didnt get into the back of his car for a
driver to bring us to Chichay. FPJ drove, I sat
beside him. The production person who delivered
call slips was behind us, giving directions from
the FPJ Studios in San Francisco, Del Monte, in
Quezon City, all the way to Chichays house in
Marikina. Chichay met us at the door, FPJ knelt,
quickly, quietly, and humbly. Chichay forgave him,
but of course, and rode back with us to the set,
harrumphing while FPJ kept on chuckling. The
days workload got done. Chichay was released on
schedule. Before she left, Tita Amparingas we
called herturned on her heel, shook a warning
finger at FPJ saying, Huwag ka na uli male-late,

ha? He put his palms together, bowed his head,

laughed, and Tita Amparing cackled with him.
Id already heard about how well he took care
of people, not only those who worked for him, but
even those he hardly knew; of how, on the way
home, hed stop to buy fruits and whatever else
late at night to send street vendors home to sleep;
have school roofs and classrooms fixed in areas
hed seen up close while shooting; pay for hospitalizations, funerals, and school fees of whoever
approached him; prepare packets of relief goods
for those affected by disasters, without his name
or face on the bagsthe Chichay incident confirmed the stories: may puso ang Anak ni Palaris.
FROM THERE, MY ADMIRATION for him knew
no bounds. Each encounter with him I filed in a

I vote, pay taxes, do everything required of a citizen, make lms

showing why we should be proud of who we are, of what we are
as a people, then all of a sudden, Im told Im not Filipino?

ANG SIGA AT ANG KUTING

IMAGE COURTESY OF FPJ PRODUCTIONS

folder on the desktop of my mind: his nuances, his

manner of speech. He spoke English well, but was
never wersh-wersh.
On board with TAPE, Inc. and Eat Bulagas
Tony Tuviera and FPJ scriptwriter Manny Buising in the FPJ media group that put ideas for FPJ
ads together, I wanted to do more. So when one
day in January of 2004 I was informed by FPJ
spokesman Congressman Chiz Escudero that for
FPJs campaign for the presidency Id be master
of ceremonies in sorties and rallies in Borongan,
Calbayog and Catbalogan in Samar, Tacloban
in Leyte, Bacolod in Negros Occidental, and La
Union, I immediately said yes.
A commercial plane first brought me to Tacloban, where I was quickly brought to a small hotel
for the helicopter ride to Samar. FPJ was having
breakfast with Senator Tito Sotto when I walked
in. Cause of delay, my president ribbed me.
The first sortie was in Borongan. Waiting to be
called on stage after the local candidates did their
thing, we were somewhere in the back, kept from
full view by tarpaulins and streamers and vehicles
galore. I bragged to FPJ and Senator Sotto that
I was Samar-born. A group of Warays spotted
us. They recognized FPJ and Senator Sotto, but
gushed excitedly about me. See? I proudly told

the two, They know Im from here!

Woman 1: Agi, asya namat hiya, kay tikang
it hiya dide ha aton! (Thats her alright, shes one
ofus!)
Woman 2: Agi, kay ugangan it hiya ni Armida
Siguion-Reyna! (Shes Armida Siguion-Reynas
daughter-in-law!)
Woman 3: Asawa niya hi Carlitos
Siguion-Reyna! (Shes married to Carlitos
Siguion-Reyna!)
Woman 1, 2, 3: Hi Maribeth Bichara! (Shes
Maribeth Bichara!)
My face fell. Tito Sotto got teary-eyed from
laughing. FPJ laughed so hard he dropped down
on one knee.
On stage, I did my spiels fluently in Waray. FPJ leaned over, mock-seriously whispered:
Youre good, Maribeth!
Daniel Barrion had a sense of humor. He did
well in Borongan.
For this trip we went by helicopter three times.
Twice on the same day, from Tacloban to Borongan, then from Borongan to Calbayog. From
Calbayog we went by land to Catbalogan via the
Maharlika Highway, then we took the helicopter
again to Tacloban the next day.
FPJ never mounted his chopper without look-

FPJ with little Grace Poe who, like her adoptive father in
2004, is now running for the highest post in the land. Grace
appeared as an extra in some of his lms, among them Dugo
ng Bayan, Durugin si Totoy Bato, and Manedyer, si Kumander.
They were really short roles, you probably wont even notice,
she said in an interview. But it at least satised my curiosity
about being in front of the camera. Opposite: Da King with
perennial sidekick Dencio Padilla.

ing for me. Si Bibeth, si Bibeth?

I was touched by the thoughtfulness, and I
told him so. He shot back, I have to take care of
you, Im afraid of your mother-in-law!
IN CALBAYOG, WE WERE MADE to wait in the
parish priests private quarters before the program
started, shortly before lunch.
FPJ was looking out of the window when
I asked what he thought of the sudden doubts
thrown at his citizenship. He went still for a beat,
but kept his eyes on the cheering crowd outside. I
vote, pay taxes, do everything required of a citizen,
make films showing why we should be proud of
who we are, of what we are as a people, then all of
a sudden, Im told Im not Filipino?
Are you angry at the people behind this plot?
I kept at him.
He shrugged. More sad than angry.
A PR I L 2016 65

Bibeth Orteza
ON HER ROAD TRIP WITH FPJ

Another burst of cheering from ground level

distracted him.
I felt a sudden urge to smoke. I moved to the
door. Reggie, FPJs aide, asked where I was going.
Maninigarilyo. Walang ashtray dito.
FPJ left the window, walked to the bed, went
down on all fours, confidently groped with his
right hand on the floor, on the spot directly under
the pillows, andta-dah!brought out an improvised ashtray made from an old tin can.
Howd you know that was there? I asked.
I used to be a sacristan when I was young, he
grinned, like a little boy. I know the secret hiding
places of ashtrays in a church.
His father, Fernando Poe, wanted him to be
priest, if not a doctor. He got his first FAMAS
Best Actor Award in Mga Alabok ng Lupa (1967),
for playing a priest who gentled toughies in
theslums.
He was well-received in Calbayog.

YOU CAN COUNT ON ME

From top: FPJ in his 1975 lm Alupihang Dagat, where he plays the native of a humble shing village hounded by a band of
pirates; slugging it out at the manual counting of votes against Raul Roco, Ping Lacson, Eddie Villanueva, and the proclaimed
winner Gloria Arroyo, May 10, 2004.

66 A PR I L 2016

PHOTO BY DAVID GREEDY/GETTY IMAGES

We didnt think his opponents would dare

cheat, for judging by the reception he got from
north to south of the country, only massive
cheating could do him in. But yes, they dared.

FPJ FRETTED IN THE CLOSED van assigned to us

for the road trip to Catbalogan. He kept squirming in his seat. People wont see us here. They
wont know were inside. Sayang. His sighs got
longer. And louder. He told the driver, Erap,
ihinto mo.
The driver did as told. FPJ went down. We all
did, Senator Tito, Reggie, and I. FPJ paced the
highway, his forehead deeply furrowed, making a
plan he didnt share with us. He stepped aside to
let vehicles pass. Then, from a distance, he saw a
truck coming through with an open load bed and
wooden railings. He rushed to the middle of the
road, flailing his arms. The truck pulled to a stop.
The drivers jaw sagged down in disbelief. Was this
the FPJ before him?
FPJ rented the truck as well as a room in a
nearby house to serve as a holding place for the
goods the truck driver was originally transporting
to Catbalogan, and got the truck drivers services,
too. Erap, OK ba sa iyo kung ikaw na rin ang magmaneho sa amin?
By now the other vehicles in our convoy had
arrived. Up the truck we went. TAPE cameraman Mike Vicencio joined us, as did many others. Wed suddenly become a much bigger group
of around 20.
Suddenly out there lining the Maharlika
Highway, from Calbayog, passing by Sta. Margarita, then Gandara, then San Jorge, were people.
People who came as if from nowhere, running in
from stretches of forest, of trees and more trees.
Where did they come from, from whose houses,
from what communities, how did they know FPJ
was passing through, in pre-smartphone days,
when the phenomenon of every barrio person and
his mother having a cellphone each had yet to be?
FPJ stopped the truck only twice on the way to

Catbalogan, on both instances to talk to the owner

of a horse and then in the next town, the owner
of a carabao with FPJ painted on their animals
bodies. Water paint man la iton, they reasoned
out in Waray, then promised to wash the paint
away before the day was over.
We reached Catbalogan a little over two hours
from Calbayog at around 4 P.M. The plaza was so
crowded that I wept openly to see my birthplace
welcome my president. I wept even more when
I saw older people in the throng crying as well,
shouting his initials out, the only time I didnt
laugh at my ig kasi Warays talent of mispronouncing: If-Pe-Ji! If-Pe-Ji! If-Pe-Ji!
As soon as he heard that, If-Pe-Ji turned to me
with twinkling eyes. It was as if Asedillos humor
never left him.

neighbors would arm themselves with batya and

palu-palo, dos-por-dos and dustpans, walis-tingting,
kalderos and what-have-you, to combat contrabida goons. Even child actors joined in the finale
fight, going back to as far as Jay Ilagan in Anak ng
Bulkan, Bentot Jr., Dranreb, Nio Muhlach, and
Vandolph, to name a fewand his voice cut off
my thoughts. Have faith in the little people. They
will not let us down.
An hour or so in the car with us, he never referred to himself as I. Winning, for him, was a
matter of we or us.

OUR GROUP CHECKED INTO Rolets Hotel after

the citywide motorcade.
Right away I made pasyada with my cousins
Mimay, Weng, and her husband Eamon. We went
around on foot for about two hours. Back in the
hotel to freshen up, Reggie was pacing in the lobby waiting for me. Hinahanap ka ni Mager! FPJs
staff affectionately gave him nicknames. Mager
was short for Manager and he was also Piryong.
It turned out he wanted a tabo in his bathroom,
but didnt know the Waray word for it. I translated: Kabo. Eseng ng Tondo was not one to impose himself.
MEDIAVILLO TOOK CATBALOGAN BY STORM
as he did Tacloban, and Bacolod, and La Union.
Pangasinan. Ilocos. Mindanao, particularly. The
others who went with him to other places predicted a sure win. Daya na lang ang ikatatalo ng
kandidato natin.
We didnt think his opponents would dare
cheat, for judging by the reception he got from
north to south of the country, only massive cheating could do him in.
But yes, they dared. Hello, Garci?
The day after the elections, we were at the
Makati Coliseum, tabulating results coming in via
cellphones. FPJ was ahead in Metro-Manila, but
an alarming trend was fast appearing.
A street rally was called the night of May 11,
2004, to protest the increasingly apparent cheating. I was standing by the small truck commandeered as makeshift stage, waiting for my turn to
speak, when Susan Tagle, FPJs Girl Friday, made
her way to me: Tawag tayo.
FPJs white Land Cruiser was parked alongside
the Mandarin Hotel. Tagle and I got in, and he
told his driver Mario to leave us for a while. Then
he let out his first question: Why are we out on
the streets? Are we not winning?
Sir, I replied, calling him that for the first

IKAW ANG MAHAL KO

From top: With wife, actress Susan Roces, who joined her
husband during the 2004 campaign trail; the author, Bibeth
Orteza, with her husband, lmmaker Carlitos Siguion-Reyna,
and their children Aya and Rafa, joined by FPJ.

time since wed become friends. We were checking the returns. Youre winning greatly in the munisipyos, but figures are being altered at the end of
the day at kapitolyo level. It looks like some people
are ensuring your defeat. Tagle agreed with me
and said more.
He slapped his thigh with a resounding whack.
How low you think of the little people! Pareho
pa naman kayong galing UP! he said. If cheatings really been planned, you think theres not one
guard at the Comelec who will stand up to volunteer that hed heard cheating being discussed? You
think theres not one school teacher who will come
out to complain theyre being made to change tally
sheets? You think the Church will just let this go
by, the priests, the nuns? What about the students?
Wont they want to have their say?
As he spoke, I recalled the little people in his
films, where he never really won the fight on his
own but always with the help of his community:

ON NOVEMBER 4 OF 2004, my mother-in-law

and my husband celebrated their birthdays at the
German Club in Legaspi Village. FPJ was there,
with wife Susan, who was Manang Inday to Carlitos and I, and Mama Inday to our children Aya
and Rafa. The couple left earlier than others, and
Rafa and I brought them to the elevator. Rafa said,
Good night, Mr. President.
The image of FPJs response is still in my head,
how he turned, how his mouth broke into an o,
how with a slow smile he turned to face Manang
Inday and saw her smiling at Rafa, too.
I underwent a mastectomy two weeks later at
the Makati Medical Center. I woke up to see FPJ
standing by my left side, his two thumbs tucked
into the side pockets of his jeans, as usual. How
are you? he quietly asked.
Well, they took a load off my chest, so I guess
gumaan ang pakiramdam ko.
He giggled his FPJ macho giggle, his left hand
flying to massage the bridge of his nose, right by
his eyes, as he was wont to do when trying to control his laughter. Im glad you still have your sense
of humor, he said.
What else does a woman do when she loses a
breast, but keep what she can keep? Bungisngis uli
siya. We chatted for a few more minutes. I threw
him a question, just as he was about to go. I hear
youre being invited by the Powers-That-Be to discuss electoral fraud? Is this true?
He turned to look at me. Yes.
Are you going?
Im not sure. Still thinking about it.
Why think about it pa?
Im really not comfortable with the idea of another country deciding who sits in as president of
our country.
But thats what theyve always been doing!
Iexclaimed.
He wagged a finger at me. Youre a leftist, Maribeth. And then he was gone.
Theres so much more Id like to say about
that election year. But I stop here now, to just
simply remind us all: he was Royalty. He was
King. Ang Panday was the real winner of the electionsof2004.
A PR I L 2016 67

Victor Andres Manhit

ON THE RISE OF A FOURTH MEDIA

The Revolution Will Be Tweeted

Will Facebook conversations predict the outcome of the 2016 elections? Or, as a data expert and
former campaign strategist asks, are we assigning social media the gravitas it has yet to deserve?

