"LITTLE LADY" FROM RAISSA'S BLOG
[PHOTO
- INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST RAISSA ROBLES]
MANILA, FEBRUARY 18, 2012 (RAISSA
ROBLES BLOG) POSTED AT HER BLOG January 28, 2012.
In the interest of fairness and justice, I would like to share
with you this very fascinating glimpse of the man who is now at the center of a
political firestorm – Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.
The excellently written sketch was written by Maria Rosa "Bing" Nieva
Carrion, a former schoolmate of CJ Corona's wife, Cristina.
At the outset when I asked her permission to publish the piece, Carrion
bluntly told me:
They're good friends of mine. I love the couple. I adore them. The Chief
Justice is a very principled person, you can quote me directly.
She added:
I love the couple, I wouldn't want you to put anything that's in my book
in a negative light. You can quote me for that.
I promised her I would publish the piece in totality without any annotation.
The piece on the Corona couple is part of a coffee-table book entitled
Elements of Love: How we keep the Music Playing. It was published last
year.
Carrion said she conducted the interview with the couple one afternoon.
Incidentally, the love story of one of the prosecutors – Congressman Sony
Angara and his wife Tootsy – is also in this book.
It is published by Carrion's company, Seagull Philippines, Inc. which aims
"to produce the highest quality collectible social history books that focus on
the legacies of the human spirit."
Carrion explains in her website the reason for her life's work:
We shall leave this Earth as naked as when we were born, and the only legacy
we can leave behind is the power of the written word which remains to create
lasting impressions on the reader to transform, empower and touch lives and
hopefully, change us all for the better.
Long, long after this controversy is over, the love story of the Chief
Justice and his wife will remain as fresh as the day Carrion wrote it.
By the way, she also told me -
I can assure you he's not resigning.
You will understand why the Chief Justice seems hell-bent in seeing his
impeachment trial through when you read his love story:
When One is a Gift to the Other: The Forty-Year Marriage of Best Friends
Chief Justice Renato C. Corona and Cristina B. Roco
By Maria Rosa "Bing" Nieva Carrion (photo)
I. Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato "Rene" C. Corona and his wife, the
former Cristina "Tina" B. Roco, met in 1967 when the college newspapers that
they were editing collaborated on a joint issue.
She was the editor of the CHI RHO of Maryknoll College, where she was taking
up her Bachelor of Communication Arts degree, and he, of the GUIDON of the
Ateneo de Manila University, where he was pursuing his pre-law studies.
Their first meeting, which was in a printing press, was uneventful. "We
were concentrating on the task at hand," says Rene.
"I wasn't thinking of having a girlfriend, so I wasn't on the look-out.
Certainly, she was the most attractive in their staff. It was clear she was also
very intelligent as we discussed matters pertaining to our joint issue. I have
always been very observant by nature and I could see that she was well-liked by
her co-editors and staff. She had a good writing style and there was substance
in what she wrote.
I have always been attracted to intelligent women. Matalino na, maganda
pa. (She was beauty and brains.) More importantly, she was not sosyal (party
goer and fun-loving). I have no special liking for women who are sosyal."
Later on, Rene was to find out that Tina had always been elected class
president in St. Theresa's High School in Quezon City and officer of several
campus organizations, not to mention receiving a number of gold medals and
academic awards at each year-end Awarding of Honors and on her graduation from
high school.
For her part, Tina recalls, "The GUIDON staff was a big group, and I just saw
Rene as one of them. We were beating a deadline. It was not a social meeting."
Several weeks after, Rene called Tina.
"I looked for their home number in the directory. Somehow, I knew that she
lived on Lepanto Street in Sampaloc and when I saw their family name, I took a
chance. I asked her if she was busy on April 6 (1967) because, if she was not, I
wanted her to be my date in the Reserved Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Ball.
She was my first and only choice. I was hoping she would immediately say yes,
but she instead replied,' I will ask my Daddy first.' She was only 18 then. When
I called her again, she told me that her father had given his permission."
Her father is Atty. Vicente Roco Jr. President of a life insurance company
and Chairman of the Board of the distributors of Volkswagen and Radiowealth. He
also held important positions in various business and civic groups.
On the night of the ball, Rene recalls, "I was enthralled because she was
the most beautiful girl in the ball. A lot of guys from the Ateneo knew her, and
how they wished it was she they had for their date."
After the event, he thanked her for her wonderful company. They did not see
each other again, as both were busy with their studies, until a few months later
when they represented their respective school papers in the National Congress of
the College Editors Guild of the Philippines.
"We were broken up into discussion groups, and Tina and I ended up being
together several times. During mealtime, I made sure to sit on the same table
with her." By then, I was smitten by her. I told myself that I was going
to court her," narrates Rene.
It was not a fast and easy courtship. While her father advised her not to
have a boyfriend until after college, the family welcomed Rene to their home as
a suitor.
"They even invited me often to have dinner with them. I enjoyed the meals
in their house because they had a very good cook."
He found an ally, surprisingly, in pressing his suit in the person of her
very strict maternal grandmother, Lola Charing Guidote Basa. A fine lady
with impeccable breeding, she was the epitome of gentility and urbanidad. She
spoke Spanish fluently and enjoyed the company of people who similarly spoke
Spanish.
"Having learned of this particular soft spot, I asked Lola Charing if she
could help me with my Spanish lessons. So, each time I visited Tina, I also
brought my Spanish books. A few weeks after, Tina told me that Lola Charing was
inquiring if I needed help with my Spanish assignments. From that moment on, I
realized that I had made it to 'first base.' It was worth it making palakas
(Filipino common expression meaning t0 ingratiate oneself') to her. Many years
later, I found out that it was Lola Charing who actually advised Tina that I was
the right man for her ."
