Kokoy: I've grown old and ugly

He was homesick and lonely and he grew old and ugly. Now Benjamin "Kokoy" Romualdez is happy to be home sweet home, at last.

Romualdez, one of Leyte's most famous -- or notorious -- sons, arrived yesterday in Olot town and caused a stir. But unlike his homecomings in the past, no pageantry greeted former First Lady Imelda Marcos' younger brother, who served as ambassador to Washington during the Marcos regime.

After taking an early morning Philippine Airlines flight, Romualdez was whisked away from the Daniel Romualdez Airport by his son Martin in a gray van escorted by two vehicles. The airport was named after a late uncle, a former House Speaker.

"Nalagas na. Maraksot na ngani (I'm old. I'm already ugly)," the 69-year-old Romualdez, clad in his signature all-white suit, joked to a handful of residents who came to see him.

"I'm delighted to be home. The province is still beautiful. When I left, it was beautiful, and it is as it was," he told The STAR.

Martin Romualdez said his father came home from a 14-year exile in Boston, Massachusetts, because there was no place like home.

"He is homesick and he's very lonely. He wanted to see his family and friends," he said. "We are having a reunion and we are looking forward to that."

Benjamin Romualdez is the second in a brood of six. Imelda is the eldest. His younger brother, Tacloban City Mayor Alfredo "Bejo" Romualdez, is the fourth in the brood.

The reunion will be held at the Romualdez's sprawling 42-hectare ancestral home in Olot. Looking more like a resort, the Caribbean-style residence has an 18-hole golf course, two hills with an old grotto and a Spanish-era watch tower overlooking a beach.

Romualdez paid homage to his parents, interred in a Burmese marble mausoleum.

Before visiting his parents' grave, he triggered speculations of a possible return to politics when he went to the Tacloban City office of the Commission on Elections and applied for a certificate of voter registration, granting him resident status. The Comelec is adjacent to the city hall where his brother, Alfredo, holds office.

Romualdez, considered the "real politician" in the family, denied eyeing public office. Bejo had already declared that he would "give way" if Kokoy runs.

Reminiscing, Romualdez took a short walk down the street and surprised people when he ate at a roadside eatery.

Romualdez is preparing for a long court battle to retake his pieces of property sequestered by the government after the fall of the Marcoses in 1986.

He is gearing to give a "good fight." But his son Martin did the talking for him when the discussion was about his legal troubles.

"I'm sorry, baka ma-subjudice ako. So my son, who is a lawyer, can answer you," said Romualdez, fearing that what he says might be used in court against him.

The pieces of property, estimated to be worth P10 billion, are under the control of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG).

Martin Romualdez criticized the PCGG for failing to maintain them. "It is not really the duty of the government to keep it up in its best condition. But these places are supposedly under their control," he said.

The younger Romualdez said his father was also keen on retaking the sequestered Philippine Journalists Inc., a newspaper company.

Benjamin Romualdez is also girding for another legal battle to clear his name.

Ombudsman Aniano Desierto has recommended the filing of a string of cases against him for failing to file statements of assets and liabilities for 19 years when he was a public official.

Romualdez entered politics, first as Leyte governor in 1967. He was ambassador plenipotentiary to Washington DC when the Marcoses fell from power.

Romualdez is also facing cases involving two so-called "behest loans" worth $1.8 million from the Development Bank of the Philippines to put up Philippine Journalists Inc.

Martin said his father returned home to "face all the charges against him."

"He will face all the charges. We already submitted him to the jurisdiction of the courts. And he is bonded already," the young Romualdez said. "We have several other lawyers. They will make their proper appearance at the right time."

Romualdez will be arraigned on May 25 before the Sandiganbayan. He posted a P405,000 bail after arriving from the US last Friday.