68 A PR I L 2016

movements like elections. There was undue and

unwarranted emphasis, they said, on its power
in tilting public opinion. Even with mass media
echoing trends and goings-on in the online world,
they were still no match to name recall, machinery, TV, and radio adstraditional tools in all national campaigns.
But a lot has changed since then. In 2013, only
30 percent of Filipinos had access to the Internet,
a number that has grown dramatically over the
last three years. That social media could emerge
as a game changer in the coming national elections is most evident in the increasingly dedicated
and sophisticated social media campaigns of all

five presidential aspirants. Which is hardly surprising. Filipinos spend an average of 6.3 hours a
day online, the highest in the world. Almost half
of those online are below 34 years old, matching
the youthful demographic of the voting population. While candidates are spending heavily on
political ads via traditional tri-media, it is hard to
discount the five to 10 million Filipinos who encounter political campaigns online.
At its best, social media can be utilized by
campaigns to spur engagement and pave the way
for genuine conversation with potential voters, experts say. With Facebook as top favorite (with 26
million Pinoys using it everyday, mostly via their

ART BY DAN MATUTINA

n the 2013 senatorial elections, one of the most

denigrated candidates on social media was
Nancy Binay, the eldest daughter of incumbent Vice President Jejomar Binay. Everything
was thrown at her, from lack of experience in public service to potshots at her complexion. When
smoke from the polls had cleared, she emerged
fifth in the race, the only opposition candidate in
the top 10, and one of only three in the magic
12. She outperformed some of the most seasoned
politicians in the contest, including a few with a
formidable social media presence.
Some said Binays victory put to question
the influence of social media in shaping popular

Social media Black Ops have no rules and are

almostimpossible to prosecute, especially when false
or even stolen identities are used for authorship.
mobile phones), the various social media platforms have become integrated in a new ecosystem for news media. Television, radio, print, and
social media have now developed an overlapping
exchange that feeds on each others content.
Seeing social media now as an avenue to expand ones campaign, political operators predictably have a field day with this new ecosystem.
Demolition jobs aimed at rival candidates are
launched and operated on a new and, some would
say, more potent stage. Black Ops theyre called,
starting with a target, an objective, strategy, tactics,
and of course, resources. Once a plan has been approved by a principal, social media operators are
recruited and briefed on the mission. The number
of operators will depend on the scale of operation:
a few bloggers, an army, or even an ad-hoc alliance
of social media special ops groups. Compensation may be on a retainer or performance basis.
Required output would range from social media
posts, reactions in the selected news websites
andblogs.
Parameters on messaging, if any, are then set,
and when executed, the content posted is often
left to the creativity of each posts writer. Most
of the time its anything goes, but ideally the
language is styled to make it appear as genuine
online comments from real people. The success of a social media campaign hinges, after all,
in authenticity and transparency. Netizens belong to the educated and thinking voting public
who have the smarts to discern the fakes, the
ones that oversell a candidate, or worse, try hard
to paint an image that is biased, one-sided, or
plain dishonest.
This is how some experts have accounted for
the popularity of US presidential aspirant Donald
Trump. Trump is perceived as real, even if many
of his views are politically untenable. He regularly
posts unedited harangues on Twitter, rarely mincing words. On the other hand, locally, a perception
of inauthenticity has long hounded the campaign
of administration bet Mar Roxas, which some say
explains his difficulty in connecting with voters.
But unlike TV and radio practitioners who
work under legal media organizations, who must
abide by their organizations internal policy, journalistic ethics, and self-regulation, social media
Black Ops have no rules and are almost impos-

sible to prosecute, especially when false or even

stolen identities are used for authorship.
The same way that Nancy Binay gained online notoriety through anonymously created
memes, online conversations today are routinely
highjacked by users of suspicious identitybogus
private armies or Internet warriors posting messages all day, set up precisely to tilt these conversations in favor of certain candidates. It is virtually
impossible to expose these operations, much less
police them.
In February, social media-savvy news website
Rappler said it detected manipulation in one of
its surveys. It said there was a curious pattern in
the surge of votes from overseas, all of which benefit one candidate: Mar Roxas. The Roxas campaign quickly distanced itself from the attempt
to game the survey. In a statement, it said: We
are firmly committed to a campaign that empowers every Filipino to express his or her choice
freely and credibly, not only at the polls but in all
public fora.
These demonstrate the potential dangers in
this new battleground. Because of the mediums
accessible, anonymous, and open nature, it is
nearly impossible to regulate. Principles of journalism ethics, such as on accuracy, fact checking,
and attribution do not apply. The responsibility of
filtering usable, reliable content from malicious
rubbish is left to the user, who is bombarded with
information around the clock.
The implications are multifarious and go
beyond politics. If social media, for instance,
could help third-ranked Davao Mayor Rodrigo
Duterte, who enjoys massive and dedicated online
support, clinch the presidency, it will disrupt current trends and conventions in political marketing
expenditure and strategy. It is a game changer that
could well bleed into the way mainstream commerce invests in marketing campaigns, which is
still largely conducted offline. The outcome of
the 2016 elections will gauge the effectiveness of
social media in shaping a national exercise like a
presidential election. But will it replace traditional
media as the new medium for political conversations during a campaign? Or will it prove to be, at
most, a new channel, a new above-the-line alternative, unable to preventor predicta Nancy
Binay kind of victory?

THE ONLY
MAGAZINE
THE POWER SET
READS FROM
COVER TO
COVER.

READ ROGUE MAGAZINE

ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ON YOUR
IPAD, ANDROID, MAC, AND PC.
ZINIO.COM/ROGUE

J U N E 2015 69

Patrick Paez
ON THE DAREDEVIL FROM DAVAO

Talk Duterte To Me
From the push and pull in filing his candidacy to the brusque statements
against his political opponents, presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte knows
just the right buttons to push, the G spots that make a public lust for hima
craft he mastered in his personal life and in politics

70 A PR I L 2016

candidate, only to end up running again himself.

It had become so predictable that his own people
shrugged whenever hed go on the record saying
he was not interested in the presidency. Because
all the time he was saying so, his political machine
was humming and running. City Hall employees
were the least surprised: they were already issued
campaign t-shirts. Up until the last day of filing of
COC, people close to Duterte were feeding media with all sorts of information: he had bought
plane tickets and was flying in any moment; he
was holed up in Manila Hotel, waiting for the final hour to file his candidacy certificate.
Duterte went around the country on a listening tour to promote federalism, yet what heightened was not awareness of a new form of government but of him. He gladly accepted every media
invitation to deny he was running, and at the
same time tease the public with his vision of what
it would be like under a Duterte regime: he will
shut down congress if they obstruct him; the funeral business will experience a boom in the wake
of his anti-crime campaign.
I am also reminded of Miriam Santiago
in1991.
She had shot to national prominence as the
RTC judge who ate death threats for breakfast.
Appointed by Cory as immigration commissioner, Miriam one day issued a press statement denying she was running for president. Until that press
statement, there was hardly talk of her running. It
was that statement in fact that introduced the idea
of her as presidential material. It was classic wag
the dog; a denial that set her on the road to the
1992 presidential election, where she placed second (and only because she was cheated, she says,
by Fidel Ramos). Miriam has mounted a second
attempt at the presidency, this time using pickup
and hugot lines as way to seduce voters.
In my interview with him in April, Duterte
was not the cussing, cocky-yet-charming pol we
often see on TV or read about. He was calm, collected, and somewhat introspective (in short, it
was a boring interview). He offered insight on
why he was different from the rest: he had the
right moves, literally. The masses know, from the
moment you step out of the car, if you are one

MR. SUAVE

Despite his brash rhetoric,

some camps are predicting
a smooth road from Davao
City Hall to Malacaang
Palace for Duterte,
photographed here in
characteristic rogue style:
barong and maong.

of them. The untucked plaid shirt. The motorcycle. The menacing threats. The DOM moves.
Dancing the nae-nae on Gandang Gabi, Vice. A
lawyer by profession, born of middle-class parents, Duterte had the ability to empathize, to be
common, not to alienate. He had street cred and
moved in the ways of the jungle and wild that is
Davao City and the rest of the country as well.
The people perhaps are less in need of an enlightened leader than a strongman because they
are powerless; a champion who can fix things for
them fast because they are close to desperation.
Duterte knows the right touch points, the erogenous zones of voters, how to whet their appetite
and make them lust for hima craft he mastered

PHOTO BY EDWIN TUYAY

or someone who claims to have led a wild,

wasted youth, Rodrigo Duterte has transformed Davao City into the countrys
most antiseptic city, akin to a provincial
Singapore. Laws on smoking, littering, driving,
drinking, and videoke are enforced in a manner
that some say has made Davao boring. Nightlife
is dead past 10 P.M.quite unfairly, one might
add, because Duterte once indulged in all common vices. There is only one vice that he and his
dear city have not given up: women. He thanks
Viagra for allowing him intimate pleasures in his
senior years.
His open flirtation with female reporters, in
full view of crowd and cameras, is the stuff of legendand printable and air-worthy news. This is
where Dutertes art of politics cum seduction becomes conspicuous. No Filipino leader has been
punished in the polls for his philandering. If anything, he is rewarded. The fairy tale weddings of
Mar and Chiz come only second to the narrative
of a virile love conquistador.
Shortly before the 2010 voting, a picture of
Jejomar Binay with another woman surfaced suspiciously in social media. Being caught in the embrace of a younger, taller, skinnier, and fairer lady
was only slightly embarrassing. While that photo
may not have sealed his victory, it certainly foiled
those who plotted to thwart him.
I am reminded of that well-funded, well-researched campaign of another presidential aspirant. His handlers offered to pay a celebrity friend
handsomely to be romantically linked to the, of
course, married politician. Radio commentators
and tabloid columnists on retainer would take
care of spreading it. The ploy was to ensure the
candidates talkability and name-recall via the
requisite reputation of being a babaero and an
idol. It is in this context that we might want to
view Dutertes atras-abante, insertion-withdrawal
(or cock-teasing) over his presidential run late
lastyear.
I was in Davao City in April for a story on
how it became an oasis of order and discipline
in Mindanao. A local reporter pointed out that
Duterte was notorious for filing his COC on the
last day, always. Once, he had already endorsed a

No Filipino leader has

been punished in the polls
for his philandering. If
anything, he is rewarded.
The fairy tale weddings of
Mar and Chiz come only
second to the narrative of
a virile love conquistador.

in his personal life and in politics. All that flipflopping or indecision did not stall his candidacy.
It was seductiona coitus interruptus. It was pure
method, a tactic he employed for 22 years as
mayor and left much of Davao City asking for
more Duterte.
From single digit, his survey ratings are now in
the 20s, second only to the heir of FPJ. But while
Grace Poe has been tested in a national election
and has the Senate for a springboard, Duterte is
going straight for Malacaang from the Davao
City Hall. Not even the popular Erap Estrada,
who went from San Juan mayor to senator and
then vice president, was as brash.
Backstage at UP Cebu for the TV5 debate,

Duterte sat with his second wife Honeylet and

their daughter. There was no cordon sanitaire of
seasoned politicians, political operators, or hotshot lawyers on loan from generous taipans.
Sitting outside the room on a monobloc stool
was his man Friday, Bong Go. Duterte is never
anywhere without him. Go hardly said a word,
his attention intensely fixed on SMS exchanges
coming in the two Nokia GSM phones he held
in each hand. Duterte was in jeans. He matched
it with a barong he unfolded from a bag and wore
with buttons half open and sleeves rolled halfway.
Admittedly, it was a refreshing sight. Duterte
continues to defy and dumbfound in ways that
has left more and more Filipinos turned on.

J O Y F U L

R O S S I

O F

Shes always been drawn toward the wilder options, in willful disregard of what the show biz establishment deems beautiful
actresses her age ought to be. On the occasion of two stunning lms shes wrapped up as of late, one of them the spectacular Lav
Diaz opus Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis, Alessandra de Rossi talks to Philbert Dy about her other devotionmaking musicand
how in song as in her lms, she continues to dance to the beat of her own making

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARK NICDAO / STYLED BY PATRICK GALANG

D E

M Y S T E R I E S

A L E S S A N D R A

T H E

ALESSANDRA
DE ROSSI
DOESNT
HAVE WHAT
IT TAKES
TO REALLY
MAKE IT BIG
IN SHOW
BUSINESS.
She knows it. She admits to being unable to live up to the expectations
this industry seems to have for its artistas. She doesnt have the disposition
necessary to navigate the tricky politics of the work. She has hard limits for
what shell do on screen: she doesnt do love scenes and she wont do horror.
She is, perhaps, a little too frank, unwilling to hide behind a public persona of
generic, unthreatening civility. She doesnt play ball with the press, skipping
out of press cons before the one-on-one sessions begin, wary of the show biz
establishments hunger for easy headlines.
Despite being one of the most talented actresses working in the Philippines today, her career has largely existed in the margins. She is a mainstay of
the local independent film scene, an active participant in the continuing evolution of our cinema. Shes worked with the likes of Aureaus Solito (Busong),
Raya Martin (Independencia), Adolf Alix (Romeo at Juliet), and just recently,
Lav Diaz in the much lauded Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis.
On television screens, she is likely playing the villainous foil tormenting
the heroine of whatever teleserye is out there. Alam na nila: basta pag may kontrabida na medyo mabigat yung role, si Alex yon. (Alex is, of course, the shorter
and spunky version of her real name, Alessandra) There is a tinge of tired
acceptance in her voice. She bristles at being typecast into this kind of role,
but she also acknowledges how having a steady job allows her the freedom
to pursue other projects.
Its paying for my house, my bills, she says. Im proud to say that without compromising, Im close to paying off my house after 10 years.
Everyone has a day job, she says. This is mine.
This doesnt stop her from voicing her displeasure at how these shows
are done. I have a problem with how they do characters. Its all so clich.
She talks about how she cant make sense of her characters, how their awful
behavior is always just passed off as a consequence of having some sort of
mental disorder.
Palagi na lang bipolar. Hindi ba pwedeng maiba?
There was a time I wanted to destroy Alessandra de Rossi, she said. I
wanted to kill that person na ginawa nila. Hindi naman ako yon. But now,
she seems to have made some peace with her function within this machinery.
Im really grateful to the people who give me this work, she says. Kung
74 A PR I L 2016

