TION

ELEC SP
HE

97

EC
T

IA L
RO
G
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6
E 1
APRIL 20

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
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 e corner.

a uned.

   
 

  
  

 


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



CONTENTS
FEATURES
82
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.
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
ISSUE 97
Ap r i l 2 0 16
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.
106
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.
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.

CONTENTS
AGENDA
15
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.
6 A PR I L 2016
ISSUE 97
Ap r i l 2 0 16
SECTIONS
37
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.
49
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.
63
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.
 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

On the Cover

Copy Editor ARIANNA LIM Online Editor MIO BORROMEO Alessandra de Rossi wears
Calvin Klein Collection
Editor at Large TEODORO LOCSIN, JR. high-waisted trousers and
Dr. Martens leather boots

Photographed by Mark Nicdao

ART Styled by Patrick Galang
Makeup by Robbie Piera
Senior Designer PATRICK DIOKNO Junior Designer CHESCA GAMBOA Hair by Mark Familiara
Photographer Assisted by James
Bautista, Chris Soco, and Egoy
Photographer at Large MARK NICDAO Photographer STEVE TIRONA Illustrator MENEER MARCELO
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

Unit 102, Building 2, OPVI Centre,

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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
ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THE
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THIS EDITION. OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE
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MAGAZINE MAY BE USED OR REPRODUCED IN ANY MANNER
WHATSOEVER WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE
EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS.
 THE EDITORS NOTE
The Lost Mar Roxas Interview
O
ne of my favorite photographs from
the Roguee archives is a candid por-
trait 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 sun-
glasses on his wind-swept face.
I first published this photo in the seventh is-
sue of Rogue, where we interviewed then-Senator
Roxas for the magazines first major political
profile, The Road to Malacaang, in February opposition, possible President after Marcos
2008. Thanks to the actress we had put on the
cover, and a controversial centerfold of a TV an-
chor 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.
10 A PR I L 2016
ISSUE 97
Ap r i l 2 0 16
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 be-
ing a political celebritysenator, head of the
the satisfaction from that is of recent vintage. So
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 go-
ing 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.
When I was very young, I was, in Visayan,
upod-upod, sama-sama, of my maternal grandfa-
ther 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 ex-
perience of standing up on the stage and waving,
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 some-
thing 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, espe-
cially 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.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK NICDAO
Paolo R. Reyess
P
Editor in Chief
 santonishoes.com

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 ISSUE 97

THE GUEST LIST Ap r i l 2 0 16

Patrick Paez is
the head of news
production at TV5 and
oversees the online
Yvette Tan is best show Kontrabando.
known for her work His latest program
in fantasy and horror, conception is what
for which she has won he calls a weekend
numerous awards. She newscast in the form
Bibeth Orteza is of a quiz/gag show
also writes non-fiction,
an activist, cancer called Barangay
focusing on food,
survivor, member Utakan. Before turning Jason Horowitz has
travel, and personality
of the MTRCB, network executive, worked as a writer
profiles. Follow her on
and ardent student Paez was a field guy and political reporter
twitter and Instagram
of history. She has covering politics, for The Observer, The
@yvette_tan and check
Nelson Navarro written two booksis disasters, and the Washington Post, and
out yvettetan.com for
began his journalism currently working on fighting in Mindanao The New York Times.
more of her work.
career with Graphic her thirdand has and Afghanistan. Beyond the private Eric Thayer is a visual
magazine in 1968. He written screenplays life of Donald Trump, journalist based in
co-founded the anti- and teleplays. She Horowitz has been New York. As a regular
Martial Law Ningas won Best Supporting covering the US contributor to The New
magazine and later Actress in the New campaign trail. York Times, Getty, The
served as a columnist Wave Category for Wall Street Journal,
for major broadsheets Toto in the 2015 Metro Sports Illustrated, and
and as co-anchor on Manila Film Festival. Reuters, he has years
ABS-CBN and GMA. Wife to Carlitos, of experience covering
He is an author of 11 mother of Aya two presidential
books, including the andRafa. campaigns and is
biography of legendary working on a project
journalist Max Soliven. Paolo Enrico focused on the US-
Melendez is an JL Javier is a freelance Mexico border.
awarded writer known photographer. He
for his satirical short graduated with a
fiction. He is from degree in Information
Tanauan, Batangas. Design from Ateneo
For this issue, he writes de Manila University.
about the narrative, He primarily takes
campaign, and cultural portraits, but also
significance of Vice likes to shoot fashion
Presidential candidate and travel. His
Leni Robredo. inspirations include
the photography of
Richard Avedon,
the paintings of
Rembrandt, and his
dog Jeffrey.

12 A PR I L 2016
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 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
ISSUE NO.

97

Making waves as the most expensive show Netflix has ever produced,
StephenDaldrysTheCrownpromises to be a drama of royal proportions
WORDS BY VINNY TAGLE
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 with the royal family, and their marital turmoil
my wife or my queen? he asks her, to which she threatens to derail her rise to power.
replies, I am both. Not everything is in order 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

Based on Peter Morgans Elizabeth took the reins of her country right
when the purpose of the crown itself was being
questioned by Winston Churchill, played here by
The Audience and with a John Lithgow. With the British Empire waning
after the Second World War, her role in the

budget of $156 million, it modern world was under question, leaving it up

to her to prove her place in BuckinghamPalace.

recreates Elizabeths reign With Stephen Daldry (The Queen) directing

this show and Peter Morgan behind its creation

as a young lady, navigating and writing, The Crown promises to be an

intriguing and engaging period drama.

both the politics of her ROYAL PAINS

From top: Claire Foy and Matt Smith play

country and her bedroom. Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, respectively;

tensions rise between the two as the Queen
navigates her dual role of wife and amonarch.

PORTRAIT 1965 1977 1982 1997 2000 2015

OF AN ERA The
Conservative
The United
Kingdom
Prince William,
Duke of
Princess Diana,
rst wife of
This year marks
the death of
The Queen
is officially
Since The Crown revolves Party of the UK celebrates the Cambridge, is Charles, Prince two members recognized
creates a formal Silver Jubilee born. Prince of Wales, is killed of the royal as historys
around the life and reign of Queen election process of the Queen, William is the in a car crash. family: Princess longest-reigning
Elizabeth IIand the rest of the for electing marking 25 years son of Charles, Her funeral Margaret British monarch
royal familythe shows plot prime ministers as a sovereign. Prince of Wales, broadcast holds and Queen on September
into parliament The whole and is currently the record of Elizabeth the 9, surpassing
stretches itself across generations without the nation celebrates second in line being one of the QueenMother. Queen Victoria,
WORDS BY JAM PASCUAL involvement of with street for the throne most watched who ruled from
the Queen. parties and a after his father. events in British June 1837 to
public holiday. television. January 1901.

