Raul Roco, RIP

The death of Raul Roco this morning ends a political career that at various points seemed full of promise, yet ended ignominiously with a feeble showing in the 2004 presidential election. Although it didn’t seem so at the time, Roco’s highpoint was the presidential election six years earlier, when, despite having almost no funds or party and an anonymous running mate, he came a creditable third behind the phenomenon of Erap and the administration candidate, Joe de Venecia.

At that stage all seemed possible and when I interviewed Roco at his Senate offices in 1999—for an article on how Philippine politics was becoming more “issues-driven” (you may cease your chuckling now)—he was full of hope for the future. In person, he was much as he appeared on TV; chubby, urbane, and very smart. He seemed a very nice guy, though I do remember thinking that he didn’t seem to have the driving ambition of most successful politicians (who, as a rule of course, are not very nice guys). I also had a feeling that, unless he managed to hook up with a hardnosed political operator, his subsequent campaigns would be too bookish, too loosely structured to put him in Malacañang.

And so it proved. After a reasonable stint at the Department of Education in the newly formed Arroyo cabinet (despite being accused of the heinous sin of allowing his wife to use his ministerial car), he resigned in 2003 to campaign against his former boss.

Although Roco was briefly the front runner in opinion polls, there was always a sense that once FPJ declared and Gloria got her campaign together the portly Bicolano would be left wheezing in their slipstream. My partner, Frayed, was a volunteer in Roco’s campaign and a more mismanaged and amateurish setup it would be hard to imagine. Without a James Carville pack dog to do the candidate’s dirty work, Roco’s campaign was strong on goodwill, NGO involvement, and enthusiasm, but without order or method. When he managed to get himself on TV (as in the presidential debates), Roco performed skillfully as always, but unfortunately in such a polarized campaign no-one was too interested in hearing his voice of reason between the President and her main opponent, FPJ. To cap it all, Roco’s trip to Texas for medical treatment in the midst of his campaign was disastrously handled—instead of attracting public sympathy (as might reasonably have been expected) he ended up looking shifty and dishonest and his campaign never recovered. The main lesson from his two unsuccessful presidential campaigns is that you may have the most brilliant candidate in the field, but if you have neither a political or religious organization behind you (Gloria and Brother Eddie) or instant name recognition (FPJ) you haven’t got much of a chance.

With Raul Roco’s death from prostate cancer at the age of 63, Philippine politics has lost perhaps its only intellectual heavyweight of recent years. Like many successful politicians, Raul Roco began his career in the law, serving for a long time with the ACCRA law firm, closely linked to former dictator Ferdinand Marcos. As a senator in the 1990s, he used his corporate law expertise to draft and then skillfully pilot the banking legislation that was designed to provide a springboard for the Philippines to take its rightful place among the Asian tigers (ah, those were the days). He also played a prominent role in the Estrada impeachment hearings where his clear mind, knowledge and quiet demeanor earned him deference from his senatorial colleagues. He is a huge loss.

Comments

[Jon Limjap]

He is a huge loss to Philippine politics indeed.

May God have mercy on his soul.

[Frayed]

Although I knew he was frail, I always sort of hoped he'd bounce back and "save us from the fires of hell" (that is Philippine politics). He would have been a great leader had he been given a chance. We would have finally had a leader we could be proud of. It becomes clear that in order to win, you've got to get really dirty, which he obviously wasn't. I'm sad for his family's loss and for our country's loss...

[Gerald Balderama]

He inspired the youth. Roco inspired me not to lose hope, continue the fight and be more persistent. He is a great loss to our country; he was, for me, the only one who could have saved us from the quick sand where we sink no matter how we struggle to get loose. Roco never entered the side of dirty politics, instead, he was unique and honest as a public servant. He inspired us, let us continue his fight. He's an example to us that in a dirty world of politics, there could is a chance for a clean politican to inspire. I will miss him, may God rest his soul.

[Fiorel Salvo]

Raul is a man of integrity and honesty both in public service and in private life. He should have been a good leader of our country - a highly qualified and intelligent public servant. Unfortunately, he came and aspired for that leadership at the midst of self-distructing, corrupt and evilish peiod in our government where people are fed (and forced to accept because of extreme poverty) with dirty money by greedy politians.