wala to, hindi ko rin magagawa yung mga talagang gusto ko.
She talks about the music video that she shot just last night. This is what
I spend my money on, she says. Some girls buy bags. I make music videos.
The song is called Swept Away. She wrote it while in Palawan, shooting Baybayin back in 2012. She rattles off lyrics that she wrote at the height of her
dissatisfaction with her roles on local TV.
The song is a single from her second album. Her music places her airy vocals on top of electronic melodies that wouldnt feel out of place in an American indie film. It is reminiscent at times of The Postal Service, or maybe
Imogen Heap. She is releasing this album for free on the Internet. Her first
one, Adrift, was also released this way. She isnt making any money from her
music, despite the time that she puts into it.
Wala talaga, she says. Passion ko to, eh.
I talked to record producers, and I had to be honest. Wala namang market
yung genre ko. Hindi naman ito mapapatugtog sa radyo.
I like having control over every aspect of the music. If something doesnt
turn out right, wala na akong masisisi kundi ako.
And this seems to be her pattern. She stomachs work over which she has
little control, so that shes free to do other gigs that allow her to express who
she really is. She admits she allows herself a little more humor toward her TV
work now. Kung gusto nila baliw, yun talaga ibibigay ko. Baliw na baliw. She
embraces the larger-than-life silliness of her roles, going over the top with
her villainy. She professes a belief in the growing sophistication of the viewer,
hoping that theyll see the whole thing for what it is: a farce.
And then, after the bills are paid, she takes control. She makes her music.
Shes bankrolling her videos. And she continues to carve out her niche in the
now decade-long revolution that is our independent cinema.
It really doesnt pay well, she admits. There are still some productions
that I never got paid for. But thats okay.
She speaks highly of her experiences in these films. They are where she
gets to expand her horizons. She begged her bosses to let her shoot Ice
Idanans Sakaling di Makarating, where she is a romantic lead, a young artist
wandering the country in search for answers that could fix a broken heart. In
Zig Dulays Bambanti, she is a mother defending her family from small town
persecution. In Paul Sorianos Kid Kulafu, she is a young Dionisia Pacquiao.
In Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis, she is Caesaria Belarmino, a woman who betrays her hometown to the Spanish invaders and does penance by accompanying Gregoria de Jesus on her quest to find the remains of Andres Bonifacio. The character, bursting with nuance and complexity, stands in direct
contrast to the roles she gets on TV.
My biggest regret is not being able to finish high school, she says. Wala
talaga akong alam. And so she reveled in the opportunity to work in this
historical playground, taking lessons in the countrys past from Lav Diaz.
Ang dami-dami kong natutunan from making this movie.
This is how she has functioned for the last few years, and though it seems
to work for her, its clear that Alex is hungry for more. I want to see what
else I can do, she says. Pwede ba akong maging leading lady? Pwede ba akong
maging Bea Alonzo?
People havent seen the Alex thats alone with her boyfriend.
And shes already thinking of a time beyond being an actress. Gusto kong
mag-off-cam, dahil wala naman akong planong magpagawa ng mukha, she
says quite frankly. Shes already written two screenplays, and shes pitched
them to producers. She has plans of directing one of them. She talks about
these projects with certainty and clarity. These things are going to happen. Its
not a matter of if, but when.
Alessandra de Rossi doesnt have what it takes to be really big in this industry. If she did, she might have paid off her house in five years, rather than
10. But this is not a bad thing. She just isnt wasting any more time than she
has to on work she isnt comfortable doing. She skipped the part in the actors
career where one only does things for the money. Right from the start, she
was already exploring the wilderness, taking risks usually unavailable to stars
who have become untouchable because of their success.
Alex doesnt have time for all that. She no longer has time to worry about
what other people think, no longer cares enough about being stuck in a rut in
television. Shes got other things to do, and in the fringes of this strange, grueling industry, shes carved out a career that continues to defy expectations.

CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION HIGHWAISTED TROUSERS, DR. MARTENS

LEATHER BOOTS. PREVIOUS PAGE:
H&M CROPPED TOP, ACNE STUDIOS
DECONSTRUCTED DENIM TROUSERS

CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION

SUIT JACKET, DKNY SWIM BIKINI
BOTTOM, DR. MARTENS LEATHER
BOOTS. OPPOSITE: H&M SWEATER

M A K E U P B Y R O B B I E P I E R A / H A I R B Y M A R K FA M I L I A R A
PHOTOGRAPHER ASSISTED BY JAMES BAUTISTA,CHRIS SOCO, AND EGOY
DIGITAL IMAGING BY CARLO SARDES / MOOO DIGITAL PRODUCTIONS

H&M SWEATER, DKNY

SWIM BIKINIBOTTOM

Presidential hopeful Donald Trump lives like a king when hes at his Mar-a-Lago
estate in Palm Beach, no small thanks to the man who keeps it that way: Anthony
Senecal, his butler of three decades. Speaking to Jason Horowitz about his

employers quirks and ostentations, the 74-year-old servant allows a peek into his
masters charmed life inside the 118-room Mediterranean-style mansiona castle
that could very well be the future winter White House
P H O T O G R A P H S B Y E R I C T H AY E R

84 A PR I L 2016

would rock on the plate, it was so well done), and how Trump insistsdespite the hair salon on the premiseson doing his own hair.
Senecal knows how to stroke his ego and lift his spirits, like the time years
ago he received an urgent warning from Trumps soon-to-land plane that the
mogul was in a sour mood. Senecal quickly hired a bugler to play Hail to the
Chief as Trump stepped out of his limousine to enter Mar-a-Lago.
Most days, though, he greeted Trump with little fanfare, taking the suit
he arrived in to be pressed in the full-service laundry in the basement.
The next morning, before dawn and after about four hours sleep, Trump
would meet him at the arched entrance of his private quarters to accept a
bundle of newspapers including The New York Times, The Daily News, The
New York Post, and the Palm Beach papers. Trump would emerge hours later,
in khakis, a white golf shirt, and baseball cap. If the cap was white, the staff
noticed, the boss was in a good mood. If it was red, it was best to stay away.
On Sundays, Trump would drive himself to his nearby golf course, alternating each year between his black Bentley and his white Bentley.
Senecal tried to retire in 2009, but Trump decided he was irreplaceable,
so while Senecal was relieved of his butler duties, he has been kept around
as a kind of unofficial historian at Mar-a-Lago. Tony, to retire is to expire,

IMAGE BY STEVE STARR/CORBIS

verything seemed to sparkle at the Mar-a-Lago

estate here on a recent afternoon. The sun glinted
off the pool and the black Secret Service SUVs in
the circular driveway. Palm trees rustled in a warm
breeze, croquet balls clicked, and a security guard
stood at the entrance to Donald Trumps private
living quarters.
You can always tell when the king is here,
Trumps longtime butler here, Anthony Senecal,
said of the master of the house and Republican presidential candidate.
The king was returning that day to his Versailles, a 118-room snowbirds
paradise that will become a winter White House if he is elected president.
Mar-a-Lago is where Trump comes to escape, entertain, and luxuriate in
a Mediterranean-style manse, built 90 years ago by cereal heiress Marjorie
Merriweather Post.
Few people here can anticipate Trumps demands and desires better than
Senecal, 74, who has worked at the property for nearly 60 years, and half of
these years in service to Trump.
He understands Trumps sleeping patterns and how he likes his steak (It

A KING IN HIS CASTLE

Left: The 17-acre beachfront estate Mar-a-Lagothe longtime winter home of billionaire Donald Trumplies at the
water's edge in Palm Beach, one of Florida's wealthiest enclaves. From above: The Republican presidential candidate often
hosts news conferences for his campaign at the mansion, which he partly transformed into a members-only private club in;
Anthony Senecal, 74, has served as the tycoon's butler at Mar-a-Lago for nearly 30 years .

PHOTO BY TOM WILLIAMS/CQ ROLL CALL

Trump told him. Ill see you next season.

Senecal, with horn-rimmed glasses, a walrus mustache, and a white
pocket kerchief in his black jacket, seems to reflect his boss worldview: He
worries about attacks by Islamic terrorists and is critical of Trumps ex-wives.
And like Trump, he is at ease among the celebrities who visit the estate.
But while he might once have admired Dixie Carter sipping crme de menthe by the fireplace and reciting soliloquies from the television show Designing Women, these days Senecal encounters Gov. Chris Christie of New
Jersey lounging on a couch under the living rooms 21-foot gold-leafed ceiling, or chatting with Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama as he exits the luxurious
Spanish Room.
The butlers up-close observations of Trump over the years have revealed not only the moguls quirksTrump rarely appears in bathing
trunks, for example, and does not like to swimbut also his habitual,
self-soothing exaggerations.
In the early years, Trumps daughter Ivanka slept in the same childrens
suite that Dina Merrill, an actress and a daughter of Post, occupied in the
1930s. Trump liked to tell guests that the nursery rhyme-themed tiles in the
room were made by a young Walt Disney.

You dont like that, do you? Trump would say when he caught Senecal
rolling his eyes. The house historian would protest that it was not true.
Who cares? Trump would respond with a laugh.
Trump is abundantly proud of his ability to drive a golf ball, once asking
rhetorically during a news conference: Do I hit it long? Is Trump strong?
Senecal suggested that Trump was perhaps not quite as strong as he
imagined, remembering times they would hit balls together from the Mara-Lago property into the Intracoastal Waterway.
Tony, how far is that? Trump would ask.
Its like 275 yards, Senecal would respond, though he said the actual
distance was 225 yards.
Still, Senecal said that Trump could be generous when the mood struck
him, sometimes peeling $100 bills from a wad in his pocket to give to the
groundskeepers, whom Senecal described as appreciative.
Youre a Hispanic and youre in here trimming the trees and everything,
and a guy walks up and hands you a hundred dollars, Senecal said. And
they love him, not for that, they just love him.
According to Mar-a-Lago lore, Post, who was once the wealthiest woman in the United States, scoped out the property that would become the
A PR I L 2016 85

86 A PR I L 2016

Senecal adored the Trump children, but found Ivana

an especially demanding presence. She would instruct
him to get that spot out of that rug and then do it
herself if he failed. The gardeners would go inside
when she wanted to swim naked in the pool.
estate in the 1920s by crawling through the junglelike brush between Lake
Worth and the Atlantic Ocean. She imported stone from Genoa, Italy, and
16th-century Flemish tapestries that she protected by drawing the drapes in
the brightest hours. (They faded after Trump bought the place and blasted
the living room with sunlight.)
When she died in 1973, Post left the house to the US government with
the intent that it would become a presidential retreat. But the upkeep proved
too expensive, and ownership was transferred back to Posts daughters, who
unloaded it to Trump for less than $10 million in 1985. He turned it into a
private club a decade later.
These days, what really seems to bug Trump is the sound of planes over
the property. Whereas Post ensured that the nearby airport would divert
flights away from the estate during her stays, the same courtesy has not
been extended to Trump, and the constant roar of engines drives him nuts,
Senecal said.
Tony, Trump would often shout. Call the tower!
The candidate is suing the county-run airport. He has also sued the town
in a dispute over the size of his estates flagpole; the size of the banquet hall
he added to the property; and the size of the club, which, to frighten the local
gentry, he once threatened to sell to followers of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.
More recently, Mar-a-Lago has set off controversy in the Republican
primary, as Trump has been criticized by rivals for hiring employees from
abroad to staff the club rather than relying on the local workforce.
There are a lot of Romanians, theres a lot of South Africans, we have
one Irishman, Senecal said of the staff, before echoing Trumps defense that
locals shunned the short-term seasonal work. But he also added of the foreigners: Theyre so good. They are so professional. These local people, he
trailed off, making a disapproving face.
Over the decades, he has grown close to the Trump family. He recalled
how Trumps father, Fred C. Trump, once stepped out of his limo on the
clubs gravel driveway and remarked to Senecal, Somebody better get that
coin. The butler went on his hands and knees and after a few minutes found
a crusty penny.
His eyes were incredible, Senecal said of Fred Trump. Mr. Trump has
the same eyes.
He also remembered Donald Trumps young sons running through the
library, paneled with centuries-old British oak and filled with rare first-edition books that no one in the family ever read. When the library became a
bar, Trump put a portrait of himself on a wall, posing in tennis whites.
Ive been in other homes in Palm Beachsame exact painting, Senecal
confided archly. Just a different head.
Senecal adored the Trump children, but found Ivana, Trumps first wife,
an especially demanding presence. She would instruct him to get that spot
out of that rug and then do it herself if he failed. She would occasionally tell
Senecal to have the gardeners go inside because she wanted to swim naked
in the pool.
In 1990, Senecal took a sabbatical to become the mayor of a town in
West Virginia, where he gained some notoriety for a proposal requiring all
panhandlers to carry begging permits. He said that Trump wrote to him,
This is so great, Tony.
Senecal returned in 1992, and took up his old residence in the butlers
room, but was soon asked to move out after Trump married Marla Maples,
who really didnt belong here, Senecal said. Also, Trump wanted to rent the
room out to members.
A decade later, Trump decided to put his own imprint on Mar-a-Lago

THE GLITTER AND THE GOLD

Above: A 1946 portrait of socialite and heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, who wears a Cartier
diamond and sapphire necklace. The daughter of cereal magnate and General Foods founder
C. W. Post was the "dowager queen of Palm Beach" when she built Mar-a-Lago (Spanish for
Sea to Lake) for $8 million in 1927. Trump bought the property in 1985 from Post's daughter,
who unloaded it for less than $10 million. Opposite, top to bottom: Much like the rest of the
mansion's 118 rooms, the living room has remained largely unchanged over the years; the Card
Room. The house was originally designed by society architect Marion Sims Wyeth.

by building the 20,000-square-foot Donald J. Trump Ballroom. The venue

made its big debut with the 2005 wedding of Trump to Melania Trump,
whom Senecal described as exceptionally compassionate. Tony Bennett,
whose paintings hang in the mansion, sang. Senecal greeted guests at the
door, including Hillary Clinton. (In the interview, he offered a profane description for Clinton, the front-runner in the Democratic presidential race.)
The ballroom later hosted an 80th birthday party for Maya Angelou,
thrown by Oprah Winfrey, during which part of the hall was set aside for
a religious ceremony with the hooting and the hollering, Senecal recalled.
Mr. Trump was right on into it. It was so great. He was clapping.
Senecals admiration for his longtime boss seems to know few limits. On
March 6, as Trump made his way through the living room on his way to
the golf course, Senecal called out All rise! to the club members and staff.
Theyrose.
Trump was wearing a Make America Great Again cap. It was white, not
red. He seemed in a good mood.
A PR I L 2016 87

1. ROXAS, MANUEL ARANETA

2. POE, GRACE
3. DUTERTE, RODRIGO
4. BINAY, JEJOMAR

The vote of the rich and powerful will not account for much in the polls
given their miniscule populace, but their vote of confidencein the form
of millions and private planescan easily put wannabe presidents to
power. Nelson Navarro presents a guide to this election seasons contenders and the money behind them, while Iris Gonzales divulges the
politics
liti off big
bi b
business
i
b
backing
ki palace
l
h
hopefuls
f l