16 A PR I L 2016 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 philosophy of equating his menus
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
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. can even order veal sweetbreads, an XL ribeye,
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 Drive, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig;848-2632) is
a strong restaurant that opened earlier this year,
or a massive Holstein beef rib for twothe one of dozens supposedly set to be unleashed to
ultimate sweat-inducing indulgence. the eating public. The neighborhoods of BGC
Atelier Vivanda (U-A-8 Burgos Park, Rizal are certainly shaping updeliciously.
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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

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
SANTIAGO

JEJOMAR

SEERES

DUTERTE
MIRIAM

GRACE

ROXAS
BINAY

RODY
MAR

ROY
POE

7% 2.5% 22% 39% 2.5% 27%

41% VOTED FOR THEIR CANDIDATE BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED IN THEIR PLATFORM

39% VOTED ON THE BASIS OF WHO SEEMED TO BE THE LESSER EVIL AMONG THE CANDIDATES

}
20% FILLED20%
OUT THE MOCK BALLOT, BUT WILL MOST LIKELY ABSTAIN IN THE OFFICIAL ELECTIONS

71%
VICE Voted for their
candidate
PRESIDENTIAL because they

CANDIDATES
believed in
theirplatform.

61% LENI ROBREDO 19% 10 % All votes were turned

in anonymously
17% BONGBONG MARCOS Voted on the
Filled out the through the
basis of who circulation of mock
mock ballot,
12% ALAN CAYETANO seemed to be the
but will most ballots. Apart from
lesser evil among
10% CHIZ ESCUDERO thecandidates.
likely abstain voting preferences,
in the official participants were
0% GREGORIO HONASAN II elections. asked about other

12
0% ANTONIO TRILLANES IV details such as age,
sex, and precinct.

TOP 1. DICK GORDON TOP 3 POLITICAL PAIRINGS

2. SERGIO OSMEA III
SENATORIAL 3. FRANKLIN DRILON
4. LEILA DE LIMA
CANDIDATES 5. RISA HONTIVEROS
6. FRANCIS PANGILINAN
7. RALPH RECTO
8. PANFILO LACSON
9. JUAN MIGUEL ZUBIRI
10. TEOFISTO GUIGONA III ROXAS DUTERTE POE
11. RAFAEL ALUNAN III
ROBREDO CAYETANO ESCUDERO
12. ROMAN ROMULO

22 A PR I L 2016
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, gritted-
teeth, 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. METHOD TO THE MADNESS dont repeat my old stuff.
I consider every show like a music album. From top: Luna War, oil, enamel, colored He says hes started deconstructing his
pencil, gypsum on canvas, 36 x 48; Hey You,
The artwork are like songs, says Concepcion. Ill Sunshine!!, enamel and gympsum on canvas, imagery. Concepcion shows off an artwork
put together nine or 10 works. Theres going to 48 x 48. Concepcion's show runs from April of the House of Representatives session hall
be a sleeper hit in there, an old favorite, a classic, 23 to May 20 at 1335MABINI in Malate. defaced with wild splotches of paint. A lot of
or something that I dont really like but I keep artists can paint really well. But to break it apart?
coming back to it for some reason. Thats why I Thattakesa lot.

26 A PR I L 2016 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.

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
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 bright-
yellow 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

A Recipe for
those we have yet to try. rich comfort food, topped with crunchy jamn
The platter known as Chef s Selection of 8 serrano. Even Tapellas signature drinks have
Tapas epitomizes the kind of variety that the the spirit of mixology behind them. The Ronin

Reinvention
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 Chef Robert Spakowski with a side of aioli, the selection is an array of
at the helm, Tapella sees new bright colors and flavors that easily captures the
life combining classic and festive tapas culture of Madrid. For Spakowski,
playing with different flavors is an opportunity
modern sensibilities to experiment, but at the end of the day it still
WORDS BY CARISSA POBRE comes down to simple, approachable food. The
PHOTOS BY JL JAVIER
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
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.

28 A PR I L 2016
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
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.

EVENTOLOGIST TRAINEE AT THE BRAND SPECIALIST

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.
FAMILY BUSINESS
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.
ON T WIT TER
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.

30 A PR I L 2016
AGENDA POLITICS
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
CORY AQUINO
1986
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.
32 A PR I L 2016
THE REST IS HISTORY
WORDS BY GIAN LAO
FIDEL RAMOS
1992
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.
JOSEPH ESTRADA
1998
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.
IMAGES OF CAMPAIGN MATERIAL COURTESY OF THE PRESIDENTIAL MUSEUM & LIBRARY COLLECTION.
GLORIA ARROYO
2004
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.
AGENDA NIGHTLIFE

Berta Lopez-
Feliciano and
Chiqui Banzon

Noel Bautista, Ting Feliciano, Bledes Fors-

Ricardo Po and Mon Gonzalez Legarda, Rene Banzon, Johnny Montinola

The Last Dance

For one night only last March,
the citys retired nightowls
resurfaced to relive the 90s
bar that changed Makati
Midas Marquez,
Bubot Quicho, nightlifeforever: Giraffe Larry Leviste and
Louie Cruz Robbie Carmona
WORDS BY JEROME GOMEZ
PHOTOS BY IAN SANTOS
Monica Araneta,
Tina and Robert
Cruz, Tim Yap
WE WAITED FOR 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
Tweetie de Makati how to loosen up. There was Louie
Leon Gonzalez, Cruz holding court at the center. By the
Apples Aberin
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
Sandy Lamb-Moran with having dried up hours before. Bledes Fors-Legarda
Junjun and Kourtney Camcam and Amado Fors

Boyet Almazan,
Charlie Carmona

Jami Ledesma,
Petusa Louie Cruz

34 A PR I L 2016
 Ap r i l 2 0 16

SPACE
E DI T E D BY

DEVI DE VEYRA

DESIGN + INTERIORS + ARCHITECTURE + TECHNOLOGY

ISSUE NO.

