ENDEAVOR
Donald Trump’s second inauguration last Monday, Jan. 20, prompted me to share with readers this piece on recollections and experiences involving US Presidents and Philippine Presidents.
No. 206 Cleveland Street was the address of the home in Makati where I grew up. Streets in our neighborhood were named after Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and other US presidents. Dwight, or Ike, Eisenhower was scheduled to visit Manila on May 28, 1960, but was held back by the fury of Typhoon Lucille that flooded what later became known as Metro Manila. My younger brother was named after him, Franklin Roosevelt, and Manuel Quezon.
But my awareness of Filipino presidents came much earlier. I was a four-year old pre-school toddler when I learned that President Ramon Magsaysay was killed in a plane crash in Cebu on March 17, 1957. He was replaced by Carlos Polistico Garcia from Bohol, who was succeeded in 1965 by Diosdado Pañgan Macapagal from Lubao, Pampanga. Back then, national elections were held in November and Presidents were sworn into office at the Luneta Grandstand on Rizal Day, Dec. 30.
As my parents are both Ilocanos — and my father was born and raised in Pinili, Ilocos Norte; my mother’s parents were from Bauang, La Union — Marcos literally became a household name since his election in 1965 when I was in first year high school. He served as President until Feb. 25, 1986. By then, I was a 33-year-old father of a four-year old daughter, who joined me and my wife in driving to Santolan road in Quezon City, in the vicinity of Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame, on Sunday, Feb. 23, 1986. That was the morning after then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and then AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Fidel V. Ramos announced their breakaway from President Marcos.
As one who participated in protest marches and rallies during the First Quarter Storm of 1970, through the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus in August 1971, I never imagined I would eventually work in Malacañang during the administration of President Corazon ‘Cory’ Aquino — and return to serve with her son President Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino from 2010 to 2016.
Between those two stints, I also served with President Joseph ‘Erap’ Estrada who, despite being deposed from office, conducted himself with civility, and served subsequently for two terms as Mayor of Manila.
About President John F. Kennedy, I remember the historic landing made by astronaut Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as the first men on the moon on July 21, 1969 (Manila time), and associate it with his memory, even if the event happened during the Nixon presidency. Speaking to the US Congress on May 25, 1961, Kennedy declared:
“... I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish...”
Kennedy’s man-on-the moon speech illustrates the power of vision. Great leaders have the vision to imagine and foresee what would seem to many as impossible and inspire others to share in the pursuit and attainment of their dream scenarios.
Among all US Presidents, I had the opportunity to meet and observe President Barack Obama in connection with my service as President Noynoy Aquino’s Communications Secretary.
President Obama came to Manila on a two-day state visit on April 28 and 29, 2014.
I had the opportunity to introduce him at the press conference that followed his one-on-one meeting with President Aquino and later, at the state dinner in his honor. At the press conference, Christian Esguerra of the Inquirer asked him how he viewed US-PH relations in light of tensions in the South China Sea. He gave a measured response anchored on the overall architecture of US global foreign policy.
Predictably, all the major dailies’ headlines the following day, were about his statement, which was generally construed as a middle-of-the-road stance that was less than reassuring to the Filipino nation. In the program during his visit to the US memorial cemetery in Fort Bonifacio, he delivered a speech in which he declared unequivocally that the US has “an ironclad commitment” to abide by the PH-US mutual defense treaty in the event the country comes under fire from a hostile party.
From then on to this day, a succession of US administrations have adhered to this specific stance, that is, that they are bound by an iron-clad commitment to come to the aid of the Philippines in the event of a hostile attack.
It is too early to speculate, much less predict, how PH-US bilateral relations would fare in the Trump 2.0 regime. In my view, the status quo would be maintained, and there will be no drastic change. Expectations remain high that initiatives like that of the Luzon economic corridor that is part of the trilateral pact among the US, Japan and the Philippines, will gain momentum despite the change in administration.
Filipinos seeking greener pastures in the US remain hopeful that the demand for workers in the health care, construction and labor sectors will remain high. Among sought-after health workers are nurses, physicians, dietitians, optometrists, dentists, psychologists, midwives, speech-language pathologists, pharmacists and medical workers.
In the construction and labor sectors, the in-demand jobs are for carpenters, electricians, plumbers, painters, dry-wall installers, glaziers, tile contractors, masons and concrete finishers, crane operators and bricks men.
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