Unknown knight tells all

LOS ANGELES – I look forward to long vacations as a chance to catch up on my readings. And as I start my Christmas break this week, I found it pleasant to learn that the book an old friend was threatening to write when I last saw him some 10 years ago has actually been published. (I understand copies will be available there at a different bookstore). It is a real page turner of a book, a tell-all account of my friend’s quixotic quest for the Holy Grail of true public service in the musty rooms and hallways of Malacañang.

I first met Joe Alejandrino while I was working at the Manila Chronicle. An old friend of the Lopez family, Geny Lopez gave him a job at the Chronicle initially to write supplements and then to run the business side of the newspaper. Joe is someone who makes a strong impression the first time you met him. Well mannered in an old world sort of way, he has a sense of humor that puts anyone at ease.

At the Chronicle, I remember Joe as the storyteller who had the girls writing for Thelma San Juan’s Lifestyle section always in awe. He would regale them with stories about his life and loves in Paris or Nairobi or wherever else he had been. And it seems he had been everywhere in the world.

Born in the Philippines as the Second World War came to a close, Joe left the Philippines when he was seven years old and traveled extensively since. The son of a diplomat, he lived in Thailand, Spain, England, Pakistan, France, and the United States. He studied in England and the United States. I can imagine that while he knew he was Filipino, he found himself living as a citizen of the world.

His formative years spent in the tough and highly disciplined world of Sevenoaks School in England must have had a pretty strong influence in his life. It could also be why even today at a ripe old age of 65, he still thinks of himself as a knight fighting for truth, honor and glory. He knows all about the real world, including the very real world of Philippine politics. But unlike most of us who have all but given up, he sees the need to uphold ideals etched in his being… even at the risk of disappointments and heartaches.

The Journal of an Unknown Knight is the title of Joe’s book which was recently released by an American publisher here in the US. It is based on true events and is the riveting political memoir of Joe’s journey through life. After graduating from Columbia University, Joe found his Camelot… or so it seemed. But there was something missing that was keeping him restless. It was the cry of his motherland which grew intense as the Philippines languished in the dark years of the Marcos dictatorship.

The tug at his heart became stronger, as he recalled after a family friend, Cyrus Leopold Sulzberger, was invited by Marcos to visit Manila. “Cyrus was wined and dined by Ferdinand and Imelda, who were known to entertain lavishly foreign journalists so that these journalists would write nice things about them. But Cyrus was not impressed. He was too smart a fox to fall into that trap.”

Joe recalled that his friend David Sulzburger, only son of Cyrus came to see him after his father’s visit to Manila. David told him something that got him feeling guilty about his sweet life: “you have a nice life and a nice job. But, back home, you have a son of a bitch who is ruining your country. When are you going to do something about it?”

Joe said he didn’t have an answer. “David was right. But what could I do? True, I had a lovely life, a lovely wife, two lovely daughters, and a lovely job. I had found my Camelot. Now, one of my dearest friends, who has known me since my school days, was there facing me, looking into my eyes, delving into my soul, appealing to my conscience. He was searching for a knight to save a country. Why did he have to pick on me? I asked myself. Surely there were other knights who could do a better job. It seemed so unfair. Or was my Camelot just an empty dream?”

Joe soon after got divorced and did get back to the Philippines after Ninoy was assassinated. “I was in a small mountain village called Benahavis near Marbella, Spain, when I heard the news. Like most Filipinos, I was indignant. Like most Filipinos, I did not buy the government story. It was time, I said, to return home and help the opposition organize.”

But once back in the Philippines, he found the opposition in disarray. Sadly, he wrote, there was nobody to step into Ninoy’s shoes. He recounted the roles he played behind the scenes in the months leading to the EDSA revolution and after it as he worked to help “save the queen” from the various coup attempts.

Fast forward to the time he served as an assistant of President Ramos. He joined FVR with much hope about instituting needed reforms. Here’s how he relates it:

“When I announced to my parents that I would be joining the Philippine government for the first time in my life… to serve President Ramos, my father, who had served the Republic with much distinction as a career ambassador but subsequently left the country in disgust because of bad government and widespread corruption that impoverished the nation, made me promise that I would serve the country with honor.

“Above all, he said, act in accordance with your conscience, for it was the lack of conscience in the past that led to corrupt presidencies and bad government. What my father was really telling me was that I must do my job honestly and not be afraid to speak out my mind while in government.

“This would be the best way to protect the presidency, where flatterers abound to advance their own interests and intrigues prevail to poison the president’s mind against those who would get in their way. If the President did not agree, he was always free to sack me for all presidential appointees serve at his pleasure.”

It didn’t take long for our knight to feel the frustrations of public service. I was personal witness to his growing disappointment with FVR as they moved into the second half of his six-year term. We would have lunch at the ADB cafeteria where he would complain to me about how toxic the Palace environment has become and only a sense of duty kept him from resigning.

“I had the uneasy feeling that the original spark was gone and that many of the president’s men were just content to enjoy the perks of their office until the president’s term came to an end. Most of the economic reforms were in place, but his social agenda was just starting.

“... Other problems abound which will have a direct bearing on the President’s popularity. These are: (1) the government’s failure to deliver basic services, like garbage, water, traffic; (2) corruption and incompetence within the government; (3) the breakdown of peace-and-order; and (4) the President’s management style. These four areas are where the President is perceived to run short of public expectations.”

When the end of the relationship came, Joe was philosophical about it.

“While the President is viewed as being honest, sincere and hardworking, he is also seen to be high in style but low on substance. His “rah-rah” approach, which used to solicit loud applauses at the beginning, is no longer getting the same response from the crowds. The applauses are more polite, more subdued. It can also be a sign that people no longer believe that he can pull off what he hopes to do during the remainder of his term.

“More and more people are saying that Ramos’ legacy will be in economic reforms. The other reforms will have to be carried out by his successor. He may go down in history as a good president but not necessarily a great one. While the perceptions are somewhat harsh, I believe they have some basis, more likely due to his personal style of management.

“Even some of his own cabinet members have complained to me quietly about how he flip-flops on issues, how they are treated more like “props” than given real responsibilities, how he keeps changing his mind. ...President Ramos started out well but may be falling into the same trap that led to cronyism and corruption.”

He ends with the realization that “It was not a perfect world. No wonder people, whether Filipinos or Americans, had become cynical about their leaders and were losing faith in their government. They expect their leaders to set the moral example. Without it, all other virtues are meaningless.”

Joe proves my point: no knight in shining armor can survive the cesspool of public service unless the lord of the manor is totally beyond reproach. We haven’t had the good fortune as a people to have such a leader by Pasig we can respect for many decades now. After May 2010, perhaps?

Sure things

Posted on the Facebook wall of a good friend: Dennis Garcia believes everything in the world is certain - death, taxes... only one that isn’t... is, when gma will step down...

Me to Dennis: sabi ko nga, Ate Glue forever!

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. This and some past columns can also be viewed at www.boochanco.com