97

DARK
ROOMS
& IRON
FISTS

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

FILLED WITH TOTEMS OF TRIUMPHS, FAILURES, AND UNFORESEEN OUTCOMES
SPACE FURNITURE

BENITO
MUSSOLINI
Il Duce is back. Mussolini-
themed 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 Mussolini-
commissioned 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 Jean-
Michel Franks furniture evoke the sense of
peace that eluded him throughout his life
WORDS BY JAM PASCUAL
42 A PR I L 2016
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.
 PARTNER PROMOTION

Street
barware,
Orrefors

Cognac glass Flute glass Martini glasss Decanter

ITS QUITE EASY to put together a classic tablescape, starting with the

A Case for Clarity 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,
Create a special atmosphere with a timeless Scanpans sleek cookware is just as fabulous as the other pieces in your
tablescape of pure lines, polished materials, tablescape. Dont forget that details matteryou cant go wrong with the
Topos cutlery by Robbe & Berking. With these classics, gatherings around
and a monochrome palette the table are bound to be memorable experiences.

Fine bone chinaware, Carrara Atlas vase, Orrefors CTX Saute Pan, Scanpan Cutlery, Topos collection,
collection from Dibbern. Robbe & Berking

FOR MORE INFORMATION, EMAIL SALES@GARDENBARN.COM.PH, CALL 833-1080, OR VISIT GARDENBARN. COM
M .PH A PR I L 2016 43
SPACE MOTORING
Reaching iconic status in the 1960s, global brands Vespa and Mini
introduce two new models to a Philippine audience
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
Summertime Drive
WORDS BY ERIKA UY
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 three-
cylinder 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.

specimen, the Snake chairare part of the of Light, a documentary that examines

Let There Be Light MOMAs permanent collections. Anyone

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
unconvinced by Henningsens genius might
be swayed by the PH pianos, a mind-
blowing series that look like deviant distant
relations to their tradition-bound cousins.
The Danish maverick stirred not just
the design world but also Denmarks socio-
political 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
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 diffff 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
PH PENDANT LIGHT PH GRAND PIANO PH HAT WALL LAMP
approach to his craftt
This drop light is the most recognizable This musical instrument is a rare Henningsen was also capable of
piece from Henningsen
Henningsenss portfolio example of the designers amboyance
exa 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

1 2
BOXINBOX LOTUS PENDANT
by Philippe Starck for by BoConcept
Glas Italia (Living (3/F MOs Design, B2
Innovations; G/F, Fort Bonifacio High Street,
Victoria, 5th Ave., Taguig; 403-6620;
Corner 23rd St., BGC mosdesign.com.ph)
8302230)

3
PRISM GLASS
WARDROBE
by Tokujin Yoshioka for
Glas Italia (Living
Innovations; G/F, Fort
Victoria, 5th Ave.,
Corner 23rd St., BGC
8302230)

4 5
PRECIOUS OVAL SOAP BUBBLE
COCKTAIL WALL DECOR
TABLE
by BoConcept
by Cdric Ragot for (3/F MOs Design, B2
Roche Bobois (2100 Bonifacio High Street,
Don Chino Roces Ext., Taguig; 403-6620
Makati; 519-8240) mosdesign.com.ph)

46 A PR I L 2016
 Ap r i l 2 0 16

E DI T E D BY

JACS T. SAMPAYAN

THE EYE FA S H I O N + S T Y L E + G R O O M I N G
ISSUE NO.

97

P A T R I O T

G A M E S

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

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 first-term senator talks about his favorites, from artists and authors to the places he considers home
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
THE
ROGUE
REGISTER
SENATOR SONNY ANGARA
INTERVIEW BY JACS T. SAMPAYAN
lagging sports programs. What drives you on? Favorite gadget?
Outside of rigorous Asense of mission, Apple stuff: form and function.
legislative work and some altruism, some
necessary social ambition, some of Where do you live?
functions, his days the values instilled Manila and Baler, Aurora.
are spent bonding in me.
with family on trips, Neighborhood
supporting his eldest What are you restaurant?
kids budding working on Apt 1-B,Recovery
tennis career, and now? Food, and Cibo.
sneaking a set or two of play At the risk of sounding
himself, when permitted. too grandiose: trying to Favorite cocktail?
With a loaded schedule, build a more just society Scotch on the rocks.
the rst-termer, who through legislative reform
placed sixth in the 2013 (tax, labor, education). Favorite dish?
polls, is relieved not to be Steak au poivre, sisigand
in this years campaign What time of the day garlic rice, Cebu lechon.
trail. Good luck to all are you most inspired?
candidates. Im happy I wish there were consistency Jeans?
not to be running this here, but dawn is the closest. Seven, Uniqlo.
2016 election, he says.
Favorite hotel? Footwear?
What was your earliest Unforgettable for its dramatic Brown leather shoes and old
ambition? setting was the Fairmont school sneaks like Jordans or
To be a writer or journalist. in Banff, Canada. Its Converse.
an old palace set in
What is your the mountains with Watch?
most treasured lakes and fantastic Cartier, Audemars Piguet, and
possession? scenery. Closer to Jaeger-LeCoultre.
My family, but if that home, Amanpulo
doesnt count then our and Pangalusian in Favorite designers?
house, because it Palawan are beautiful too. Kenneth Cobonpue.
reminds me of family and
our happy moments. Necessary extravagance? Wallet or money clip?
Chocolate. Wallet.
Who are your favorite writers?
Nick Hornby, PJ ORourke, and Favorite city in the world: Who cuts your hair?
Bill Bryson. Manila and London for most of my Brunos Barbers.
life. Tokyo is moving up, too.
What would you like to own Cologne?
that you dont currently Ideal playlist? Acqua di
possess? Would be a mix of Parma.
A plane or chopper would make genres/eras; some
my job easier. rock, some
alternative, some
R&B
and hip-hop.
Favorite
artists?
Yasmin Sison. Also architects
Frank Gehry and
John Lautner.
 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 Raf Simons x Adidas Visvim Raf Simons x Adidas

Two-strap classic sneaker Stan Smith strap in black Slip ons in black Stan Smith in white

ALL AVAILABLE AT UNIVERS, ONEROCKWELLEAST TOWER, ESTRELLA CORNERROCKWELLDRIVE,MAKATI; 553-6811; HOMMEETFEMME.PH A PR I L 2016 55
THE EYE WATCHES
The coolest of colors dominate the scene as a slew of timepieces tinged with blue are introduced this season
2 3
TW STEEL
CEO Canteen
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.
56 A PR I L 2016
The Big Blue
WORDS BY JACS T. SAMPAYAN
MONTBLANC
4810
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.
4 5
AUDEMARS PIGUET
Royal Oak Yellow Gold
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.
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.
JAEGER-LECOULTRE
Reverso Duoface
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.
 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

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

ff at a dinner party hosted by former Russian Voguee editor Anna
Joffe
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 OPINIONS + IDEAS + PERSPECTIVES

ISSUE NO.