The countrys businessmen

know how it goes every
presidential election season;
they know the game like the
back of their hand and can
retell it like runes.
Each presidential candidate gets their supportfrom millions in cash for campaign expenses to the free use of their private jets for
provincial sorties, sources in the different business
circles say.
As a practice, all businessmen support all
candidates, says Filipino-Chinese businessman
Francis Chua, chairman emeritus of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. But
there will always be one candidate who will get a
bigger share of donations and resources, another
businessman says. They usually give to all but to
their preferred candidate, they give more. That is
how it plays every election season, he explains.
Sometimes, they agree among themselves on
who would be the favored candidate but most decide on whats good for their business. Its called
self-preservation, he says.
Its no surprise that businesses have been thriving for decades even as presidents have come and
gone. In this country of 100 million people, the
countrys richest people account for more than 70
percent of the economy.
This year will be no different. The race is on
and the countrys richest have thrown their support to the five candidatesto the Kings daughter who promised to set the stage for investments
to pour in; to the former city mayor with a P1.2
billion mansion; to the heir to the yellow throne
who vowed to keep the country corruption-free;
to the charming bully who will fight criminals
and bring back peace and order and to the female
judge who insists she is healthy enough to be the
next president.
Among the five, it is the Kings daughter, current presidential frontrunner Senator Grace Poe
who is said to be the favorite of businessmen
including San Miguel Corp. (SMC) president
Ramon Ang, ports tycoon Enrique Razon, and
the Zobel brothers, Jaime Augusto and Fernando,
various sources in the business circle say.
Some members of the Makati Business Club
and Management Association of the Philippines, the two most influential business groups,
are likewise rumored to favor Poe among all
the candidates.
They are for Poe maybe because she is inexperienced, which makes her receptive to their ideas,
one source says.
In a dialogue with members of the two groups
last month, Poe gave businessmen what they
wanted to hear.
I want you to make lots of money so that you
90 A PR I L 2016

will reinvest the profits here, create more jobs for

our people, and pay more taxes to fund our social
projects, she says, drawing loud applause from
the crowd of businessmen.
However, the same crowd also gave Liberal
Party presidential aspirant Mar Roxas the same
warm welcome when it was his turn to attend
the presidential forum hosted by the two businessgroups.
MBC president Ramon del Rosario Jr. said the
business groups have invited all presidential candidates to present their platforms of government
and policies.
For some Chinese businessmen, meanwhile,
the choice is Duterte because of his promises to
fight institutionalized crime and corruption.
I believe Duterte would be a good and strong
president to lead the nation in going against institutionalized crime and corruption. His strongarm tactic should make people respect and obey
the law or suffer the consequences. Legitimate
businesses have a better chance of survival if corruption, political patronage, and smuggling can
be totally eradicated, says Eugene Villanueva,
Crown Asia president.
But businessmen insist they equally support
each and every candidate.
I support all. I am not stupid to support just
one candidate because I work in San Miguel and
it would affect the company. That is why, all those
who are running, we help them. They can borrow
my plane as long as its available, SMCs Ang
tells Rogue.
Poe and her vice presidential candidate Francis
Chiz Escudero have secured the endorsement of
the National Peoples Coalition, a political party
headed by SMC chairman Eduardo Danding
Cojuangco, but Ang says Poe does not use San
Miguels planes.
The plane that Poe borrowed is not owned
by SMC, its my personal plane and other people
use it as well including Liberal Party members,
he clarifies.
Whoever wins in this years elections is still
anybodys guess. Theres no telling for now if the
Kings daughter can keep her lead in the surveys
or if Duterte, the charming bully, will back out at
the last minute.
What is clear is that whoever wins, it will be
business-as-usual for the countrys businessmen
because, as in previous elections, they have placed
their bets well enough to keep them where they
are. IRIS GONZALES

MANUEL
ARANETA
ROXAS
THE HEIR ALSO RISES

or almost a decade or so, Roxas has been in a

seemingly rabid pursuit of the presidency. As
noted, the closest he ever got was to lag far
behind Manny Villar in 2010, only to save
face by giving way to the last-minute man of the
hour, Benigno S. Aquino III. What had loomed
as Roxass certain victory as Aquinos number two
(and a free pass in 2016 as president) turned into
the Binay nightmare that has since kept Roxas
on edge.
With Binay first, then Poe, and now even
Duterte well-positioned to rain on his now-ornever quest for presidency, Roxas needs to run
even faster just to remain competitive in case the
race turns into a squeaker for the eventual winner.
President Aquinos endorsement, which Roxas
pursued with dogged determination against more
sensible advice to be positioned as his own man,
is both a blessing and a curse.
A blessing because the perks and powers of

PORTRAIT BY BIEN BAUTISTA

THE A-TEAM

Roxas, during his Wall Street days in the early 1980s, with (from left)
grandmother Ester Araneta, grandfather J. Amado Araneta, aunt Stella
Marquez-Araneta, father Sen. Gerry Roxas, mother Judy Araneta-Roxas,
anduncle Jorge Nene Araneta at their Manhattan apartment.

A PR I L 2016 91

The Araneta clan is one of the nations

richest and has direct ties to every
other conglomerate or fortune in the
land. Running out of money is not an
option. The strategists and tacticians
orchestrating the campaign are touted
as the second to none.
incumbency, indeed the awesome might of the
palace, are theoretically at his beck and call.
In reality, this has not always been the case.
Until the Mamasapano debacle, Aquino was said
to be deftly playing off Binay against Roxas, all
the better to keep alive the distant but plausible
dream of a second term that had eluded his
own mother and immediate predecessors. But
Mamasapano, more than the Janet Napoles
scandal and the pork barrel funds declared
unconstitutional by the Supreme Court all but
sealed Aquinos fate. The death of 44 police
Special Forces under the presidents watch also
shot down the pending Bangsamoro Basic Law
(BBL), his prime legacy project, as well as any
hope of getting the coveted amendment to allow
his extended stay in Malacanang beyond June
30, 2016.
The price of Aquinos endorsement is stiff
and could backfire disastrously. It demands no
less than absolute fealty to Daang Matuwid or
the Straight Path of Aquino politics.
Although billions of pesos in public funds
could be disbursed with Roxas taking credit as
Aquinos designated point man, it could also be a
92 A PR I L 2016

double-bladed weapon at his expense.

With desertions and betrayals the natural fate
of administration candidates languishing with
low poll survey numbers, Roxas has had cause
for alarm. His hopes for victory are said to have
gone down to solid wins or landslides in his
home region of the Visayas, particularly Iloilo
and Cebu.
Who are Roxass main financiers and backers?
The Roxas-Araneta clan is one of the
nations richest and has direct ties to every other
conglomerate or fortune in the land. Running
out of money is not an option.
The strategists and tacticians orchestrating the
campaign are touted as the second to none. Led
by Senate President Franklin Drilon who helped
engineer GMAs 2004 victory over FPJ with
million-vote majorities in Iloilo and Cebu, the
Roxas machine is second to none. Its legal and
operations man is Avelino Nonong Cruz, once
GMAs defense chief and, along with Drilon and
the Hyatt 10, the crack warriors behind Roxas
who until the palace infighting turned zero-sum
have had to co-exist with the NoyBi bloc of
Paquito Ochoa and Maria Montelibano.

GRACE POE
AV E NG I NG G R AC E

T
PORTRAIT BY JL JAVIER

he undisputed and instant beneficiary

of the anti-corruption campaign against
Binay, Grace Poe, the youngest and lone
woman in the race, quickly rose to the top
of presidential poll surveys. Given maximum media coverage for her adroit handling of the Senate
probe of the Mamasapano Massacre (she tagged
the president as ultimately responsible for the
carnage, but fell short of indictment and did
not call for impeachment), she emerged as the
more attractive and winnable candidate against
Binay (and Duterte) than the under-performing
MarRoxas.
But the president had long committed to endorse Roxas come hell or high water. It seemed
that he only wanted the disappointed Poe to
be the latters running mate and boost Roxass
stock against the crippled vice-president. Public

wooing of the lady unfolded for the two. All to

noavail.
Grace Poe had, in the meantime, decided to
run for president and picked Chiz Escudero as
her running mate. Proudly proclaiming themselves as independents, the new team immediately stole the thunder from the Liberal Party,
with Poe close on the heels of Binay and Escudero way ahead of BBM and the rest of the field.
Guns then shifted targets from the muchbattered Binay to the fast-rising Poe-Escudero
tandem. The Commission on Elections dutifully
ruled Poe ineligible on both citizenship and residency counts, a crippling double-blow that she
had to immediately bring before the Supreme
Court to save her neck. Her poll numbers had
suddenly sputtered and financial backers began
to hem and haw.

Much to the chagrin of the Roxas and Binay

camps, who both stood to gain from Poes elimination, the High Court reversed the Comelecs
decision by a decisive 9-6 vote. It ruled that Poe,
as a foundling, had natural-born status at birth as
prescribed by the Constitution and declared that
she had satisfied the 10-year residency rule for
presidential candidates.
Poe almost immediately reclaimed frontrunner status. It was Escudero whose ratings took a
dip. A damaging split of the regions vote could
well hand the vice-presidency to BBM on a silver platter.
Whats propelling Grace Poe on the tortuous
road to Malacanang?
Simply put, she represents the long-sought
vindication of FPJs 2004 presidential debacle
and sudden death not long after.

The jewel in
Poes crown is
the endorsement
of Danding
Cojuangcos NPC,
second only to
the Liberals in
funding. This
comes with San
Miguels political
infrastructure.

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER

Whats propelling Poe on the tortuous road to Malacanang?

The long-sought vindication of FPJs 2004 presidential
debacle and sudden death not long after.

94 A PR I L 2016

RODRIGO DUTERTE
THE MAN WITH THE IRON FIST

illed as a reluctant candidate and the last to

throw his hat into the ring, Rodrigo Digong Duterte could yet pull the biggest
upset of all on May 9. Unlike his rivals, he
has never sought national office and until lately
was considered no more than a colorful provincial or regional leader albeit with some claim
to a potent law-and-order constituency beyond
Davao City, the vote-heavy and richest metropolis in Mindanao.
A San Beda law graduate, the tough-talking
mayor and self-proclaimed arch-enemy of drug
cartels has long been the idol of political machis-

PORTRAIT BY EDWIN TUYAY

Her adoptive parents (FPJ and Susan Roces)

enduring nationwide popularity offers a huge
reservoir of potential voters to put her within
grabbing distance of the presidency. Bright and
exposed to modern ideas of governance by her
U.S. education and residence, she is said to be the
perfect antidote to traditional politics and feudal practices that have long impeded the nations
march to progress.
The jewel in the crown of her freshly reborn
candidacy is the much-coveted endorsement of
Danding Cojuangcos Nationalist Peoples Coalition (NPC), second only to the ruling Liberals in funding. This comes with the San Miguel
conglomerates ready-made political infrastructure
down to the precinct level.
Other smart moneybags are said to have come
aboard or hedged their bets (the celestial taipans,
Razon of the casinos and container ports, and
the Zamoras of nickel mining). The Manny V.
Pangilinan (MVP) group of the Indonesianowned PLDT and Meralco cannot be far behind.
Ditto sharp-elbowed corporate fatcats like the
Ayalas and some members of the Makati Business
Club. After getting torn between Binay and Poe,
the first among equals of the Three Kings, Erap
Estrada, running for reelection as mayor of Manila, finally chose Grace Poe.

IN THE SHADOWS

"Although Duterte has loudly claimed he is not supported

by big money, Davaos political and business elite led by
the Dominguezes and Alcantaras, have rallied behind their
mayor," writes Navarro. "With close ties to Makatis corporate
highrollers, this group is rumored to enjoy the unsaid backing
of the Sultan of Brunei who, like the pro-Binay mainland
Chinese, have to be extra-careful not to trigger a legal and
nationalist backlash."

PORTRAIT BY STEVE TIRONA

mo. He is known to favor summary execution of

criminals or to airily dispense with laborious legal
processes that have rendered the police and the
courts toothless.
The poster boy of Davaos vigilantes and notorious death squads, he is on record as vowing to rid
the nation of crime within six months of assuming
the presidency. It is a tall order he may yet come to
regret in the course of this increasingly brutal political season. He has found a niche in tapping the
outrage of citizens not only in Davao but all over
a country who are sick and tired of unrelenting
waves of criminality and despair.
For all his iconoclastic reputation, Duterte is
not exactly wanting or shorn of Establishment
backing from one of its most enduring wings
the Ramos loyalist camp. Although running under the puny Pilipino Democratic Party-Laban
(PDP-Laban) of the Pimentels that broke off
with Binay, Dutertes ground troops are largely
drawn from remnants of the Lakas-Kampi Party
of Ramos and GMA.
Although Duterte has loudly claimed he is
not supported by big money, Davaos political and
business elite led by the Dominguezes and Alcantaras, rich in agribusiness and mining, have rallied
behind their mayor. With close ties to Makatis
corporate highrollers, this group is rumored to enjoy the unsaid backing of the immensely wealthy
Sultan of Brunei who, like the pro-Binay mainland Chinese, have to be extra-careful not to trigger a legal and nationalist backlash.
For media warfare and agitprop, the old PIRMA movement has been gassed up by the fiery
columnist Carmen Pedrosa with behind-thescenes assistance of top Ramos men Joe Almonte
and Joey Alejandrino. Operations are handled by
Gen. Hermo Esperon, a Ramos-GMA mainstay.
Is the Duterte campaign the opening wedge of
a full Marcos restoration some 30 years after the
dictator was ousted by People Power? It would appear to be so with the candidate boldly declaring
that, if elected with BBM (shorthand for Bongbong Marcos) and he is unable to erase crime in
six months, he would turn over the presidency to
BBM to finish the job.
This double charade cannot help but amuse jubilant followers and enrage the opposing camps.
BBM is running under the visibly cancer-stricken Miriam Defensor-Santiago in a pro-forma
campaign and Dutertes official running mate is
Allan Cayetano.
In the final stages of the race, it has been surmised, Santiago may dramatically drop out and
throw the race into a mad scramble. The two Nacionalista senators also running for vice-president
(Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes) could match
the spectacle and create a bandwagon for BBMs
victory with or without Duterte.

JEJOMAR BINAY
T H E F R O N T RU N N E R S T U M B L E S

ot too long ago, Jejomar Binay appeared to

be the sure winner and darling of Danding
Cojuangcos San Miguel group captained
by Ramon S. Ang, the pre-eminent taipans
Henry Sy and Lucio Tan, and the Solaire Casino
group of Ricky Razon. Add to that the immense
political firepower of the other two of The Three
KingsErap Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile
and it was assumed that Binay (the third king) was
as good as elected, indeed crowned, as Benigno S.
Aquino IIIs successor way, way before the May 9,
2016 polls.

All talk of Binays deep Chinese pockets have been muted,

reduced to a mere trickle by Malacaangs virulent antiChina Spratly policy and anti-money laundering crusade.

96 A PR I L 2016

press coverage and financial strangulation, the

candidates five-year advance work in the hustings was bound to unravel. Once ready to defect en masse from the ruling Liberal Party after
this years first quarter distribution of pork barrel
funds, many provincial bosses have apparently
developed cold feet.
All over Mindanao and the Cebuano-speaking regions, Davaos Rodrigo Duterte as a native
son appears to be siphoning populist support that
would have easily gone to Binay. Likewise, Grace
Poe appears to be drawing droves of yellow voters that had once rallied behind the NoyBi team,
Binays natural constituency which had dumped
and humiliated Mar Roxas.
In vote-heavy areas in Luzon, Gloria Arroyo diehards once irreconcilable to Aquino and
Roxas for persecuting their still-jailed patroness
and thus long counted in the Binay column, have
seemingly evaporated into thin air. In GMAs
home province of Pampanga, Governor Lilia

Pineda jumped to the Roxas-Robredo tandem.

