A dinner with ex-Pres. Fidel V. Ramos

Over dinner the other night in honor of ex-President Fidel V. Ramos hosted by former Department of Transportation & Communications Secretary Jesus "Sonny" and his wife, Consul Armi Garcia, Jr. at the Casino Español with close friends, there was really no serious talk or discussion and if people ask me… who FVR is endorsing for the 2016 election, I reckon that FVR himself doesn't even know it yet. The whole shebang is so fluid no one can really tell you who is really in the running.

I sat beside my Facebook friend, former Cabinet Secretary Raffy Alunan (Raffy was in Cebu for the first SunLife Financial Board meeting where he is an independent director) whom I have known during the Ramos years and he told me that he is running for senator with another good friend of mine, former Senator Richard "Dick" Gordon.

Raffy admits that theirs is an uphill climb, but in a bevy of senatoriables where more often than not, the majority of voters have a genuine problem of getting the right people for the Senate, at least we know that these two gentlemen are available if we want upright people in the Senate and not those who are considered "Outstanding"… meaning they are always standing outside the Senate Hall.

Come on! Between Raffy Alunan and Dick Gordon, people might opt to vote for say Rep. Manny Pacquiao because he is a boxing sensation. But then even as a congressman, the Pacman has a very poor attendance record simply because when he goes on training for a fight, he needs to focus his attention on the coming fight and that means - forget the problems of the nation. If the Pacman could hardly debate with anyone in Congress how much more in the Senate? But then if he's always absent, then why vote for him in the first place? In my book, we should rule out the Pacman for senatorial duties simply because he just can't focus on his job as congressman.

If there was anything discussed with seriousness over dinner with FVR it is that he too believes that the political system in this country is no longer working for the best interest of the Filipino people. He agrees with me that we must shift to a parliamentary form of government and eventually make that shift into a Federal form of government. Yes FVR believes in Federalism and not the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

I have known FVR since my ROTC days when he was still a colonel stationed at the 3rd Military Area in Camp Lapu-Lapu. He remembered me as the MP who served him coffee in his office. This is why we supported his presidential bid and helped his administration. Today FVR has become an elder statesman who is at peace with himself. He writes a regular column in the Manila Bulletin and plays a lot of golf. He even boasted that he could break his age with a score of 84 in his last golfing game. He is now 85 years old, but the man can still do push-ups!

He gifted us with his latest book entitled, "Duty, People, Country" a compilation of all his columns in the Manila Bulletin. This reminded me of the speech of Gen. Douglas MacArthur that he made at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY on May 12, 1962 entitled, "Duty, Honor, Country" right after Pres. Harry Truman relieved him of his duties because he threatened to nuke Peking during the Korean War. If Pres. Truman left him alone, we would not be facing any threats from China or North Korea today.

Every now and then, FVR sends me excerpts of his columns through the mail and from my reading he has become what we call the Elder Statesman. I submit that a few months ago I asked him through my column in The Philippine Star to run again for president because the choices we have are very much below par. He sent a message to me thanking me for the confidence but admits that his age is getting the best of him. Two weeks ago, I gathered that he almost collapsed because of a weak heart. This was fixed by putting a pacemaker in his heart. But at least FVR is still well and strong!

***

The Blackbox:

Yesterday I was given a tour of a lifetime by my dear friend, Engr. Ricky Dakay of the University of San Carlos Library System at the Talamban Campus. I was really shocked that the USC Library isn't just part of a building in USC… it has its own huge edifice -- four-storey high with a gentle ramp leading to all the floors. Call it a Library with a view! I also found the Cebuano Studies Center there, which was transferred from the USC Main Building.

Ricky toured me and my uncle, Dr. Alfredo Segura, who has a huge collection of World War II books in his house in Benecia, California and we convinced him to donate these books (many of them are rare) to the USC Library in his name. After that tour, Ricky showed me their new University Stadium, which is in my book, could now host international football tournaments. Kudos to USC, it's great to know that my alma mater has expanded so well!

***

For email responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.