97

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 Facebook has changed the dynamics of elections Some find his brash quality beguiling, and his
road during the 2004 presidential campaigns, forever. But does social media really have the promises both desirable and repulsive. Whatever
and witnessed how the movie king cast his silver capacity to influence poll results, or are we the case, the Davao mayors recipe for seduction
screen spell across the countryside. wrongly assigning it too much power? 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

I
first worked with Fernando Poe Jr. in his FPJ
Productionss pre-Metro Manila Film Festi-
val 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 af-
ter 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 na-
kalinya 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 hospi-
talizations, 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 con-
firmed 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?
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 Buis-
ing 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 Taclo-
ban, 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
IMAGE COURTESY OF FPJ PRODUCTIONS
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 Wa-
ray. 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 Bo-
rongan, 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-
ANG SIGA AT ANG KUTING
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 im-
provised 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.

FPJ FRETTED IN THE CLOSED van assigned to us

for the road trip to Catbalogan. He kept squirm-
ing in his seat. People wont see us here. They
YOU CAN COUNT ON ME wont know were inside. Sayang. His sighs got
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 longer. And louder. He told the driver, Erap,
winner Gloria Arroyo, May 10, 2004. 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 mag-
maneho sa amin?
By now the other vehicles in our convoy had
arrived. Up the truck we went. TAPE camera-
man Mike Vicencio joined us, as did many oth-
ers. Wed suddenly become a much bigger group
of around 20.
Suddenly out there lining the Maharlika
PHOTO BY DAVID GREEDY/GETTY IMAGES

Highway, from Calbayog, passing by Sta. Mar-

garita, then Gandara, then San Jorge, were people.
People who came as if from nowhere, running in
We didnt think his opponents would dare from stretches of forest, of trees and more trees.
Where did they come from, from whose houses,
cheat, for judging by the reception he got from from what communities, how did they know FPJ
was passing through, in pre-smartphone days,
north to south of the country, only massive when the phenomenon of every barrio person and
his mother having a cellphone each had yet to be?
cheating could do him in. But yes, they dared. FPJ stopped the truck only twice on the way to

66 A PR I L 2016
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 mispronounc-
ing: 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.
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 lob-
by 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 trans-
lated: Kabo. Eseng ng Tondo was not one to im-
pose 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 pre-
dicted 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 cheat-
ing 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 cheat-
ing. I was standing by the small truck comman-
deered 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
Inday and saw her smiling at Rafa, too.
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 check-
ing the returns. Youre winning greatly in the mu-
nisipyos, 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 cheat-
ings really been planned, you think theres not one
guard at the Comelec who will stand up to volun-
teer 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:
neighbors would arm themselves with batya and
palu-palo, dos-por-dos and dustpans, walis-tingting,
kalderos and what-have-you, to combat contra-
bida 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 re-
ferred to himself as I. Winning, for him, was a
matter of we or us.
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 Car-
litos 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
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 con-
trol 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 dis-
cuss 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 an-
other 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, Ma-
ribeth. 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 elec-
tionsof2004.
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?

I
n the 2013 senatorial elections, one of the most
denigrated candidates on social media was
Nancy Binay, the eldest daughter of incum-
bent Vice President Jejomar Binay. Everything
was thrown at her, from lack of experience in pub-
lic 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
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, machin-
ery, TV, and radio adstraditional tools in all na-
tional campaigns.
But a lot has changed since then. In 2013, only
30 percent of Filipinos had access to the Internet,
five presidential aspirants. Which is hardly sur-
prising. 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 popula-
tion. While candidates are spending heavily on
political ads via traditional tri-media, it is hard to
discount the five to 10 million Filipinos who en-
counter political campaigns online.
ART BY DAN MATUTINA

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
a number that has grown dramatically over the
last three years. That social media could emerge
as a game changer in the coming national elec-
tions is most evident in the increasingly dedicated
and sophisticated social media campaigns of all
At its best, social media can be utilized by
campaigns to spur engagement and pave the way
for genuine conversation with potential voters, ex-
perts say. With Facebook as top favorite (with 26
million Pinoys using it everyday, mostly via their

68 A PR I L 2016

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 plat-
forms have become integrated in a new ecosys-
tem 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 ex-
pand ones campaign, political operators predict-
ably 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 ap-
proved 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. Compensa-
tion 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 suc-
cess of a social media campaign hinges, after all,
in authenticity and transparency. Netizens be-
long 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 minc-
ing 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, jour-
nalistic ethics, and self-regulation, social media
Black Ops have no rules and are almost impos-
THE ONLY
MAGAZINE
THE POWER SET
READS FROM
COVER TO
sible to prosecute, especially when false or even
stolen identities are used for authorship.
The same way that Nancy Binay gained on-
line notoriety through anonymously created
COVER.
memes, online conversations today are routinely
highjacked by users of suspicious identitybogus
private armies or Internet warriors posting mes-
sages all day, set up precisely to tilt these conversa-
tions 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 ben-
efit one candidate: Mar Roxas. The Roxas cam-
paign quickly distanced itself from the attempt
to game the survey. In a statement, it said: We
are firmly committed to a campaign that empow-
ers 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 jour-
nalism ethics, such as on accuracy, fact checking, READ ROGUE MAGAZINE
and attribution do not apply. The responsibility of
filtering usable, reliable content from malicious ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ON YOUR
rubbish is left to the user, who is bombarded with IPAD, ANDROID, MAC, AND PC.
information around the clock.
The implications are multifarious and go ZINIO.COM/ROGUE
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 cur-
rent trends and conventions in political marketing
expenditure and strategy. It is a game changer that
could well bleed into the way mainstream com-
merce 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 conversa-
tions during a campaign? Or will it prove to be, at
most, a new channel, a new above-the-line alter-
native, unable to preventor predicta Nancy
Binay kind of victory?
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