The country will miss you "cahimanwa". We, Bicolanos are proud and will always be proud of you! God bless!!

[dexter alapag villanueva]

FAREWELL, MR. STATESMAN

BY DEXTER ALAPAG VILLANUEVA

On the morning of August 5, 2005, around 9:40 am, I was typing furiously on my computer keyboards as I was rushing some paper works when I received a text message from my father in law. The message goes like this: PATAY NA RAW ROCO.
I couldn’t believe what I’ve read. Maybe a nasty joke aimed at those people calling for GMA’s resignation. I thought that he was already recovering from cancer and he’s in the US for continuous rehabilitation. Only weeks ago, I entertained the thought of seeing him as a senatorial candidate for 2007. I even admired his current stand on the Gloriagate scandal where he called on GMA’s resignation, “por la patria.”
The next thing I did was texting some people who could verify the news. First, I texted some fellow student council officers from UE who’ve formed part of the UE Student Leaders for Roco. I got no confirmation from them. Then I texted my wife to see if the news has spread the Makati business district (where she works). “No, net yet” she texted back. I texted the former UE President (Baltzar Endriga) who was my wedding sponsor and a friend of Sen. Roco. He texted back and told me to verify it. Finally, I called the Roco Kapunan Law office at Strata building, the very same office which was transformed into a head quarters of the Roco campaign for 2004. I asked for the dreaded question: “is it true that RSR (Sen.Roco’s initial’s that was sometimes used as his reference) is gone?” The female voice on the other line answered yes, “it’s true.” “The senator died at past 9:00 am at St. Lukes hospital,” continued the female voice. I thanked her for the information. The female voice on the other line advised me to call the office if I needed further information. That’s so nice of her. After confirming RSR’s death, I proceeded to text those people whom I asked for verification earlier. “Too bad,” replied one. “Mukhang nauubos ang kalaban ni GMA, pareho pang sa St. Luke’s namayapa (referring to FPJ’s last days)” replied another one.
With Senator Roco gone permanently in this mortal and wounded world, I just can’t help but remember the elections of 1998 and 2004. For casual observers and non-believers, both elections will remind them of his defeats as Presidential candidate. For me, and many others, I will remember it as a gallant struggle to correct the many wrongs and to maintain what is left of the good. Others would think that he was not a team player and a coalition builder which is a must to muster the needed votes to clinch the Presidency. I think it’s okey for Senator Roco to be branded as a loser. That’s perfectly all right, because his loss is an honorable one and he fought a great fight, unlike the others who manages to win an election or two, but their mandate is suspect because of the circumstances surrounding of their electoral victories. It’s better to win fair and square than to win using resources not allowed by election laws. I also believe that the observation made by some which states that he was not a coalition builder may sound true enough. After all, you may not want to coalesce with some brusque, loud, and corrupt people. If that’s the meaning of it, I’d rather take it willingly, just like what Sen. Roco did. In our political culture, idealism and politics doesn’t mix well. The time it mixes well, believe me we will move forward.
Senator Roco deserves the accolades due to statesman of high moral and spiritual foundation. He was a lone moral fighter in the echelon of cheats, greedy, and monsters. Some of them are now heaping praises, eulogies, and tributes for him. Shame, shame, shame.
I met Senator Roco in the flesh twice in his lifetime. The first one was at the height of EDSA DOS. If I am not mistaken, it was on the third night when he announced at the EDSA shrine some updates on the negotiations between the opposition and some emissaries of Ex-President Erap Estrada regarding his graceful exit from power. It was the first time I shook hands with him among throngs of admirers. I told him of his great job as a Senator-Judge. He smiled and said that it’s in the people’s hand to make the crucial decision (on the fate of Erap). I felt that what he meant was that he could no longer discharge his duty as a Senator-Judge because the impeachment proceeding has lost its credibility and moral ascendancy when it refused to open the second envelope. When Ex-Laguna Governor Joey Lina went to the microphone, he led the crowd in chanting “Bise, Bise, Bise!” which meant that Senator Roco should be appointed as Vice President of the Philippines once GMA assumes the presidency on the basis of constitutional succession. Senator Roco just smiled and thanked the crowd for the trust and confidence the crowd had bestowed on him. Needless to say, the VP post went to Senator Tito Guingona.