In Batangas, Binays home province itself, Rep.
Ed Ermita, GMAs executive secretary, has followed suit to the Roxas camp.
What remains going for Binay? Perhaps
the considerable residue of his uphill but phenomenal victory in 2010 plus long years of
trawling up and down the archipelago as
president-in-waiting.
Binays grassroots support cannot be underestimated. Think of Makatis Sister Cities program that he nourished since 1987, the national
Boy Scouts movement he has led even longer,
the widespread Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity to
which he belongs and its obvious the man has
done his homework. Crack political operatives
led by Ronnie Puno, the man behind Estradas
shattering 1992 presidential win, and Malou
Tiquia, the compleat Svengali, are said to be itching to snatch victory in his name from the very
jaws of disaster.

PORTRAIT BY STEVE TIRONA

This was all too good to be true and could well

have amounted to Binays fatal mistakedeclaring for the presidency too grandly and too early
for his own good.
A UP law graduate, former human rights
activist in the martial law years, Cory Aquinos
staunch admirer and the so-called Lord of
Makati for the past 30 years, Binay is now reportedly down to hardcore backers like Roberto
Bobby Ongpin of the Alphaland group, Marcoss finance whiz kid, with whom First Gentleman Mike Arroyo was once deeply associated.
All talk of deep Chinese pockets including massive, if questionable mainland funding have been
muted, some say reduced to a mere trickle by
Malacaangs virulent anti-China Spratly policy
and anti-money laundering crusade. Fairly or
unfairly branded as Chinas candidate, Binay
could only retreat or take two steps backward in
prudent self-defense.
Faced by dwindling poll numbers, hostile

SECOND FIDDLES
A D E A D LY S I D E S H OW

he now-frantic race for number two may

turn out to be more of a cliff-hanger than
the presidential derby itself.
With Chiz Escudero and Bongbong
Marcos locked in a statistical tie, third-placer
Leni Robredo could tilt the race one way or the
other. As the only woman and somewhat of a
fresh face in whats become a season of surprises,
the University of Nueva Caceres law graduate
could conceivably steal the crown from her morepedigreed and favored rivals.
At stake is the presidency itself in 2022 or
just six years farther down the line. This is hardly
an eternity in a country where the next electoral
battle begins the very next day after the winners
are declared.
With presidents pinned down by the constitution to a single six-year term, whoever is installed
as legal successor or spare tire has a definite
edge. The vice-president, often elected separately
in split tickets, stands literally one heartbeat away
from winner-take-all power.
Escudero has long time backers Ramon Ang,
Roberto V. Ongpin, and Lucio Tan who supported him in 2007 and 2014 for his senate bid, and
also in his aborted 2010 presidential run. Bongbong Marcos has, of course, Marcos and Romualdez money (note that Martin Romualdez,
his cousin, is now one of the biggest spenders).
Robredo draws from LP funds with lots of funds
for airtime and prop. Honasan has JPE funds as
surrogate son. Remember Jackie Enrile was wellfunded in 2013? But Honasan appears to be a token run for Binay so he is not expected to spend
much. Cayetano and Trillanes are funded by the
Zamoras of mining and the Villars of real estate.
The latter are also indirectly funding Duterte because Cayetano finances Duterte.
Escudero and Marcos cannot be oblivious
of the dangerous game they are playing. With
Robredo more or less consigned to the spoiler
role and the three other also-runsCayetano,
Trillanes, and Gregorio Honasansimply decorative or out of the loop, it is the intensifying
two-man race that bears watching and vetting
with a fine-toothed comb.
Like Binay who was far ahead of the pack before the brass knuckles were called in, Escudero
cannot help but take his predicament seriously.
Whoever egged Robredo to take the slot spurned
by Poe and Recto could only have anticipated
dealing Escudero a devastating blow.
Two Bicolanos (Escudero of Sorsogon, Ro-

VICE AND VIRTUE

Bongbong Marcos and Leni Robredo are locked in a tight

battle for the second highest position of the land, with the
former backed by his family's money and the latter by her
party's machinery. Robredo, who could conceivably steal the
crown from her more-pedigreed rivals, has bared claws of
steel and has taken on the avatar role against the Marcoses.

bredo of Naga City) suddenly scrambling for

the vice-presidency could not but be music in
the ears of Marcos, whose poll numbers could
not help but surge upward. Splitting the awesome Bicol regional vote that could have offset
Marcoss lock on the Solid North two ways compels Escudero to run scared. The more votes in
Bicol that the late-starting Robredo gains, the
worse Escuderos situation gets. The same goes
for Robredo.
Sharing or, more accurately, blasting out the
otherwise formidable anti-Marcos vote in a
country ruled for the past three decades by the
book-end Aquino presidents and their allies
complicates the big picture beyond words.
Indeed, President Aquino himself faces the
classic agony of having to ultimately choose between Scylla and Charybdis, between Robredo
and Escudero. Either way, BBM could only gain
more steps towards Malacaang and the Marcos Restoration dreaded by the Aquinos and the
Edsa constituency.
But Robredo has taken note of her unsought
but pivotal position and is not above demanding
her pound of flesh.
Casting aside the demure and innocent image
that Cory Aquino at first projected but quickly
abandoned, Robredo has bared claws of steel and,
stealing a march on Escudero, has taken on the
avatar role against BBM and the Marcoses. This
has taken the sails out of Escudero who had expected a gentlemens battle with BBM. Because
Escuderos late congressman-father had served in
the Marcos cabinet (untarred by corruption it has
been pointed out), it would be out of character
for the son to go for gutter politics that only Robredo could gain from.
What then to expect of the nasty triangular
fight for the vice-presidency?
Barring Robredos most unlikely return to
tweetums civility, she could only play gladiator to
BBM and taunt Escudero to follow suit. Or the
latter could gamble by playing cool, taking the
lumps and watching the lady immolate herself.
As expected by some observers, Escudero
could well emerge as Aquinos secret candidate
or Plan B along with Grace Poe. But openly
abandoning Roxas-Robredo for Poe-Escudero is
out of the question.
Indeed, a deadly sideshow is being fought
at close quarters and must, out of necessity, be
handled with extra cunning to save Aquinos skin
and endangered place in history.
A PR I L 2016 97

THE
EVOLUTION
OF LENI
ROBREDO

Miles apart now from the widow-in-grief persona that brought her to public renown, Leni Robredo
has come into her own since plunging into the vice presidential race. As her numbers continue to
strengthen in the leadup to the May polls, she talks to PaoloEnrico Melendez about her political
awakening, navigating the trapo culture of the countryside, and taking on the big sharks of the
national political arena, all the while sticking to the causes of the grassroots that have become
integral to her narrativeone that might end with her assuming the second highest seat in the land
PORTRAITS BY JL JAVIER

ts an overcast February weekend. The country is midway to its

next presidential elections. Posters dot streets. Ads interrupt
TV and radio programs. News both professional and vetted,
made-up and hysterical, blanket social media like so much early
summergrime.
I am at a private home in an exclusive subdivision out in
the suburbs. Its a bungalow, but of the kind that requires a lot
of flattering adjectives to describe. Spacious living room. Wellappointed kitchen. Even an elegant lanai. Right by the classy
dinner table is a grand spread, of the kind one would see on
equally grand occasions. The china is heavy and the slim drinking glasses
come in cosies. And on one of the handsome couches sits Leni Robredo,
the newcomer congresswoman with a background in community work and
a reputation for tsinelas leadership. She is in plain flats, and a shirt that is
approaching that worn look that luxury brands seem to go for these days,
only hers looks organically so. To be perfectly honest, she looks a little out
of place.
Robredo is chatting with her staff about a recent mall trip to buy a
new belt. Nahuhulog na ang mga pantalon ko, she says with a laugh. More
people recognize her these days, too. I ask them, Paano mo ako nakilala?
And then I remember that Im in the middle of a campaign. She admits
that the recognition is still novel.
Thats downplaying her own renown, of course. Robredo first captured
public attention in 2012 as the grieving but composed widow of cabinet
secretary and Ramon Magsaysay awardee Jesse Robredo, who died in a
plane crash earlier that same year. She later moved on to pummel a 40-yearold political dynasty in Bicol, coming out from NGO obscurity to secure 80
percent of the provinces popular vote. Her reputation for good governance
is such that, as presidential candidate Mar Roxass running mate, Robredo
seems (even to casual political observers) to be somewhat of a one-woman
PR solution for the Liberal Party: the known mass to the LPs own
unquantified fumbling, keeping the balance scale of public opinion steady if
100 A PR I L 2016

RIDE OF A LIFETIME

At the start of the 90-day campaign trail, Robredo expressed her determination to reach
as many corners of the country as possible. Kung kailangang magtrabaho tayo ng doble o
triple, gagawin ko upang maabot ang lahat ng Pilipino at maiparating sa kanila ang mga planot
programa natin para sa kanila at sa buong bansa, she told Rogue. Opposite: With her late
husband Jesse Robredo, former Secretary of the Interior and Local Government. In August
2012, he passed away in a plane crash off the coast of Masbate.

not quite dead even.

In 2014, a photo of the congresswoman waiting alone for a Naga-bound
red-eye bus went viral. The image seemed to inspire copycat; Everyman
portraits of every other national candidate popped up looking to drum up
some street cred. The thing is, the savvier among us will point out that such
photosin-queue at the airport or mid-meal in a crummy eateryhave
more capacity to weird us out rather than move us. Why, after all, would
someone flaunt participating in something the rest of us would gleefully
bypass, given the chance? The key difference between Robredos photo and
the rest is something PR guys cant hack: stark, shocking, and undeniable
ordinariness. The photo looks accidental, even, as though some hipster just
wanted to Instagram a snap of urban decay, and a woman in a blue shirt and
two big shoulder bags happened to be in-frame.

BORN MARIA LEONOR GERONA, Leni Robredo says that her legal career was a
given. The eldest among her siblings, taking up law was my sentence, she
says. Her father, Antonio Gerona, was an RTC judge who later presided
over the heinous crimes court.
Growing up, she was used to her father bringing home people who
needed one form of assistance or another. When the typhoons rolled in, as
they do so frequently in the Bicol region, the Robredo bungalow became
a de facto evacuation center. The family culture was only reinforced by
schooling under the Vincentian Daughters of Charity. Yung mga laruan
namin, binibigay sa mga ibang bata, she says, Kahit gusto pa namin.

FROM
STRENGTH
TO STRENGTH
From reluctant VP aspirant to one ballsy
enough to stand firm against the wrongs of her
opponents, here is Robredos journey in the
last six months in her own words

OCT 2015

Of the eight mayors in

her district, only one
was supportive; of 186
barangays, only 25. She
was denied barangay halls
or coveredcourts. Parang
sine.Sasaraduhan ka.

Bakit ako? Sa dinami-dami

ng puwedeng pagpilian, bakit
ako pa? . . . [Pero] Matapos po ng
malalim na pag-iisip, malawak
na konsultasyon, at taimtim na
dalanginbuong puso, buong
pananampalataya, at buongtapat ko pong tinatanggap ang
hamon na tumakbo bilang
pangalawang pangulo ni Mar
Roxas. Ibinibigay ko po ang
aking sarili ng buong buo sa
ating mga kababayan, lalong lalo
na sa inyong mga nakatsinelas
na nasa labas, nasa ibaba, at
nasa laylayan ng lipunan.
Accepting the administrations
invitation for her to run as VP,
Club Filipino, October 5, 2015
In the last surveys, parang
three percent lang ako . . .
Against other vice presidential
candidates, pag titingnan mo
yung numbers, parang walang
pag-asang manalo, parang it
will really be an uphill climb.
Ang problema, wala rin kami
resources. Interview with
Tina Palma, ABS-CBN News
Channel, October 5, 2015

NOV 2015
She was an Economics sophomore at the University of the Philippines
when Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated, an event Robredo considers
her political awakening. I started joining protest actions. By the time
I graduated, EDSA had happened, and I was inspired to work for
government. The elder Gerona allowed her, on condition that her civil
service be limited to a single year.
While working at a river development office, she met Jesse Robredo,
then a former corporate executive turned public official. The two would
marry two years later.
She joined the Public Attorneys office after passing the bar. Her
husband was mayor by then. Jueteng had popped up in town, and the
mayor cracked down hard on the bookies. As PAO attorney, Robredo found
herself defending the very people her husband was working to put away.
Pinapahuli ni mayor, pinapalaya ni misis, was the local joke. My husband
understood that it was part of my work, she says. But both knew that it was
a contradiction they could not abide.
It was then that Robredo landed a gig with SALIGAN (Sentro ng
Alternatibong Lingap Pangligal), an alternative legal support group,
begun in Ateneo de Manila University and based in Bicol. We were like
community organizers, she says of their work. The team would trek to farflung communities with little to no access to legal aid, and provide paralegal
help. We believed that knowing the law puts one in a better position to
defend ones rights, she said. The SALIGAN lawyers would spend three
to four days in the field, laymanizing legalese, and conducting legal clinics
andbriefings.
It was tough work. In farming communities, the team would be housed

I would like to be as genuine

as possible. I dont like being
packaged into this or that. I
want you to see who I really
am, not the write-ups or
commercials that you read
or see . . . I dont like any
sugar-coating. If you accept
me, thank you. If you wont,
then I cant do anything about
it. Addressing a crowd at the
University of San Carlos law
building, Cebu City, November
6, 2015

kami na-achieve. I never

made any mention of Davao.
At a forum at the University
of the Philippines, with vice
presidential candidate Chiz
Escudero, December 1, 2015
For me, its anyones game. We
have seven months to go and
being confident about winning
the elections is farthest from
my mind. I always think I
am at a disadvantage.At
the Ugnayan sa Batasan forum,
December 2, 2015

JAN 2016
Empowered people
demand more from their
government. They expect no
less than transparency and
accountability. This is the
perfect system that keeps any
leader not just effective but
also honest.Facebook post,
January 26

FEB 2016
Mas malapit-lapit na nga
sa katotohanan than before.
Remember, I started at one
percent. Si Senator Chiz, when
we started talagang napakataas
na. Ngayon mas tumataas
tayo, kaya tingin natin mas
achievable kaysa noong umpisa.
Marami pang pagod yung
ibubuno pero sanay naman tayo.
Marami pang ihahabol pero,
palagay ko, worth the fight.
Addressing a crowd in Naga City
to kick off the LP campaign in
Luzon, February 12

MAR 2016

DEC 2015

[Ang] EDSA, hindi po yun

personal kay Bongbong
Marcos o Pangulong Aquino,
pero yun ay ang pagbibigay
ng hustisya sa maraming
naging biktima sa panahon ng
Martial Law; pagbibigay po ng
pagkakataon na yung sinasabi
ko na nanakaw na salapi sa
ating bansa ay maibalik.
GoNegosyo Vice Presidentiable
Debate, Manila Polo Club, March
14, 2016

When that interview was

conducted, ang tanong: am I
in favor of iron-clad, Duterte
style leadership? Yung aking
sagot don, hindi. Kasi sa
Naga participatory kami at
inclusive at marami naman

I am comfortable where I am
right now. But the target is to
be at the top spot. Thats all
there is to this. I should win.
Addressing an audience in
Batangas, March 9, 2016

For me, its a major issue that

youre running for president
and yet at one point in your life,
you renounced your Filipino
citizenship.At a roundtable
discussion with reporters from the
Inquirer, November 14, 2015

in the unwalled shacks used by farmers to rest in at noon. In fishing

communities, the team would sleep in fishing boats, only to be roused late
at night when it was time for the fishermen to push out to sea. They slept in
neighborhoods facing demolition.
More disheartening than the physical difficulties were systemic hurdles.
The traditional legal mindset is, Thats the law. You have to abide. In
alternative law, which was our mindset, If the law isnt just, change it, she
says. The team would write draft amendments, which they then peddled
to local officials and national lawmakers. Few listened. Palagi kaming talo
ngmalalaki.
To the younger Robredo, that was the biggest hindrance to development.
In the traditional model of governance, binibigay ang solusyon. But I believe
you have to create an environment in which the citizens are given a voice,
and therefore become stakeholders.
She spent a decade with SALIGAN. I told my husband once, Thats
where I found myself. If I had been allowed to continue working for
SALIGAN while serving in congress, I would have continued. Robredo
found triumph in the groups little gains.Basta keep pushing forward, she
says. And the experience helped her as a Representative. I was naive to
think na ang mga batas na naiisip ko, mapapasa, she says with a laugh. You
have to compromise to get those little gains. Natutunan ko iyong sikmurain.