F
or someone who claims to have led a wild,
wasted youth, Rodrigo Duterte has trans-
formed 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 com-
mon 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 leg-
endand printable and air-worthy news. This is
where Dutertes art of politics cum seduction be-
comes conspicuous. No Filipino leader has been
punished in the polls for his philandering. If any-
thing, 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 sus-
piciously in social media. Being caught in the em-
brace 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-re-
searched campaign of another presidential aspi-
rant. 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
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 me-
dia 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 fi-
nal hour to file his candidacy certificate.
Duterte went around the country on a listen-
ing tour to promote federalism, yet what height-
ened was not awareness of a new form of govern-
ment 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 fu-
neral business will experience a boom in the wake
of his anti-crime campaign.
I am also reminded of Miriam Santiago MR. SUAVE
in1991. Despite his brash rhetoric,
some camps are predicting
She had shot to national prominence as the a smooth road from Davao
RTC judge who ate death threats for breakfast. City Hall to Malacaang
Appointed by Cory as immigration commission- Palace for Duterte,
photographed here in
er, Miriam one day issued a press statement deny- characteristic rogue style:
ing she was running for president. Until that press barong and maong.
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 of them. The untucked plaid shirt. The motor-
the dog; a denial that set her on the road to the cycle. The menacing threats. The DOM moves.
1992 presidential election, where she placed sec- Dancing the nae-nae on Gandang Gabi, Vice. A
ond (and only because she was cheated, she says, lawyer by profession, born of middle-class par-
by Fidel Ramos). Miriam has mounted a second ents, Duterte had the ability to empathize, to be
attempt at the presidency, this time using pickup common, not to alienate. He had street cred and
and hugot lines as way to seduce voters. moved in the ways of the jungle and wild that is
In my interview with him in April, Duterte Davao City and the rest of the country as well.
was not the cussing, cocky-yet-charming pol we The people perhaps are less in need of an en-
PHOTO BY EDWIN TUYAY

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
often see on TV or read about. He was calm, col-
lected, 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
lightened 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 erog-
enous zones of voters, how to whet their appetite
and make them lust for hima craft he mastered

70 A PR I L 2016
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 flip-
flopping or indecision did not stall his candidacy.
Duterte sat with his second wife Honeylet and
their daughter. There was no cordon sanitaire of
It was seductiona coitus interruptus. It was pure
method, a tactic he employed for 22 years as
seasoned politicians, political operators, or hot-
shot lawyers on loan from generous taipans.
mayor and left much of Davao City asking for
more Duterte.
Sitting outside the room on a monobloc stool
was his man Friday, Bong Go. Duterte is never
From single digit, his survey ratings are now in
the 20s, second only to the heir of FPJ. But while
anywhere without him. Go hardly said a word,
his attention intensely fixed on SMS exchanges
Grace Poe has been tested in a national election
and has the Senate for a springboard, Duterte is
coming in the two Nokia GSM phones he held
in each hand. Duterte was in jeans. He matched
going straight for Malacaang from the Davao
City Hall. Not even the popular Erap Estrada,
it with a barong he unfolded from a bag and wore
with buttons half open and sleeves rolled halfway.
who went from San Juan mayor to senator and
then vice president, was as brash.
Admittedly, it was a refreshing sight. Duterte
continues to defy and dumbfound in ways that
Backstage at UP Cebu for the TV5 debate, has left more and more Filipinos turned on.
 T H E J O Y F U L M Y S T E R I E S O F

A L E S S A N D R A D E R O S S I
PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARK NICDAO / STYLED BY PATRICK GALANG

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
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 Philip-
pines 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 evo-
lution 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 kon-
trabida 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 with- these projects with certainty and clarity. These things are going to happen. Its
out 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 Bay-
bayin 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 vo-
cals on top of electronic melodies that wouldnt feel out of place in an Ameri-
can 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 be-
trays her hometown to the Spanish invaders and does penance by accompa-
nying Gregoria de Jesus on her quest to find the remains of Andres Boni-
facio. 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
not a matter of if, but when.
Alessandra de Rossi doesnt have what it takes to be really big in this in-
dustry. 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, gru-
eling industry, shes carved out a career that continues to defy expectations.
 CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION HIGH-
WAISTED TROUSERS, DR. MARTENS
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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
 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
84 A PR I L 2016
would rock on the plate, it was so well done), and how Trump insistsde-
spite 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
IMAGE BY STEVE STARR/CORBIS
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, alter-
nating 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,
 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 .

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 men-
the by the fireplace and reciting soliloquies from the television show De-
signing Women, these days Senecal encounters Gov. Chris Christie of New
Jersey lounging on a couch under the living rooms 21-foot gold-leafed ceil-
ing, or chatting with Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama as he exits the luxurious
PHOTO BY TOM WILLIAMS/CQ ROLL CALL
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 Mar-
a-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

Spanish Room. distance was 225 yards.

The butlers up-close observations of Trump over the years have re-
vealed 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.
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 wom-
an 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 for-
eigners: 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 THE GLITTER AND THE GOLD
coin. The butler went on his hands and knees and after a few minutes found 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
a crusty penny. C. W. Post was the "dowager queen of Palm Beach" when she built Mar-a-Lago (Spanish for
His eyes were incredible, Senecal said of Fred Trump. Mr. Trump has Sea to Lake) for $8 million in 1927. Trump bought the property in 1985 from Post's daughter,
the same eyes. 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
He also remembered Donald Trumps young sons running through the Room. The house was originally designed by society architect Marion Sims Wyeth.
library, paneled with centuries-old British oak and filled with rare first-edi-
tion 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 by building the 20,000-square-foot Donald J. Trump Ballroom. The venue
confided archly. Just a different head. made its big debut with the 2005 wedding of Trump to Melania Trump,
Senecal adored the Trump children, but found Ivana, Trumps first wife, whom Senecal described as exceptionally compassionate. Tony Bennett,
an especially demanding presence. She would instruct him to get that spot whose paintings hang in the mansion, sang. Senecal greeted guests at the
out of that rug and then do it herself if he failed. She would occasionally tell door, including Hillary Clinton. (In the interview, he offered a profane de-
Senecal to have the gardeners go inside because she wanted to swim naked scription for Clinton, the front-runner in the Democratic presidential race.)
in the pool. The ballroom later hosted an 80th birthday party for Maya Angelou,
In 1990, Senecal took a sabbatical to become the mayor of a town in thrown by Oprah Winfrey, during which part of the hall was set aside for
West Virginia, where he gained some notoriety for a proposal requiring all a religious ceremony with the hooting and the hollering, Senecal recalled.
panhandlers to carry begging permits. He said that Trump wrote to him, Mr. Trump was right on into it. It was so great. He was clapping.
This is so great, Tony. Senecals admiration for his longtime boss seems to know few limits. On
Senecal returned in 1992, and took up his old residence in the butlers March 6, as Trump made his way through the living room on his way to
room, but was soon asked to move out after Trump married Marla Maples, the golf course, Senecal called out All rise! to the club members and staff.
who really didnt belong here, Senecal said. Also, Trump wanted to rent the Theyrose.
room out to members. Trump was wearing a Make America Great Again cap. It was white, not
A decade later, Trump decided to put his own imprint on Mar-a-Lago 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 con-
tenders and the money behind them, while Iris Gonzales divulges the
politics
liti off big
bi bbusiness
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 sup-
portfrom millions in cash for campaign ex-
penses 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 Philip-
pine 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 de-
cide on whats good for their business. Its called
self-preservation, he says.
Its no surprise that businesses have been thriv-
ing 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 sup-
port to the five candidatesto the Kings daugh-
ter 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, cur-
rent 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 Philip-
pines, the two most influential business groups,
are likewise rumored to favor Poe among all
the candidates.
They are for Poe maybe because she is inexpe-
rienced, 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 busi-
nessgroups.
MBC president Ramon del Rosario Jr. said the
business groups have invited all presidential can-
didates 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 in-
stitutionalized crime and corruption. His strong-
arm tactic should make people respect and obey
the law or suffer the consequences. Legitimate
businesses have a better chance of survival if cor-
ruption, 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

