'Cory warned philandering officials to change ways'

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Former President Corazon Aquino had warned philandering members of her Cabinet and other government officials to change their ways, according to a former official.

However, Jesus Ayala, Aquino’s legislative liaison officer, said she did not admonish them in public.

“She would always send me to tell certain secretaries and officials that they better watch out because she knew about their philandering activities,” he told The STAR.

“I was amazed at how she knew who was going out with who. She knew who among her officials were nagloloko.”

However, Ayala said Aquino never interfered in the love affairs.

“I was her confidante and secret adviser,” he said.

Ayala said Aquino was concerned about the moral values of the members of her administration.

“And I just happened to be the one that she would task to bring the message to them,” he said.

Ayala said at one time, Aquino asked him to call the attention of a Malacañang official who had holed up with her lover in their love nest in a posh subdivision in Makati during a coup.

“She knew that that lady was cooking for her lover somewhere in Makati,” he said.

Ayala said the presidential warnings also targeted officials who were engaged in graft and corruption.

“She would immediately send me to warn them,” he said.

Ayala said that he would share with Aquino “very personal stories” over balut inside her office in Malacañang.

“I think I was one of the very few who could tell her anything and everything, even my love stories,” he said.

“That was why she would call my wife ‘Santa Fe.’ I used to tell her before, ‘Ma’am, maganda yon ah’, whenever I would be with her and we would see beautiful ladies,” Ayala laughed, remembering the light moments he shared with the former president.

 ‘Cory’s home in Davao’

President Aquino found a home in the Ayala residence on Agoho St. in Juna Subdivision. A room was constructed just for her use when she was elected president in 1986.

Ayala was a long-time friend of Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr., who was a year ahead of him at the Ateneo de Manila.

Ayala’s son Miguel said the former president first stayed in his father’s house when she campaigned for the presidency in 1986.

“Then she also stayed in my house, which is within the same compound as that of my dad’s, during the campaign,” he said.

“Until we had that room beside my house that was really for her use alone, and we even called it ‘Cory room.’ She still stayed with us even when she was already ‘citizen Cory’ whenever she was in Davao.”

The former president was last here in Davao City during Ayala’s 75th birthday in 2004.

Ayala told The STAR Aquino would ask for one thing whenever she was at their place.

“She would only ask for bagoong (shrimp paste) that our cook, Linda would prepare,” he said.

“Then we had kare-kare for her using that bagoong. We prepared bottles of that bagoong for her.”

Ayala bought a lot adjacent to the family’s property where he built the Bulwagan Hall for Aquino’s meetings with her supporters.

Ayala said he politely turned down Aquino’s offer to be named to the Cabinet at least five or six times.

“But I was able to convince her that I was sick, so I could not take on the job.”

“She was only able to convince me to become her liaison officer because she needed somebody she could trust and somebody who could be her messenger, her representative,” he said.

Ayala said he was with Aquino in all the seven coup attempts against her administration.

“I never asked her for money or anything,” he said. “She knew that.”