102 A PR I L 2016

BACK IN THE SUBDIVISION, Robredo does another interview, on video this time,
with a positive action youth group. The questions are in English, but she
answers in Filipino.
The group is frequently interrupted. The village sits right under the final
approach to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and planes pass at regular
intervals. Through it all, Robredo stays composed, making jokes about
the noises, going over her lines, adjusting the lapel mike that she seems
uncomfortable wearing.
At one point, somebodys car alarm goes off, once, then again. The
interview begins to stretch beyond the allotted time. When the alarm goes
off yet again, a staff member rushes out of the garage. But Robredo calls
after her, saying they cant shush the neighbors, better to adjust the days
schedule instead.
The whole scene is characteristic of the low-key Robredo, who has
none of the usual pulitikos grand gestures and careful speech. In fact, she
speaks so casually in conversation that her choice of words can sometimes
be alarming. For instance, earlier in my interview with her, she described
her husbands pioneering civic work in Naga as a guinea pig experiment. I
almost dropped my pen.
She is even more plainspoken when talking about the event that initially
thrust her into the life of politics. When I left NGO work, I considered

Then her speech turns anecdotalthe same

story she shared with me, made general for
a broader audience. The crowd takes all her
story in. The respectful vibe is impressive.
She says Guinea pig again, and this time I
want to cheer.
the judiciary as my next step. It was the
more stable option for a wife and mother,
and something that she was personally
excited to take on. I was influenced by my
husbands work, she says.
But that arch was cut short by the death
of her husband, when the small plane he was
riding crashed just off Masbatethe very
province in which Robredo spent so much
of her time organizing rural communities.
In the confusion of those last few moments,
Robredo managed to contact her husband,
whose last words to her were Tatawagan
na lang kita. May inaasikaso lang ako.
In Robredos interior monologue Sana
mabuhay turned into Sana mahanap ang
katawanuntil her husband finally was
recovered three days later. Jesse Robredo was
54. It was a month after the couples silver
anniversary.
Jesse Robredos death led to a party
vacuum in Naga. Faced with a split
leadership, the LP called on Robredo to be
the unifying candidate in the next elections.
Her children begged her to decline, but
Robredo promised them that it would just
be a three-year stint.
Out on the campaign trail was just like
out on community work for Robredo, in
that it was make-do and jury-rig as she went along. I needed a sound
system. The cheapest was P7,000. I couldnt afford that. A friend donated a
rechargeable speaker, the kind one has to charge forever. And it was so small
that Robredo had to keep her meetings small.
Which was just as well. Of the eight mayors in her district, only one
was supportive; of 186 barangays, only 25. She was denied barangay halls
or covered courts. Parang sine. Pagdating mo, sasaraduhan ka. So she talked
to voters in residential yards, speaking to 10, 20 people at a time, from five
A.M. well into the night. It would take her two whole days to finish a single
barangay. Then her opponent would move in, with bands, singers, dancers,
and a raffle of appliances. In those rallies, the people would number in
thehundreds.
Papaano naman ako mananalo nito? she admits to having thought at the
time. We all know how this sub-plot ends.
Its such a quixotically Filipino narrative. Perhaps alarmingly easy to
exploit, too. Because here again is Robredo, reprising her role as reluctant
candidate. Was she pressured to run for a position she didnt want because
she would give the larger party a better chance at bagging votes? There is
an undeniable disconnect between what Robredo stands for and how her
party has been behaving. One values good governance, the other has shown
a pigheaded refusal to ax inept but loyal appointees. One works to educate,
the other is restructuring national education towards a more employable but

arguably less critically-equipped workforce.

At one point in our interview, Robredo said with obvious pride that the
fishermen they gave legal clinics to eventually became the stewards of the
waters in which they fished. But then, her face turning grave, Robredo told
me that the same fishermen were later sued by, and lost to, a group of large
fishing companies. And right there is the most striking contradiction, in
that the candidate seeks to empower the public space, and the party seems
all too willing to slash the safety nets from under our feet in a flurry of
public-private partnerships and other concessions to big business. We are
one of the worst countries in the world in unsolved media murders. Ours
is a moribund Freedom of Information bill. And we have the collapse of
the Basic Bangsamoro Law as full stop to all attempted elaborations on
inclusive growth. That the latter two were laws Robredo herself had worked
unsuccessfully to pass is just a well-timed cymbal accent to a bad joke.
There was certainly no clarity to Robredos motivation for running in the
early months of the race. The public version of the story has it that she did
a bit of soul searching, asked her daughters for their permission, and finally
agreed, with a host of riders to the deal.
These days, she is more forthright. I think I can do more in the
Executive branch. Thats the attraction for me, the pot of gold. Theres
so much possibility. She also reveals a more personal reason. For a very
long time, I was used to being in the shadow of everyone else. Even as a
congresswoman. Ngayon, ako na.
She did not like how things changed at first. Nahirapan ako. It was a
complete 360. I spoke to 1,200 people at the Araneta once. I thought, May
makinig kaya sa akin? But Im more energized now. My eyes are open, even
if Im still a little nave.
Thats great for her. But its heartbreaking to think what else politics will
demand Robredo to surrender. My daughters and I miss being together
most, she says of the personal toll. Honestly, thats why I had trouble
getting their approval at first. That is our biggest sacrifice. And theres
the matter of her reputation, too. For instance, pre-campaign spending
disclosures had people in a rage for the absurd amounts. News like that will
hurt any candidate, even Robredo, who seems to be largely unhitched to the
bigger LP machinery.

ROBREDOS LAST ENGAGEMENT in the subdivision is a rally at the village

basketball court, in a continuation of her favored grassroots approach to

winning supporters. Pundits say she needs more visibility, and its easy to
agree. But her methods have been subjectively and quantitively effective:
she is the least targeted candidate in the vitriolic memes circulating on
social media, and she has been steadily climbing the survey results, from the
bottom of the vice-presidential pack in October last year, to a statistical tie
for second place with two other candidates as of March of the current year.
Large streamers on the chicken wire enclosure welcome Robredo. On
the bleachers are large plastic bags crammed with styrofoam bowls ready
to be used for lugaw: the highlight of the days rally. There are perhaps 250
people inside the court, 300 tops. Some flash yellow banners with Robredos
name in big bold letters. Others wave giant foam hands in the Aquino L
sign. Among the crowd are the village power brokers. They are easy to spot,
sitting on the sidelines or at the very last row of monobloc chairs. They
A PR I L 2016 103

I think I can do more in the Executive branch. Thats the

attraction for me, the pot of gold. Theres so much possibility
. . . For a very long time, I was used to being in the shadow of
everyone else. Even as a congresswoman. Ngayon, ako na.
KEEPING GROUNDED

Speaking in Laguna last November, Robredo displayed a relaxed stance, and spoke mostly
in conversational Filipino. In many sorties around the country, she sticks to her agenda of
championing the slipper-clad citizens in the fringes of society. Ibinibigay ko po ng buong-buo
ang aking sarili sa ating mga kababayan, she said at Club Filipino the day she officially accepted
the LP invitation to run as the partys VP bet. Opposite: Posing for Rogue in February in between
interviews and a meet-and-greet with supporters in Paraaque, in a house owned by one of
her staff. Previous spread: Engaging corn farmers of Compostela Valley last October.

wear the best clothes. They are always the first to clap. They have a grave,
scrutinizing air about them, like they have the most to gain in a successful
turnout to the rally.
On stage, Robredos body language is relaxed. She talks about
advocating comprehensive reform instead of piecemeal change, government
investment, public over private interest. She says our most urgent task is
to improve transportation infrastructure in the provinces and focus antipoverty programs so that the countryside can see an increase in jobs and
services. Its all very policy-oriented, and therefore very different from the
advocacy-level mindset she had as an NGO worker.
Then her speech turns anecdotalthe same story she shared with me,
104 A PR I L 2016

made general for a broader audience. The crowd takes her story in. The
respectful vibe is impressive. She says guinea pig again, and this time I
want to cheer.
Its photo op time after the speech ends, and I observe people gravitating
first toward the power brokers, who then direct them up to the stage in
waves, like elders sending grandchildren off with their blessings. Off to the
edges, lugaw begins to be served. The distinctive smell fills the air: ginger
and green onion and garlic and calamansi. As people take selfies with
Robredo, the candidates campaign jingle starts playing over the PA system,
loud and impossible to ignore: an earworm, sure, but more than a little
lyrically forced, and definitely melodically cornball. It is in this moment that
one can see most clearly what Leni Robredo was, and what she has become.
How will she fare, in the end, is of course a matter of conjecture. But we
as observers have a clue to go on. When her husbands body was retrieved,
Robredo was told not to look. But she insisted. I remember, she says
of that day. It was a metal casket. Inside the casket was a body bag. My
husband was under the sea for three days. And after the briefest of pauses,
she concludes, Nakita ko. A woman facing the most profound of changes,
doubt doused by confronting a wound.

The cards say it will be

a tight Roxas versus D
uterte battle come tally
time. The spirits say it
will be a Poe victory, bu
t only until the citizen
arguments against her
ship
finally crush her presid
ential dreams. When
theres no telling what
the future has in store,
we knock on the occu
doors to off
lts
ffer clues. Yvette Tan do
es the knocking

I ll us tr at io ns by G il be rt
D ar oy

he presidential election
s are nearing and it see
ms that until now, no
which of the candidate
one can decide
s will be the clear winn
er. In times of stress
knowing whos going
such as not
to hold your country in
the palm of his or her
tend to refer to the sup
handwe
ernatural. Roguee asked
Robert Rubin, founder
Philippines, the countr
of Mysterium
ys latest intuitive devel
opment organization,
anonymous but gifted
and an
tarot reader to apply the
the country. The proces
ir powers of intuition
ses used were the tarot,
to the fate of
which gives out detaile
the tarots intellectual,
d impressions; the Le
logical, straight-to-the
normand,
-po
int younger brother tha
scr ying, the most nebu
t off
ffers clear-cut images;
lous of the three, where
and
the reader goes into a
that he bases his narra
trance and perceives cer
tive on. The intuitives
tain images
(fancy word for psych
is each candidate hiding
ics) were asked three qu
, what would each be
estions: What
like as president, and wh
winning? Heres what
at are each candidates
the fates revealed.
chances of

Lenormand

Tarot

According to the fates, when it

Among all of them, the only
comes to Binay, weve mostly seen it person who
[seems] really happy
all: a seeming partiality for friends
right now is Binay, the psychic
and family members and a penchant says. Hes the
calmest and the one
for interesting business deals with
with the least to lose. It also looks
equally interesting individuals
like there are many people out
and organizations (air quotes on
to get himsomething he isnt
the interesting). What he lacks,
worried about because, to use a car
however, is support from parties
metaphor, hes quite the defensive
he doesnt have his usual dealings
driver. If he wins, people will be
with. It also seems hes in the race
divided into those loyal to him and
just to see how far he can go as a
those who doubt his abilities, with
politician. While we would suppose
almost no one in between. Whether
it would be super awesomefor
he wins or loses, his next step seems
him and his fambamif he won
to be to disappear from the political
the presidency, it doesnt seem like
spotlight, hopefully while doing
itll matter too much to him if he
jazz hands.
doesnt. He might have to lay low if
the latter happens, though. Kidding.
Migration seems a wise option.

Scrying
It looks like theres going to be a
lot more wink-wink-nudge-nudge
going on under this administration.
Theres a chance a Binay victory
will affect
ff the elementals, possibly
resulting in more typhoons. He
may make potentially unpopular
decisions with regard to who he
aligns himself with in the local and
international spheresthough he
may have a change of heart toward
the end of his term and try to
appease the public.

Lenormand

Tarot

ool and
Roxas can be pretty old sch
xas
Theres a big chance of a Ro
oldd
goo
will probably win the
backed
victory, especially since hes
ving
sho
h
oug
thr
y
fashioned wa
ion. This
by the current administrat
le,
ilab
ava
nue
ave
ry
eve
at
g
his mu
course,
is good news for Roxas, of
out
him
for
getting people to vote
for his
d could be very bad news
and
ever,
ked
of sheer recall. Past that, how
kic
e
hav
enemiesthose who
ng
ndi
sce
tran
e
ubl
tro
e
hav
he may
t few
a lot of mud his way the pas
you
ll,
his current image ofwe
s say he
monthsbecause the fate
ge is
a
get
know what his current ima
for
snt
seems the type who doe
sectors,
e
som
to
lead
y
and this ma
, however,
slight. Roxas as president
et
mainly the ones with Intern
his close
will be very good news to
him
ng
ppi
dro
access, completely
he may
supporters because, while
yve
the
if
n
eve
e
tim
come voting
does not
not be corrupt in that he
the
of
he,
t
tha
t
ugh
tho
,
ffers
always
nt coff
covet from the governme
est option.
rent
cur
presidentiables, is the san
*
ugh
*co
e
som
like
ch
he, mu
battles
his
tch
wa
He will have to
know,
*cough* heads of state we
will
He
ely.
wis
m
the
ose
and cho
up for his
has the tendency to stick
by way
y
ntr
excel in running the cou
thin
friends through thick and
s and
tion
rela
n
eig
friends do, of improving for
because thats what good
s.
crafting law
policies be damned.