F
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-or-
never 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
GRACE POE
AV E NG I NG G R AC E
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.
 T
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 me-
dia 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
PORTRAIT BY JL JAVIER
MarRoxas.
But the president had long committed to en-
dorse 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 them-
selves as independents, the new team immedi-
ately stole the thunder from the Liberal Party,
with Poe close on the heels of Binay and Escu-
dero way ahead of BBM and the rest of the field.
Guns then shifted targets from the much-
battered Binay to the fast-rising Poe-Escudero
tandem. The Commission on Elections dutifully
ruled Poe ineligible on both citizenship and resi-
dency 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 elimi-
nation, 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 frontrun-
ner 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 sil-
ver 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.

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 feu-
dal 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
RODRIGO DUTERTE
Danding Cojuangcos Nationalist Peoples Co- THE MAN WITH THE IRON FIST
alition (NPC), second only to the ruling Liber-
als 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 Indonesian-
owned PLDT and Meralco cannot be far behind.
B
illed as a reluctant candidate and the last to
throw his hat into the ring, Rodrigo Di-
gong 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 provin-
cial or regional leader albeit with some claim
PORTRAIT BY EDWIN TUYAY

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 Ma-
nila, finally chose Grace Poe.
to a potent law-and-order constituency beyond
Davao City, the vote-heavy and richest metropo-
lis 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-

94 A PR I L 2016
 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
JEJOMAR BINAY
T H E F R O N T RU N N E R S T U M B L E S
nationalist backlash."

mo. He is known to favor summary execution of

N
criminals or to airily dispense with laborious legal
ot too long ago, Jejomar Binay appeared to
processes that have rendered the police and the
be the sure winner and darling of Danding
courts toothless.
Cojuangcos San Miguel group captained
The poster boy of Davaos vigilantes and noto-
by Ramon S. Ang, the pre-eminent taipans
rious death squads, he is on record as vowing to rid
Henry Sy and Lucio Tan, and the Solaire Casino
the nation of crime within six months of assuming
group of Ricky Razon. Add to that the immense
the presidency. It is a tall order he may yet come to
political firepower of the other two of The Three
regret in the course of this increasingly brutal po-
KingsErap Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile
litical season. He has found a niche in tapping the
and it was assumed that Binay (the third king) was
outrage of citizens not only in Davao but all over
as good as elected, indeed crowned, as Benigno S.
a country who are sick and tired of unrelenting
Aquino IIIs successor way, way before the May 9,
waves of criminality and despair.
2016 polls.
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 un-
der 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 Alcan-
taras, rich in agribusiness and mining, have rallied
behind their mayor. With close ties to Makatis
corporate highrollers, this group is rumored to en-
joy the unsaid backing of the immensely wealthy
Sultan of Brunei who, like the pro-Binay main-
land Chinese, have to be extra-careful not to trig-
ger a legal and nationalist backlash.
For media warfare and agitprop, the old PIR-
MA movement has been gassed up by the fiery
columnist Carmen Pedrosa with behind-the-
scenes 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 ap-
pear to be so with the candidate boldly declaring
that, if elected with BBM (shorthand for Bong-
bong 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 ju-
bilant followers and enrage the opposing camps.
BBM is running under the visibly cancer-strick-
en 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 sur-
PORTRAIT BY STEVE TIRONA

mised, Santiago may dramatically drop out and

throw the race into a mad scramble. The two Na-
cionalista 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.
 All talk of Binays deep Chinese pockets have been muted,
reduced to a mere trickle by Malacaangs virulent anti-
China Spratly policy and anti-money laundering crusade.
This was all too good to be true and could well press coverage and financial strangulation, the Pineda jumped to the Roxas-Robredo tandem.
have amounted to Binays fatal mistakedeclar- candidates five-year advance work in the hus- In Batangas, Binays home province itself, Rep.
ing for the presidency too grandly and too early tings was bound to unravel. Once ready to de- Ed Ermita, GMAs executive secretary, has fol-
for his own good. fect en masse from the ruling Liberal Party after lowed suit to the Roxas camp.
A UP law graduate, former human rights this years first quarter distribution of pork barrel What remains going for Binay? Perhaps
activist in the martial law years, Cory Aquinos funds, many provincial bosses have apparently the considerable residue of his uphill but phe-
staunch admirer and the so-called Lord of developed cold feet. nomenal victory in 2010 plus long years of
Makati for the past 30 years, Binay is now re- All over Mindanao and the Cebuano-speak- trawling up and down the archipelago as
portedly down to hardcore backers like Roberto ing regions, Davaos Rodrigo Duterte as a native president-in-waiting.
Bobby Ongpin of the Alphaland group, Mar- son appears to be siphoning populist support that Binays grassroots support cannot be under-
coss finance whiz kid, with whom First Gentle- would have easily gone to Binay. Likewise, Grace estimated. Think of Makatis Sister Cities pro-
man Mike Arroyo was once deeply associated. Poe appears to be drawing droves of yellow vot- gram that he nourished since 1987, the national
All talk of deep Chinese pockets including mas- ers that had once rallied behind the NoyBi team, Boy Scouts movement he has led even longer,
sive, if questionable mainland funding have been Binays natural constituency which had dumped the widespread Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity to
muted, some say reduced to a mere trickle by and humiliated Mar Roxas. which he belongs and its obvious the man has
PORTRAIT BY STEVE TIRONA

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
In vote-heavy areas in Luzon, Gloria Ar-
royo 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
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 itch-
ing to snatch victory in his name from the very
jaws of disaster.