The second time I saw the man was at a youth rally where I had a chat with him up close which lasted for a minute. That was on February 2004 when he visited the Eulogio Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (Earist) Gym at Nagtahan. Days earlier, the office of the UE Student Council received an invitation from the Aksyon Kabataan – San Beda chapter regarding a kick – off rally for Raul Roco and his Alyansa slate. I failed to attend the said rally because I had a prior commitment and unfortunately, no one from my council officers were available at that time. When the invitation for the Earist rally came which was sponsored by the youth party list group ANAK NG BAYAN, I unhesitantly went there to finally express my support for Anak ng Bayan and the whole Alyansa ng Pag-asa slate. I brought along some officers of the student council, some officers and members of the UE Political Science Society, and a number of UE students supportive of the Roco presidential candidacy. All of them later formed part of the UE Student Leaders for Roco. With Senator Roco then was the entire Alyansa slate.
When he was about to leave the Earist Gym for another engagement, I approached him, introduced myself as a student council president and asked for an autograph on a magazine with him on the cover. He took a glanced on it, then he smiled and said “parang hindi ko pa nababasa ito ha?!” I don’t know if he’s just kidding or not, but he signed the copy anyway and thanked me for the gesture. My mind was going like “No. I should thank you for giving your best shot for us.” He thanked me again and said “see you soon!”
In my own humble way, I was involved in the Roco campaign. I was busy campaigning in school, in my community (Angono, Rizal), in my office where I worked at night (I was a working student), joined a coalition named Luzviminda Forum which was supportive of the Roco candidacy, and even produced stickers and posters. My girlfriend (now my wife) was very helpful because she was campaigning at her workplace for Sen. Roco. At UE, we were then planning for a school-wide mock elections and a presidential debate as part of our electoral education campaign but we were running out of time then because the final exams were just around the corner, so the student council settled for a school-wide survey and a mock elections scheduled in April in time for the annual UE Student Leaders Training seminar where the incoming and outgoing student council officers converge for a formal turn over of the reigns of the student government. In the UE-student council survey, Roco led by a slim margin (33 %), followed by GMA with (32 %), Lacson (18 %), FPJ (6 %), and Bro. Eddie Villanueva (6 %), with 4% as undecided. The mock election results show that Senator Roco at the top with 48 %, GMA with 32 %, Lacson (16 %), Bro Eddie Villanueva (4 %), and FPJ getting no votes at all. In another survey undertaken by the UE school paper “The DAWN”, Roco was a close second to GMA. At third place was Lacson and was followed by FPJ and Bro. Eddie.
In reality and after some analysis based on our empirical view, Roco could have gotten more votes than the rest of the candidates at UE, if not for the sudden implementation of the Student fund (S4R) of GMA where the students can make a loan for their tuition expenses and can be paid after graduation, shades of the “Study now, Pay later of Ninoy Aquino which Senator Roco drafted decades ago. We called that deliberate move “Sophisticated Vote Buying.” Some fellow student leaders from other schools couldn’t agree more. Because of the S4R, many UE students switched sides to GMA, in our calculation, about 10 – 15 percent. In fact, they have its launching (of S4R) at the Araneta Coliseum. We at UE were invited, but we in the student council as well as with the other student organizations collectively boycotted it because we knew it was a trick. Look at it now, you can’t even borrow a single cent from it! Lack of Funds? We knew they would say that after the elections. Let us remember that this happened prior to Sen. Roco’s announcement of his chronic back pains in April 2004.
I even proposed a mock elections in the office where I worked and was fortunately given the permission to proceed. Roco led in that mock elections with 35 %, Bro. Eddie with 21%, Lacson with 19%, FPJ and GMA tied with 11%
Trust and Confidence. That’s what I have for Senator Roco. Although admittedly, I was against his support of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1995. For me, just like any other person who has supported him all throughout, he is one person who could give decency and morality to national governance and was not afraid to say his piece. He has shown that in all his years as a public servant. He abhorred the politics of machismo and the politics of arrogance. He puts premium on the politics of fair play, the politics of hope, the politics of nationalism, and the politics of transparency, hard work and scholarship, thus his reliance on his principle called “the sunshine principle” – a principle he firmly believed that will make the Filipino proud, progressive, and respectable.