Scrying
ut
The fates seem confused abo
ency
sid
pre
r
Ma
a
e
aus
bec
s,
thi
a rise
indicates that there may be
the
like
s
ent
elem
in power for
in power
CBCP, and an equal rise
ts (his
righ
for things like LGBT
e the
lov
to
wn
kno
wiffe Korina is
it
if
,
ich
wh
y)
nit
mu
gay com
lause
happens, deserves slow app
d, Mar,
because, well . . . well-playe
may
ers
ort
upp
n-s
No
d.
well-playe
ugh,
tho
have to watch their backs,
find
ly
den
sud
because they may
themselves in hot water.

Lenormand

Tarot

seems
According to the cards, it
s about
What the Lenormand say
the
for
that Santiagos desire
ed
Santiago can be best express
waning.
gs:
highest office looks to be
son
i
Jov
n
through a bunch of Bo
e less
giv
ll
she
an
me
snt
That doe
ly living
Right now, shes most like
she
uld
sho
than her best though,
should
nce
on a prayer health-wise, but
gia
alle
her
n
stio
win. People que
bably go
she keep the faith, shell pro
and
s,
ilie
fam
al
itic
pol
to certain
is likely
down in a blaze of glory. It
tly on
bed
a
although the focus is curren
be
to
ng
goi
t
isn
y
enc
her presid
uld
sho
ple
peo
her health. one scion, it seems
of roses, mostly because of
g
kin
loo
and
per
dee
be digging
she may
Bon Jovi aside, it looks like
rpheus said,
to
elsewhere, because, as Mo
ier
eas
de
ma
s
law
e
push to hav
be told
can
one
Unfortunately, no
because,
understand by the layman,
e to see it
hav
You
is.
trix
what the Ma
smart as
honestly, none of us are as
for yourself.
she is.

Scrying
Santiagos
As President, it looks like
resting
inte
y
going to enact some ver
e,
Lik
g.
stin
ere
int
laws. Like, legit
ich
wh
g,
stin
ere
int
ly
historical
for the
could result in good things
ich is
wh
of
t
country, not the leas
mes.
me
of
lot
a
of
the generation
t
tha
nce
cha
a
res
the
,
said
That
ause
bec
,
self
she may overwork her
g
erin
ff
suff
rth
wo
is
es
the Philippin
, (a
not
or
it
e
liev
Be
it.
n
for, dam
ht be more
Santiago presidency) mig
the psychic
,
one
e
tert
strict than a Du
be
can
she
e
aus
bec
y
onl
says, but
.
rm
ma
ool
sch
the
te
qui

Lenormand
There seems to be a bit of doubt
if Poe can handle being Preside
nt,
given her as yet limited experie
nce
as public servant. She seems to
be
in it for the same reason Batman
fights crimeto avenge a fam
ilial
wrongexcept shes leery about
donning a uniform, in this case
her
fathers denim jacket, especially
since its too stuff
ffy and punishing
in this present weather. Luck
is on her side, but the process is
not, the psychic says. Also, I
am
seeing here that the country will
look a lot more beautiful. She
will
focus a lot more on aesthetics.
She really wants first impressions
to last. Opposing parties will
try to have her disqualified ever
y
step of the way, perhaps even up
until she takes her oath of office,
where theyll be like, Psych! If
she wins and gets disqualified,
the
big question is who will replace
her: the elected vice president,
or the presidential runner up?
Should she get around that, the
next interesting thing would be
the
First Gentleman, who the fate
s say
mayy do the country a solid in term
s
of policy, which would be grea
t
except that hes, you know, also
of
a diff
fferent kind of red, white, and
bluethe kind without a yellow.

Tarot
According to the cards, Poe seem
s
to be the most sincereat the
minimum, the least tainted
though the same probably may
not
be said of the people behind her.
She means well, the psychic
says.
She still has too many technica
l
glitches going against her for
everything to go smoothly, but
shes not going to let a setback
like
k that keep her from reaching
her goals.

Scrying
Poe still has to rebirth herself
kind of like the Phoenix. It seem
s
that her mentions of her father
arent just to garner votesPoe
really does believe that shes
carrying on the good that he cou
ld
have done. She might take a
licking now, but she will rise from
those flames, says
a this psychic
pretty much repeating what the
other psychic said. Whoa.

Lenormand
Should he become president, peo
ple
may start disappearingas he
has
more than hinted at a few times.
Crime rate will go down. Funnily
enough, he may encourage pub
lic
gatherings, as in if people wan
t to
stage protests they are free to do
so. Believe it or not, the country
may be healthier with a Dutert
e
presidency, and foreign elements
may be blockaded, the psychic
says.
Money will probably not trickle
in as
much, but what does will most
likely
be clean money. It may mean
that
there will be security, but we pro
bably
wont be indebted to any institut
ion
or countries. Hes a very the end
justifies the means guy, which
may
make it sometimes seem like its
The
Punisher or The Wolf (from Pul
p
Fiction) running the country, whi
ch
doesnt sound so bad, as long as
youre on his good side.

Tarot
Duterte may seem like a lone
gunman, but it looks like hes hidi
ng a
well-oiled political zamboni that
hes
just attached rocket engines to.
That
said, it seems like he really doe
s mean
well for the country, even though
he
can get a tad impatient about the
way
things get done. Should he win
, hell
probably make good on his pro
mises
to clean up the country through
unorthodox methods, though
it
seems that as long as the results
are
good, most citizens wont care
how he
goes about it. What are his cha
nces?
Theyre pretty good, the psychic
says. It would really be between
him
and Mar.

Scrying
If Duterte wins, his hand will
probably be felt at even the low
est
government level, meaning less
funny stuff
ff for fear of losing more
than just their jobs. This may
mean streamlining of governm
ent
processes. The scrying glass also
foresees more movement with
in the
country as more people want to
travel
within the Philippines. (Becau
se: very
fun + much more safe = Wow!)
More
opportunities will be available
in the
South, and perhaps about time,
too.
His methods will probably eng
ender
a lot of protest from people who
value
such things as human rights, tho
ugh
they may soften their stance bec
ause
he may also gun for the consoli
dation
of national resources, such as layi
ng
claim on a certain group of islan
ds
that rhyme with Mratlys.

P H O T O G R A P H E D B Y PAT R I C K D I O K N O

G I V E

Despite a decades-long hiatus from public oce, former cabinet

secretary Rafael Alunan III is now rallying to return as a member
of the Senate. In light of an uphill campaign leading up to the
May elections, he sits down with Arianna Lim to discuss what
has kept him occupied and what has called him back

or much of the last year, Rafael Alunan III engaged in

heated debate with himself on whether he should return to
public office. Everyday he ended in a stalemate.
In a blog post he authored on the website Defenders of
Philippine Sovereignty in September of last year, the twotime former cabinet secretary wrote, My heart says YES;
and dream of being carried to victory on the shoulders of
those sectors who Ive journeyed with. But my head says NO because the
current political culture militates against people like me. I am not popular,
rich, and flexible.
Thus played out much hemming and hawing that finally concluded in
the choice, on the evening before the last day of filing for candidacy, that
he would not go back to government service.Discussing the matter with
former senator Richard Dick Gordon, they decided there were simply
more cons than there were pros. They went to bed decidedonly to both
appear at the Commission on Elections office the next day, where they
officially became 2016 senate aspirants.
I dont know if you want to call it divine intervention, a miracle, or
serendipity, the first Aquino administrations Tourism Secretary and the
Ramos administrations Interior Secretary says now. I woke up with a very
heavy heart. I had never experienced something like that before. And then I
got a call from Dick Gordon and he said, You know, I woke up with a very
big, splitting headache. So thats it, I think somebodys telling us: You just
go ahead, go for it. Just let go and let God.
Of course, a national campaign asks much more of a candidate than just
his commitment. A change of heart will not alter the fact that the 67-yearold Alunan will face the lead up to May 9 with a sizable handicap. For one,
there is his acknowledged shortage of funding, an issue certainly unaided
by his decision to jump into the game a mere seven months before votes are
set to be cast. Sitting now in the study of his Quezon City residenceone
with all the indications of a home far out of reach for the average Filipino
earner, but quite modest by the standards of our one percenthe recalls
a conversation with another politician: Raf, youre coming back after 20
years; youre going to need a lot more money than we do, because weve
got easier name recall. In my case, I spent only P100 million in 2010. To
which Alunan replied, Did you say only?
He is of course no stranger to the electoral process, having been
involved in Ramoss presidential bid in the early 90s. The reality of politics
is that you need big organizations, you need money, you need machinery.
[For the 2016 elections] I was an independent, I wasnt part of any of these
so-called parties that are nothing but fraternities or syndicates.Though

its worth noting that he is officially running under Gordons Bagumbayan

Party, he explains, I expected that things wouldve changed for the better,
no? But things are still so commercial, and if we talk about that kind of
money, youre just excluding so many people who are qualified who dont
have money. He adds, To get elected is like climbing two Mount Everests
because the guys, the entrenched, the status quo will make sure they
preserve their seats of power.
Secondly, there is the issue of recall. This year marks the second
consecutive decade since Alunan last held a post in government. For
that reason, the average Filipino under the age of 30 is unlikely to be
familiar with his name, let alone his politics. He himself admitted in the
aforementioned blog post, Building a national base for new politics takes
time in terms of advocacy and organization-building based on integrity,
service, and merit. The majority of votersmainly the youth, D, and E
segmentswho, most of all, need a better and secure life, dont know who
I am.
On the issue of the youth, Alunansstance is one that is revelatory of
both his sincerity in his desire to serve as well as, perhaps, a little navet.
Really, its not about me. Its my message: I stand for new politics. And
the youth would have to research; there are a lot of candidates out there.
Theyll have to determine for themselves: Who are the guys that represent
new politics that will fight for our future? he says. Were just here to make
ourselves available to help them out. If they dont need our help, then thats
it. So be it. Theyll have to live with the impact of the consequences of
theirchoices.
Unfortunately, the national Philippine elections have long been a
game in which personality politics trump regard for platform, and ones
financial resources are the buy-in for media attention. Seeking to change
this is commendable, but to presently consider it otherwise is a delusion.
Fortunately, of late Alunan has been an active voice in pressing issues that
have warranted him airtime, namely the West Philippine Sea dispute with
China and the highly contentious Bangsamoro Basic Law. Both on air
and in person, its these topics that ignite a more impassioned discussion
in the otherwise composed and sober Alunan. He has been a vocal critic of
the BBL, while to address the former he co-initiated the West Philippine
Sea Coalition. He calls it a form of information warfare that spreads our
countrys word about the dispute beyond our own borders, where the media
rarely think to cover it.
Over the years the Filipino has developed an indiscriminate aversion to
public officials. Our knee-jerk reaction is to be suspicious of their initiatives,
wary of their motives. Willingly stepping before this increasingly jaded
A PR I L 2016 113

electorate, Alunan gives the impression of a man who is genuinely eager to

do well by his country in what he believes is his greatest capacity. Speaking
of his 50th high school reunion last year, he says he and his La Salle Bacolod
batchmates were reflecting on the distressing state of the country over
the last three decades. Now well into their 60s and having found success
and influence in their individual arenas, they agreed they could not allow
themselves to become fault-finding old men whose only contribution to
society was to bemoan its downfall.
Were senior citizens now, but were still in the front lines . . . And so we
said, if were going to be just critics in our old age, thats not good enough.
We have to really put our money where our mouth is, he recalls. Were not
fighting for ourselves anymore. Were fighting for the younger generations.
Were going to croak in 10 to 15 years, right? You guys will be here for the
next maybe three, four decades.
Thus was formed Alunans five-point legislative agenda. The first point
involves ensuring that people in government are matino at mahusay by
strengthening existing laws on good governance and right-sizing our
bloated bureaucracy. This is a course of action of which Alunan is already
familiar. The first thing I did when I sat down as DILG chief: I retired 67
generals and colonels and then retired 3,000 more, and some of them I filed
cases [against] in court, he says, going on to say he did the same in local
government units as well as in the DOT. We were very busy cleaning up
and reducing red tape, because red tape contributes to corruption.
The second involves reforming the criminal justice system, which has
been damaged by the pervading culture of corruption and ineptitude,
entitlement and impunity. If theres no justice, there is no peace. And if
theres no peace, you cant develop, you cant compete effectively
ff
with the
114 A PR I L 2016

A TALE OF TWO PRESIDENTS

A signed photo of Alunan being awarded the Outstanding Achievement Medal from
then incoming President Fidel V. Ramos and Brigadier General Leo Alvez on June
25, 1992 in Fort Bonifacio. He was lauded for his help during the December 1989
coup attempt. Inset: Being sworn in as Secretary of the Department of the Interior
and Local Government by outgoing President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino in 1992.
His term ended in April 1996. Opposite: Alunan performing his duties as Troop
Commander during the AFP Reservist Day in Camp Aguinaldo, December 2004.

rest of the world, he says. Next are poverty and national development,
which he says ought to be focused on reviving agriculture to reverse
the diaspora as well as on using agro- and eco-tourism to fast track the
economy. Related to this is human and ecological security, which deals
with improving our way and quality of life so as to take into consideration
succeeding generations. His last point is that of internal security, public

I dont want to be caught in my deathbed being asked by my

grandchildren, Lolo, what did you do for a better Philippines? and
I wouldnt have anything to answer. Its a matter of conscience.