96 A PR I L 2016
 SECOND FIDDLES
A D E A D LY S I D E S H OW
T
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 more-
pedigreed 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 constitu-
tion 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 support-
ed him in 2007 and 2014 for his senate bid, and
also in his aborted 2010 presidential run. Bong-
bong Marcos has, of course, Marcos and Ro-
mualdez 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 well-
funded in 2013? But Honasan appears to be a to-
ken 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 be-
cause 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 dec-
orative 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 be-
fore 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-
Bicol that the late-starting Robredo gains, the
and Escudero. Either way, BBM could only gain
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.
BBM and taunt Escudero to follow suit. Or the
latter could gamble by playing cool, taking the
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 awe-
some Bicol regional vote that could have offset
Marcoss lock on the Solid North two ways com-
pels Escudero to run scared. The more votes in
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 be-
tween Scylla and Charybdis, between Robredo
more steps towards Malacaang and the Mar-
cos 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 ex-
pected 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 Ro-
bredo 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
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. Well-
appointed 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-year-
old 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 kami na-achieve. I never

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 buong-
tapat ko pong tinatanggap ang
hamon na tumakbo bilang
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

Of the eight mayors in pangalawang pangulo ni Mar

Roxas. Ibinibigay ko po ang
aking sarili ng buong buo sa
the elections is farthest from
my mind. I always think I
am at a disadvantage.At

her district, only one ating mga kababayan, lalong lalo

na sa inyong mga nakatsinelas
na nasa labas, nasa ibaba, at
the Ugnayan sa Batasan forum,
December 2, 2015

JAN 2016
was supportive; of 186 nasa laylayan ng lipunan.
Accepting the administrations
invitation for her to run as VP,
Empowered people
demand more from their

barangays, only 25. She Club Filipino, October 5, 2015

In the last surveys, parang

government. They expect no
less than transparency and
accountability. This is the

was denied barangay halls three percent lang ako . . .

Against other vice presidential
candidates, pag titingnan mo
perfect system that keeps any
leader not just effective but
also honest.Facebook post,

or coveredcourts. Parang yung numbers, parang walang

pag-asang manalo, parang it
will really be an uphill climb.
January 26

FEB 2016

sine.Sasaraduhan ka. Ang problema, wala rin kami

resources. Interview with
Tina Palma, ABS-CBN News
Channel, October 5, 2015
NOV 2015
I would like to be as genuine
She was an Economics sophomore at the University of the Philippines
as possible. I dont like being
when Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated, an event Robredo considers packaged into this or that. I
her political awakening. I started joining protest actions. By the time want you to see who I really
I graduated, EDSA had happened, and I was inspired to work for am, not the write-ups or
commercials that you read
government. The elder Gerona allowed her, on condition that her civil
or see . . . I dont like any
service be limited to a single year.
sugar-coating. If you accept
While working at a river development office, she met Jesse Robredo, me, thank you. If you wont,
then a former corporate executive turned public official. The two would then I cant do anything about
marry two years later. it. Addressing a crowd at the
University of San Carlos law
She joined the Public Attorneys office after passing the bar. Her
building, Cebu City, November
husband was mayor by then. Jueteng had popped up in town, and the
6, 2015
mayor cracked down hard on the bookies. As PAO attorney, Robredo found
herself defending the very people her husband was working to put away. For me, its a major issue that
Pinapahuli ni mayor, pinapalaya ni misis, was the local joke. My husband youre running for president naging biktima sa panahon ng
and yet at one point in your life,
understood that it was part of my work, she says. But both knew that it was
you renounced your Filipino
a contradiction they could not abide.
citizenship.At a roundtable
It was then that Robredo landed a gig with SALIGAN (Sentro ng discussion with reporters from the
Alternatibong Lingap Pangligal), an alternative legal support group, Inquirer, November 14, 2015
begun in Ateneo de Manila University and based in Bicol. We were like
DEC 2015
community organizers, she says of their work. The team would trek to far-
When that interview was
flung communities with little to no access to legal aid, and provide paralegal
conducted, ang tanong: am I
help. We believed that knowing the law puts one in a better position to in favor of iron-clad, Duterte
defend ones rights, she said. The SALIGAN lawyers would spend three style leadership? Yung aking
to four days in the field, laymanizing legalese, and conducting legal clinics sagot don, hindi. Kasi sa
Naga participatory kami at
andbriefings.
inclusive at marami naman
It was tough work. In farming communities, the team would be housed
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
[Ang] EDSA, hindi po yun
personal kay Bongbong
Marcos o Pangulong Aquino,
pero yun ay ang pagbibigay
ng hustisya sa maraming
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
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
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 anti-
poverty 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
time. The spirits say it uterte battle come tally
will be a Poe victory, bu
arguments against her t only until the citizen
finally crush her presid ship
theres no telling what ential dreams. When
the future has in store,
doors to off we knock on the occu
ffer clues. Yvette Tan do lts
es the knocking
I ll us tr at io ns by G il be rt
D ar oy

