Chitchat with Senator Gringo Honasan

To the next generation of leaders and citizens: develop an army of social media practitioners that will raise the level of political awareness of our younger electorate…

I was given an opportunity to have a rather informal chitchat with Vice-Presidentiable and honorable Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan earlier today in Mandaluyong City. I sat down with UNA’s Vice-Presidential bet together with some of my blogger colleagues. First stop, some quick facts about the senator:

Known as Greg to his colleagues, Sen. Honasan was “baptized” as Gringo by his upper batch inside the PMA. Before entering the military academy, he wanted to become a priest or a doctor. But if his family will send him to the seminary or the medical school, some of his siblings might not be able to continue with their education. Thus, his father (also a soldier), encouraged him to give the PMA a shot.

He might be the least techie among the current roster of Philippine Senators, as he uses a mobile phone, which he calls as an “iPhone 36” — it is actually a feature phone, with basic functionalities as calls and SMS (it does not even have a QWERTY keypad). For him, more important than the medium is the content.

Here are some of the questions thrown at him, with most he answered in a witty way. Trust me, never a dull moment during the course of the two and a half hour interview session.

Q: How has he changed over the years since he entered the world of Philippine politics?

A: I defined a path so that my public and private life will be God, country and family — all or nothing. After 42 years of public service (from being a soldier, then a rebel to a senator), nothing has changed; no difference. When I was a soldier, the lines were clearer. When I entered politics, I found the lines to be blurred.

Q: What made you run for Vice-President?

A: … I am a good soldier. If I will allow the standard bearer of our party (Senator Greg is the Vice-President of UNA) to run without a running mate, I ended up deciding for the party — that is the most honorable thing to do. So, sinamahan ko (referring to Presidential candidate Jojo Binay).

Q: Who is your best friend in the Senate?

A: Senator Tito Sotto is my BFF. He is there for me, whatever the conditions are. There are two great things you can give other human beings: time and trust. That’s what Senator Tito Sotto gave me. He is there for my family; I am there for his. “Magkumpare kaming buo.”

Q: Who do you think is the most brilliant senator of your time?

A: Senator Enrile. He is like a father to me. I have known him for half of my life. “Akala ng iba, Batman and Robin kaming dalawa.” That is not fair to Senator. That is not fair to me. We sometimes find ourselves on opposing sides of issues. But we agree to one thing: anything that we do should serve the highest public and national interest.

Q: Coming from the military, if you win as Vice-President what will you propose?

A: What is the job of a Vice-President? The Job Description of the Vice-President is to wait for the job to be given to me by the incoming President. The Vice-President manages things at home when the President is away. I think, I have the capacity to do that. I complement his (Jojo Binay’s) platform: job generation and poverty alleviation. And this is not a campaign promise. We must focus on issues here at home first before we can deal with issues like Chinese in the West Philippine Sea, etc. We need to secure our homes and our families first. Hindi pwedeng kakaba-kaba ka kapag lumabas ang mga anak mo papunta sa school. I know exactly what to do; how to handle our peace and order problem.

Q: If you will be elected Vice-President, what role/s do you want the President to give you?

A: Secretary of DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government). I will have the police under me. I will go after the police who are involved in drug pushing. And I will have administrative supervision over local governments, which is our frontline mechanism — the repository of peace and order efforts; food, clothing, shelter and education — that’s the hub (LGUs), not the military nor the police. I think I have the perspective to do that. Or, I will die trying, as I had done in the past.

Q: If Science and Technology will be placed under the role of the Vice-President, what steps will you take to ensure that a majority of Filipinos will have access to affordable and fast internet connectivity?

A: Provide FREE internet to all.

Q: Were you able to watch Heneral Luna?

A: Yes, but I almost fell asleep. Antonio Luna was right in saying that the Americans and the Spaniards are not the enemies, our real foe are ourselves — that is why he is unpopular. Not comparing myself to Antonio Luna, but everytime I will be given a choice between country or myself (bayan o sarili), I choose my country. And my history will show it. I abandoned my family many times, leaving them without saying a word.

Q: What is your most favorite movie/film?

A: The likes of 300 (Spartans) and The Equalizer. What I liked about The Equalizer was the opening sequence saying, “The two most important days in your life: the day you were born and the day you discover why.”

Q: Some said that when you were in hiding, you disguised yourself as a female. Is that true?

A: Yes, that is true. There was a PHP5M and another PHP10M reward on my head. But one day, I was sitting in front of a car wearing a wig and a dress, a cigarette vendor approached the vehicle while we were caught in a traffic jam then shouted my name when he recognized me. The name of the game is anonymity. People with lots of bodyguards and uses security escort vehicles are the favorite target of terrorists.

Q: How will you be able to unite our country?

A: Reduce partisan politics. Amend the Local Government Code. Handling of funds must be decentralized. The situation in Samar might be different from Ilocos, for example. We must empower the LGUs. They must be in the frontline. What happens now is that you want all congressmen and mayors to go to you and beg for your approval to release funds, which are intended for their locale.

Q: Are you in favor of federalism?

A: I am in favor of decentralization. Whatever you may call it.

Q: What’s your take on K-12?

A: I am in favor of K-12. But it must be K-12 + Nutrition. We must ensure that children ages 0 to 6 are receiving proper nutrition to prepare them for school. We do not want to raise our children malnourished, which could lead to them becoming retarded. What if one of them becomes a Senator, or worst our President?

Q: Since you are a Bosconian, what are the values that you learned from the Salesian community that you instill up to this very day?

A: God, country, family, work, sports, healthy mind, healthy body, camaraderie and working with your hands. The values that nobody can take away from me. Practical human values and ethics.

Q: What is your stand in the alleged Lumad killings?

A: Should be condemned to the highest level. The Lumads are the original Filipinos. Remember, I am the author of the IPRA (Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997) Law.

Q: After what you had gone through, is there anything that are you still afraid of?

A: Yes, there is. I am afraid to disappoint God.