FAMILY AFFAIRS

Above, from left to right: (rst row) Alexi Alunan-Sarmiento, Cristina AlunanGatmaitan, and Barni Alunan-Escaler; (second row) Carlo Gatmaitan, Rafael
Alunan III, Elizabeth Jalbuena-Alunan, Katrina Alunan-Gonzalez, and Amina
Aranaz-Alunan; (third row) Mark Escaler, Robin Sarmiento, Bong Gonzalez,
and Rafa Alunan. Right: Alunan in the study of his New Manila home.

safety, and national defense because its constitutional duty to

defend our country, our people, our sovereignty, our resources.
Despite what is evidently a long-considered platform,
it cannot be said that Alunan harbors any illusions of his
prospects of success. When asked by potential funders
where he sits in the polls, he likes to say, Im somewhere in
cyberspace. He adds, Its a big task that Ive placed before
myself. The other motivation is that I dont want to be caught
in my deathbed being asked by my grandchildren, Lolo, what
did you do for a better Philippines? and I wouldnt have
anything to answer them. Its a matter of conscience as well.
These words jive perfectly with the outward persona of
the man speaking them. Whether or not you agree withor
are aware ofhis political perspectives, Alunan seems to
exude sincerity. Where other politicians incite you to cock an
eyebrow at their PR, he gives the impression of an agreeable,
well-respected uncle whose jokes are humored if only to
be polite. For this interview he has donned a polo shirt
ornamented with two of his campaign stickers, and he insists
on being photographed in what he calls his trademark pose:
a hearty thumbs up, which manages to be both endearing
and unfortunate.
When considering his attitude in combination with
his obvious political stumbling blocks, perhaps the only
controversial issue that can be drawn from his senatorial bid
is his choice of president. He has thrown his support behind
strongman Rodrigo Duterte, whom he has known since he
was a new mayor in Davao. Alunan has an understanding
and appreciation for his methods of leadership, champions
his moral use of force, and fails to give satisfying answers
to questions relating to the mans potential parallels with late
dictator Ferdinand Marcos, of whom Alunan was an active
dissident. It is up to voters, however, to discern what this may
or may not say about Alunan.
All things considered, whether or not there is a seat for
him at the senate following next months elections is anybodys
guess. But as the China dispute and the Bangsamoro Basic
Law face a rising place among our countrys concerns, Rafael
Alunan III can be expected to continue to be an active voice in
the next phase of Philippine politics, be it as an elected official
or a force somewhere in cyberspace.
116 A PR I L 2016

A P R I L 2 0 16 / I S S U E 97

THE ROGUE ARENA

Promotions and relevant items, direct from our partners

SPACED OUT
Lojel unveils its
lightweight, durable,
and futurisitic travel
companion

Being true to high quality and style,

Lojel (Landmark Trinoma, North Ave.
cor. Mindanao Ave. Quezon City; 9015867; lojel.com) prides itself on being
a luggage and travel accessories brand

that emphasizes innovation in design

and high-grade material with a travelercentered approach. Founded in Japan in
1989, the brands attention to detail has
led to countless excellent travel pieces.
Their dedication to their craft and
to future trends led them to create
Kosmos, which is inspired by the dream
space travel with a futuristic approach
to fashion. Rather than using the usual
aluminum frames, this chromed-colored
luggages frames are made out of
magnesium alloy, making it lightweight
but sturdy.
This zipper-less compact luggage
was dubbed by CBS News travel
editor Peter Greenberg as 2015s Best
Luggage. It comes in three different

sizes and has passed Lojels rigorous

quality tests. Also, having polycarbonate
shells as its material, it boasts of its
lightness with a good strength-toweight ratio.
For personal security, Kosmos
employs TSA-compatible locks. These
tiny mechanisms are equipped with
a master access key that can only be
utilized by airport security in the USA
and Canada to inspect the luggage.
This master key prevents any outside
tampering andtheft.
The bodys durability and streamlined
surface have given Kormos its own sense
of style aimed at travelers armed with
the desire for adventure and an eye for
great taste.

A P R I L 2 0 16 / I S S U E 97

THE ROGUE ARENA

Promotions and relevant items, direct from our partners

Leather-clad or nylon-bound, Daniel Wellington watches are made for the adventurous rake

The story goes as such: while traveling in

Australia, Filip Tysander met an Englishman
wearing a vintage watch equipped with a NATO
strap. Tysander was impressed by the mans sense
of style emphasized by this intriguing timepiece.
Inspired by this encounter, the Swede launched
a watch brand in 2011 and named it after the
EnglishmanDaniel Wellington.
NATO bands have a history of use by the
military, so its functional and fail-safe, perfect
for summertime adventures. These historical
bands hace become the trademark of Daniel

Wellington (My Diamond, First level, EDSA

Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong 638-9376;
danielwellington.com), whose watches are light
and elegant yet versatile. Pieces, which can also
be paired with leather strapping, comes with a
white dial and a polished steel or rose-gold case.
The diameter of the face comes in various sizes,
from 26mm to 40mm. The brands four styles
the Classic, the Dapper, the Grace and the
Classyare defined by the watchs index, which
are mostly unisex.
The Classics hours are marked by slim, clean,

no fuzz lines. The Dapper has Roman numerals,

with blue hands that are cool to the eyes. The
Grace combines the first two, lining Roman
numerals six and 12. Meanwhile, the Classys
hours are embellished with Swarovski crystals.
What sets a DW watch apart is its
interchangeable band. The exquisite simplicity of
its face adapts well to black or brown leather or
multi-colored, striped NATO-inspired bands.
Flexible and well made, this is a stylish and
luxurious watch that stands out no matter the
place or season.

A P R I L 2 0 16 / I S S U E 97

THE ROGUE ARENA

Promotions and relevant items, direct from our partners

Rocio Zobel, Bianca Zobel-Warns with Mattias Zobel-Warns, Zobel Foundation chair
Dee Ann Zobel, Audi Philippines head Benedicto Coyiuto, and Fred Borromeo

Front row: Vince Bitong, Fiola Labron, Jay de Jesus, and Anthony Filamor. Back row: Manot Montilla, Ale Araneta,
Benedicto Coyiuto, Dee Ann Zobel, Tommy Bitong, Paola Zobel with Mattias Zobel, and Bianca Zobel-Warns
with Olivia Reynolds-Zobel

Senator JV Ejercito
and Porsche
Philippines
president Roberto
Coyiuto III

SWING AND DRIVE

Audi TT headlined the iconic parade at the 13th edition of the Enrique Zobel Memorial Polo Cup
It was an action-filled day as enthusiasts of the
sport of kings trouped to the field for the 13th
staging of the Enrique Zobel Memorial Polo
Cup. Headlining the vehicle parade were the
vastly improved vehicles from Audi Philippines
(11th Avenue corner 28th Street, Bonifacio Global
City, Taguig).
A low-goal, four-chukker match commenced

the events festivities, with Paola Zobel, Manot

Montilla, Tommy Bitong, and Alfie Araneta of
the Audi Reds beating out the Audi Greys Fiola
Labron, Jay de Jesus, Vince Bitong, and Anthony
Filamor to an 8-4 beating.
The high-goal, five-chukker match, with
Santi Laborde, Iigo Zobel, Gus Aguirre, and
Martin Espain of the Audi Whites, garnered a

10 winning score over Benjamin Urquiza, Cole

Aguirre, Dirk Gould, and Ignacio Ithurburu of
the Audi Blacks, who scored 5 points.
The traditional parade of horses transpired, as
well as the salute and Rocio Zobels and Mattias
Zobel-Warns ceremonial throw-in.
The winners were given their due recognition
during the simple awarding ceremonies headed

Maricris Zobel with

Olivia Reynolds-Zobel

PGA Cars chairman

Robert Coyiuto, Jr., E.
Zobel Inc. CEO Iigo
Zobel and San Miguel
Corp. president and
COO Ramon S. Ang.

Ramon Ang, German Ambassador Thomas Ossowski, Anjellica Lopez, Roberto Coyiuto,
Jr. and former German Federal Minister for Economics and Technology Michael Glos

Philippine Stock
Exchange chairman
Jose T. Pardo

Front row: Dirk Gould, Benjamin Urquiza, Cole Aguirre, Santi Laborde with Mattias Zobel-Warns, and Ignacio
Ithurburu. Back row: Manila Polo Club general manager August Samala, Martin Espain, Benedicto Coyiuto, Dee Ann
Zobel, Iigo Zobel, Gus Aguirre, Bianca Zobel-Warns with Olivia Reynolds-Zobel, and Fred Borromeo.

by Zobel Foundation chair Dee Ann Zobel,

Manila Polo Club president Isabel Caro Wilson
and general manager August Samala, and Audi
Philippines head Benedicto Coyiuto.
The event was triumphantly capped off with
a parade of vehicles, led by the third-generation
Audi TT and the second-generation Q7. The
improved TT, made with hybrid steel and
aluminum architecture, is now a mere 2,712
pounds. It is powered with a 230-horsepower
2.0-liter turbo four that produces 273 lb-ft
of torque. Following in the spectacle was the
fitter second-generation Q7, supercharged
by a 333-horsepower 3.0-liter V-6, with
massaging front seats for improved comforta
revolutionary combination of style and function.
At the heart of Audi S8 is a turbocharged
605-horsepower engine. Technology-driven, it
features a head-up display that projects the cars
speed, navigation, and driver assistance systems
onto the windshield.
Audi R8 Spyder was also at the parade. The
vehicle is made out of resilient yet lightweight
materials, and under its hood is a 5.2-liter V10
that yields 525 horsepower. Because of an Audi
magnetic ride adaptive damper system, it allows
the driver to appease his driving mood for a wild
or smooth ride.
Porsche Philippines and Bentley Manila also
expressed their support and showcased their
innovative vehicles, namely the Porsche Boxster
S and Bentley FlyingSpur, which have been
the events trophy cars since the Zobel Cups
conception in 1994.

Ap r i l 2 0 16

SHOP LIST
Where to buy the products featured in this issue

THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES

OF ALESSANDRA DE
ROSSI, PAGE 72

H&M Cropped top; G/F SM Mega

Fashion Hall, EDSA cor. Julia Vargas
Ave., Mandaluyong; 531-5374. Acne
Studios Deconstructed denim
trousers; Homme et Femme, G/F, 8
Rockwell, Makati.

3/F Mos Design Building Bonifacio

High Street, Taguig; 0917-668-3951.
Seletti 2680 F.B. Harrison Street,
Pasay; 0917-858-2680. A11 2680
F.B. Harrison Street, Pasay; 0917858-2680. JB Woodcraft Dalan
Betis, Guagua, Pampanga; 9002750; jbwoodcraft.com. E. Murio
Inc. Merville Access Road, Merville,
Paraaque; 776-5459.

PAGE 75

PAGE 39

PAGE 72

Calvin Klein Collection Highwaisted trousers; SM Aura

Premier, 26th Street cor. McKinley
Parkway and C5, Bonifacio Global
City, Taguig; 887-0188. Dr.
Martens Leather boots; Unit 9,
Two Parkade, 30th Street cor. 7th
Avenue, Taguig; 869-9836.
PAGE 76
Calvin Klein Collection Suit
jacket; SM Aura Premier, 26th
Street cor. McKinley Parkway and
C5, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig;
887-0188. DKNY Swim Bikini
bottom; 2/F Rustans Department
Store, Ayala Center, Makati; 8133739. Dr. Martens Leather boots;
Unit 9, Two Parkade, 30th Street cor.
7th Avenue, Taguig; 869-9836.
PAGE 77
H&M Sweater; G/F SM Mega
Fashion Hall, EDSA cor. Julia Vargas
Ave., Mandaluyong; 531-5374.
PAGE 78
Calvin Klein Collection Highwaisted trousers; SM Aura
Premier, 26th Street cor. McKinley
Parkway and C5, Bonifacio Global
City, Taguig; 887-0188. Dr.
Martens Leather boots; Unit 9,
Two Parkade, 30th Street cor. 7th
Avenue, Taguig; 869-9836.
PAGE 80
H&M Sweater; G/F SM Mega
Fashion Hall, EDSA cor. Julia
Vargas Ave., Mandaluyong;
531-5374. DKNY Swim Bikini
bottom; 2/F Rustans Department
Store, Ayala Center, Makati;
813-3739.
DARK ROOMS & IRON
FISTS, PAGE 37
PAGE 38
BoConcept G/F MOs Design
Bldg., B2 Bonifacio High Street,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig; 8562745; boconcept.com. MO Space

122 A PR I L 2016

Studio Dimensione G/F One

Parkade, 28th Street cor. 7th Ave.,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig;
736-3728. Emily Campos 0918943-6459.
PAGE 40
Studio Dimensione G/F One
Parkade, 28th Street cor. 7th Ave.,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig;
736-3728. MO Space 3/F Mos
Design Building Bonifacio High
Street, Taguig; 0917-668-3951.
JB Woodcraft Dalan Betis,
Guagua,Pampanga; 900-2750;
jbwoodcraft.com.
PAGE 41
MOSpace 3/F Mos Design Building
Bonifacio High Street, Taguig;
0917-668-3951. JB Woodcraft
Dalan Betis, Guagua, Pampanga;
900-2750; jbwoodcraft.com.
LET THERE BE LIGHT,
PAGE 45
Louis Poulsen Units 106 & 107,
G/F, Fort Victoria, 5th Ave., cor.
23rd Street, Taguig; 830-2230;
livinginnovations.ph.
PATRIOT GAMES, PAGE 49
Louis Vuitton, Greenbelt 5, Ayala
Center, Makati; 756-0637;
louisvuitton.com.
THE BIG BLUE, PAGE 56
Omega Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center,
Makati; 728-0436;
omegawatches.com.
TW Steel Adora, 2/F Greenbelt 5,
Ayala Center, Makati; 217-4030.
Montblanc Rustains Makati, Ayala
Center, Makati; 813-3739.
Audemars Piguet Greenbelt 5,
Ayala Center, Makati; 813-3739.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Greenbelt 5,
Ayala Center, Makati; 728-0094.
All prices available upon request.

THE RESIDENCES AT ALPHALAND MAKATI PLACE, FULLY

FURNISHED TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD AND NOW
READY TO MOVE IN

JUST BRING YOUR TOOTHBRUSH!

7232 Ayala Avenue Extension, Makati City, Philippines

For inquiries contact:
T: +632.846.6205 or +632.737.0020 | M: +63.999.886.4420
E: sales@alphaland.com.ph

www.makatiplace.com.ph
Alphaland Makati Place license to sell nos.: TOWER 1: 26224 | TOWER 2: 029188

Ap r i l 2 0 16

FAMOUS ROGUE

ONE IS HARD-PRESSED to condense the achievements of the late Jovito

Salonga into a few hundred words, if only because it is difficult to pick
out the peaks of three decades of outstanding government service that
began before Martial Law and continued through its turbulent aftermath.
Born to a pastor and public market vendor, Salonga managed to earn
law degrees from the University of the Philippineswhere he topped
the boardsHarvard, and Yale by the time he first entered congress. In
the same year that Ferdinand Marcos won as president, Salonga topped
the senatorial elections in what would be the first of three occasions.
What followed was a courageous and implacable opposition to the
dictatorial regime, including the legal defense of political prisoners and the
publication of detailed exposs that earned him the moniker The Nations

Fiscalizer from thePhilippines Free Press. Following the People Power

Revolution, having come home after nearly four years of exile in the US,
he was tasked with searching for the Marcoses ill-gotten wealth as the
head of the Presidential Commission on Good Government. Arguably his
most notable act, however, came when he served as president to the Senate
that successfully voted for the removal of the US bases on Philippine
soilwhich some say cost him his presidential bid in 1992, where
he emerged sixth in the seven-man race. Though he then returned to
private life, his crusade for good governance continued in the form of his
organizations Kilosbayan and Bantay Katurungan. By his death in March
2016, at the age of 95, Salonga had carved out a legacy of leading by
courageous example in the endless fight against greed and corruption.

Power corrodes and corrupts and blinds even the best of men.

PHOTO BY CYNTHIA JOHNSON/GETTY IMAGES

JOVITO SALONGA, statesman