I can still vividly recall a group discussion I had with some friends way back. That was in November of 1997. In the huddle, we were talking about the then upcoming 1998 presidential elections. One of my friends remarked that the said election is a lackluster one because he can’t see anyone as qualified as Salonga or Laurel (who both had their presidential juggernaut but both lost to FVR in 1992). Someone in the group observed that Erap is a phenomenal candidate but someone countered that he’s no Intellectual giant. Joe de Venecia was as dry as desert, and Renato de Villa quite uncharismatic. When it was my time to speak, I exactly said that “If Roco runs as President, I’m for him all the way, he may not be as charismatic as Erap, but he can match up to anyone in terms of governance, track record, genuine love for the people, and by bringing hope to where hope is extremely needed.” Some of my friends felt the same. They felt Roco is the one needed to restore our country’s positive image and the one who could give the needed inspiration to rally the nation on its moral obligation in securing a better future for the next generation of Filipinos by way of giving equal access to education, from elementary to college. For him, education is the one great equalizer in this country full of unequal opportunity. Unfortunately, many people did not heed that call in 1998. Roco was best prepared for the presidency, but the people were not prepared for him.
That last encounter I had with him at the Earist gym was the one that immediately flashed in my mind when news of his death was confirmed. At that moment, I just can’t help but recall it once again and spread it in the office as if I was known by him personally. One of officemates who was a UP graduate remarked “He is a Great Man, we just lost a great man.” Another officemate who came from San Beda high school and La Salle said that “I am a proud Bedan because Roco represented us well.” I told him to be “proud as a La Sallalite” not only for its basketball team but because another great intellectual and nationalist, Lorenzo Tanada, was educated there. With Roco’s death, he is now enshrined in a collective monument and memory with the likes of Recto, Diokno, Tanada et al. What came to my mind while my officemates were making their valedictory for Roco was the phrase “the great President that never was,” a great one indeed. Just like Claro M. Recto and Jovito Salonga earlier, Roco was one statesman who could have been our President if not for the politics and the electoral system we have. I cannot blame – I don’t have any right of whatsoever to blame the electorate, they are mere victims of our vicious cycle of dirty, feudal, and immoral politics which greatly affected the lives and the aspirations of the masses, as well as the economy of this society. With Roco’s crusade for the betterment of his country and people, his was not a quixotic job for there are still many people out there, especially the youth to whom Roco can depend on. He invested his energetic zest, vast experience, and admirable intelligence in sowing the seeds of goodness and spreading and delegating the work for a better Philippines. We, the youth of this land, must continue what Roco and the other distinguished people, as well as the unheralded ones, have started to work for: a great country with a great people. It may sound like a clique but we have no choice but to continue fighting, to continue dreaming, to continue praying, and to continue aspiring simply because discontinuance is susceptible to defeat. This, I firmly and honestly believe, is the marching order given by Senator Roco minutes before he retire permanently. His influence must transcend and must not only be felt at San Beda or at any other schools he visited, and not only in Bicol or any communities he visited. His influence, his legacy, and his memory must be propagated now and must be felt everywhere because we needed it now more than ever as this nation seeks a new contemporary inspiration.
We’ve just lost a harbinger of hope, a human bastion of greatness. But it’s only his physical body that went away, to rephrase a quote from his brother Ding. His dream, his aspiration, his seed of devotion to good governance shall continue with his family in the forefront, with his wife Sonia as the protector of the flame, and with the rest of those who unconditionally supported him until the last votes were canvassed and those who refused to be bought, both known and unknown to Sen. Roco. There is a marching order coming from him: Let the seed spread. Your will be done sir. We will spread the seeds and we shall pay it forward. Goodbye, Mr. President.

Dexter Villanueva, 29, studied Political Science at University of the East – Manila, and was a former president of the UE Political Science Society, former president of the UE Student Council, and a former Vice Chairperson of the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) – NCR Rizal Chapter. He now works as a Technical Writer for Systems and Plan Integrator and Development Corp. (SPIDC), an IT – based company and works part-time as a speechwriter. He organized and headed the UE Student Leaders for ROCO. He lives at Angono, Rizal.

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[mark]

just read.... i, too, am for that great man, the best president the country never had... Roco, u'll always be in the hearts of millions of Filipinos!!!

[mp]

Let his (ROCO) battle continue. He is simply the BEST.

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