he presidential election
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ernatural. Roguee asked handwe
Philippines, the countr Robert Rubin, founder
ys latest intuitive devel of Mysterium
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ses used were the tarot, ir powers of intuition
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scr ying, the most nebu -po int younger brother tha normand,
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tive on. The intuitives trance and perceives cer
is each candidate hiding (fancy word for psych tain images
, what would each be ics) were asked three qu
winning? Heres what like as president, and wh estions: What
the fates revealed. at are each candidates
chances of
 Lenormand Tarot Scrying
According to the fates, when it Among all of them, the only
comes to Binay, weve mostly seen it person who It looks like theres going to be a
[seems] really happy lot more wink-wink-nudge-nudge
all: a seeming partiality for friends right now is Binay, the psychic
and family members and a penchant says. Hes the going on under this administration.
calmest and the one Theres a chance a Binay victory
for interesting business deals with with the least to lose. It also looks
equally interesting individuals will affect
ff the elementals, possibly
like there are many people out resulting in more typhoons. He
and organizations (air quotes on to get himsomething he isnt
the interesting). What he lacks, may make potentially unpopular
worried about because, to use a car decisions with regard to who he
however, is support from parties metaphor, hes quite the defensive
he doesnt have his usual dealings aligns himself with in the local and
driver. If he wins, people will be international spheresthough he
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 may have a change of heart toward
those who doubt his abilities, with the end of his term and try to
politician. While we would suppose almost no one in between. Whether
it would be super awesomefor appease the public.
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.
 Tarot Scrying
Lenormand The fates seem confused abo
ut
ool and
xas Roxas can be pretty old sch r pre sidency
Theres a big chance of a Ro goo d old- thi s, because a Ma
backed will probably win the indicates that there may be
a rise
victory, especially since hes y thr oug h sho ving
ion. This fashioned wa ent s like the
by the current administrat ry ave nue ava ilab le, in power for elem
course, his mu g at eve in power
is good news for Roxas, of for him out CBCP, and an equal rise
for his getting people to vote righ ts (his
and d could be very bad news ever, for things like LGBT
hav e kic ked of sheer recall. Past that, how wiffe Korina is kno wn to lov e the
enemiesthose who hav e tro ubl e tran sce ndi ng it
t few he may wh ich , if
a lot of mud his way the pas ll, you gay com mu nit y)
s say he his current image ofwe happens, deserves slow app
lause
monthsbecause the fate ge is
snt for get a know what his current ima because, well . . . well-playe
d, Mar,
seems the type who doe y lead to som e sectors, may
, however, and this ma n-s upp ort ers
slight. Roxas as president et well-playe d. No
his close mainly the ones with Intern have to watch their backs,
tho ugh,
will be very good news to dro ppi ng him
he may access, completely because they may sud den ly find
supporters because, while tim e eve n if the yve
does not come voting themselves in hot water.
not be corrupt in that he tho ugh t tha t he, of the
nt coffffers, always
covet from the governme est option.
ch like som e *cough * cur rent presidentiables, is the san
he, mu wa tch his battles
know, He will have to
*cough* heads of state we ose the m wis ely. He will
up for his and cho
has the tendency to stick ntr y by way
thin excel in running the cou
friends through thick and eig n rela tion s and
friends do, of improving for
because thats what good s.
crafting law
policies be damned.
 Tarot Scrying
Lenormand As President, it looks like
Santiagos
seems
s about According to the cards, it going to enact some ver y inte resting
What the Lenormand say for the
ed that Santiagos desire laws. Like, legit int ere stin g. Lik e,
Santiago can be best express waning.
n Jov i son gs: highest office looks to be ly int ere stin g, wh ich
through a bunch of Bo snt me an she ll giv e less historical
for the
ly living That doe could result in good things
Right now, shes most like sho uld she
should than her best though, country, not the leas t of wh ich is
on a prayer health-wise, but stio n her alle gia nce mes.
bably go win. People que of a lot of me
she keep the faith, shell pro pol itic al fam ilie s, and the generation
tha t
is likely to certain a cha nce
down in a blaze of glory. It tly on That said , the res
enc y isnt going to be a bed although the focus is curren she may overwork her self , bec ause
her presid peo ple sho uld
her health. one scion, it seems es is wo rth sufffferin g
of roses, mostly because of dee per and loo kin g the Philippin
, (a
she may be digging Be liev e it or not
Bon Jovi aside, it looks like rpheus said, for, dam n it.
e law s ma de eas ier to elsewhere, because, as Mo Santiago presidency) mig
ht be more
push to hav one can be told the psychic
because, Unfortunately, no tert e one ,
understand by the layman, trix is. You hav e to see it strict than a Du
be
smart as what the Ma bec aus e she can
honestly, none of us are as says, but onl y
for yourself. qui te the sch ool ma rm .
she is.
 Lenormand Tarot
There seems to be a bit of doubt
if Poe can handle being Preside
According to the cards, Poe seem
s Scrying
nt, to be the most sincereat the
given her as yet limited experie Poe still has to rebirth herself
nce minimum, the least tainted
as public servant. She seems to kind of like the Phoenix. It seem
be though the same probably may s
in it for the same reason Batman not that her mentions of her father
be said of the people behind her.
fights crimeto avenge a fam arent just to garner votesPoe
ilial She means well, the psychic
wrongexcept shes leery about says. really does believe that shes
She still has too many technica
donning a uniform, in this case l carrying on the good that he cou
her glitches going against her for ld
fathers denim jacket, especially have done. She might take a
everything to go smoothly, but
since its too stuff
ffy and punishing licking now, but she will rise from
shes not going to let a setback
in this present weather. Luck those flames, says
a this psychic
like
k that keep her from reaching
is on her side, but the process is pretty much repeating what the
her goals.
not, the psychic says. Also, I other psychic said. Whoa.
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 difffferent kind of red, white, and
bluethe kind without a yellow.
 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 , hell
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 ng
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
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
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
F
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 two-
time 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-year-
old 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 A TALE OF TWO PRESIDENTS
next maybe three, four decades. A signed photo of Alunan being awarded the Outstanding Achievement Medal from
Thus was formed Alunans five-point legislative agenda. The first point 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
involves ensuring that people in government are matino at mahusay by coup attempt. Inset: Being sworn in as Secretary of the Department of the Interior
strengthening existing laws on good governance and right-sizing our and Local Government by outgoing President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino in 1992.
His term ended in April 1996. Opposite: Alunan performing his duties as Troop
bloated bureaucracy. This is a course of action of which Alunan is already Commander during the AFP Reservist Day in Camp Aguinaldo, December 2004.
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 rest of the world, he says. Next are poverty and national development,
and reducing red tape, because red tape contributes to corruption. which he says ought to be focused on reviving agriculture to reverse
The second involves reforming the criminal justice system, which has the diaspora as well as on using agro- and eco-tourism to fast track the
been damaged by the pervading culture of corruption and ineptitude, economy. Related to this is human and ecological security, which deals
entitlement and impunity. If theres no justice, there is no peace. And if with improving our way and quality of life so as to take into consideration
theres no peace, you cant develop, you cant compete effectively
ff with the succeeding generations. His last point is that of internal security, public

114 A PR I L 2016
 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 Alunan-
Gatmaitan, 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

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 Ap r i l 2 0 16
SHOP LIST
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OF ALESSANDRA DE
ROSSI, PAGE 72
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.
PAGE 75
Calvin Klein Collection High-
waisted 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; 813-
3739. 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 High-
waisted 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; 856-
2745; boconcept.com. MO Space
122 A PR I L 2016
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; 0917-
858-2680. JB Woodcraft Dalan
Betis, Guagua, Pampanga; 900-
2750; jbwoodcraft.com. E. Murio
Inc. Merville Access Road, Merville,
Paraaque; 776-5459.
PAGE 39
Studio Dimensione G/F One
Parkade, 28th Street cor. 7th Ave.,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig;
736-3728. Emily Campos 0918-
943-6459.
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

JOVITO SALONGA, statesman

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
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
PHOTO BY CYNTHIA JOHNSON/GETTY IMAGES

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
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.