II
Rene and Tina went steady on September 9, 1968. He remembers visiting her
that day and, although there was no formal "answer" she gave, he felt and knew
in his heart – from the way they spoke to each other then – that it was a
definite yes, no ifs and no buts.
She was his first girlfriend, and he, her first boyfriend. It was the typical
relationship between college students then. As she was getting ready to graduate
in 1969, and he was gunning for honors, they were focused on their studies. They
got by with phone calls, his weekend visits to her home, and occasional disco
dates at the 1571 of the Manila Hilton Hotel.
During special occasions, they had dinner at The Plaza Restaurant in the
Makati Commercial Center (now Ayala Center). When they went out, he would fetch
her in a borrowed Volkswagen Beetle. She was always chaperoned by either her
younger brother Ramon, or their helper, Rosario.
Rene says he made sure to feed them well. Being good writers, Rene and Tina
exchanged love letters, which they have kept to this day. In 1969, Tina
graduated, followed by Rene in 1970. Although they are of the same age, Rene
entered grade school a year later than Tina because Ateneo required strict
compliance with its minimum age requirements for entrants to its elementary
department.
By early 1970, Rene could feel the unequivocal stirrings in his heart. He
wanted to have Tina for his lifetime partner, and he wanted it soon. He only had
to tackle the most difficult hurdle. He needed to ask permission from his father
Atty. Juan M. Corona, whose greatest ambition in life was for his three sons to
become lawyers like him. Rene knew that the person who had the greatest
influence on his father was his mother, the former Eugenia Coronado.
Rene's parents first met Tina ,when he introduced her to them on January 1,
1969 at the wedding of his older brother Arturo, nicknamed "Toti": They warmly
received her and immediately approved of her.
He relates, "By the start of 1970, Tina and I had been going steady for
two years. I confided to my mother that after graduating from A.B. in April of
that year, I intended to marry Tina. She told me that my Papa was sure to get
angry because he wanted me to become a lawyer first before settling down. But as
I kept nagging her to tell my father, she said that I should wait until
September 6, her birthday, when he was most likely to give his permission. So I
waited patiently, oftentimes impatiently, over several months for my mother's
birthday. When her birthday finally came, and my father asked what she wanted as
a present, my mother said she only had one wish. And that was for him to allow
me to get married. But, as I expected, he flared up! He refused to talk to me,
and he reprimanded my mother for siding with me."
It did not have anything to do with Tina, of course, as Rene's parents had
come to love her as their own daughter. It was just that Atty. Juan did not
think his son would ever become a lawyer if he married before he could graduate
from law school.
Soon after, Rene, then 21, mustered enough courage to talk to his father.
"I told him in no uncertain terms that I wanted to get married and that if
he did not agree, I would leave the house and continue with my plans. I braced
for another round of outburst."
To his surprise, however, his father said nothing. He was completely silent.
All the while, Rene was being torn apart emotionally, "because I stood my
ground for the first time in my life and it hurt me to go against my father's
wishes. It was the longest thirty minutes of my life."
After the long silence, his father asked him in an unexpectedly calm voice,
"So, when are we going to Tina's home for the pamanhikan?" (a Filipino custom in
which the groom's parents and family formally ask for the hand of the girl in
marriage).
Atty. Juan was hurting obviously to let go of Rene, for to him, it meant the
end of his dream for his second son to become a lawyer. But at the same time, it
would hurt him more for his son to leave the house and be estranged from the
family.
At that point, Rene promised his father, "I will not disappoint you in
your wish. I will become a lawyer." His father just nodded in quiet
resignation, with his eyes questioning the truth and resolve in his son's voice.
Rene and Tina were married on November 7,1970, right after the final exams of
first year, first semester, at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Church in United
Nations Avenue, Manila at seven in the morning.
The breakfast reception followed at the Alta Vista at 8:30. By 11 in the
morning of the same day, their plane was taking off to take them to their
honeymoon in Hong Kong for three days and ten days in Japan. "Japan, during
our honeymoon, was beautiful at winter time," remembers Tina.
When they returned to Manila, they rented an apartment 15 minutes away from
the Corona home in Sta Ana, Manila. He worked in Malacañang as a Technical
Assistant in the Office of the Executive Secretary, little realizing that thirty
years later, destiny would see him occupy that very same position of his boss.
Tina, on the other hand, taught English and Christian Life Education at Xavier
School in Greenhills.
III
They lived a simple life. There were office assignments he had to attend to
and Rene had to give up his break time and lunch hour to read his law books and
study his notes. By 5 in the afternoon, he would leave the office and commute to
Ateneo Padre Faura for evening classes. "Tina would not eat dinner,. until I was
home at 9 p.m.," proudly shares Rene. "From the very beginning, she has always
been a dedicated wife. She spoiled me. She would stay awake waiting for me when
I was studying late."
Two years into their marriage, in 1972, eldest child Carla was born. Tina
used to look for santol fruit and pizza pie when she was infanticipating. Rene
would always accede to her food cravings. Carla was born at the Marian General
Hospital which was owned by a close friend of Tina's Lola Charing. Rene says of
Carla, "She's the daughter every parent would pray to have. She has given us so
much joy, happiness and fulfillment, and has never given us any problems."
In 1974, Rene graduated from the Ateneo Law School. Tina recalls, "After
being called to the stage to receive his diploma, he was supposed to give his
hood to me because I was his spouse. But after he came down from the stage with
his diploma, he gave his hood not to me but to his father.
Papa told him, 'Give the hood to Tina so she can place it on you Rene
replied, "No, papa, I want you to be the one to do it. I promised you that I
would finish my law studies but you refused to believe me." Tina understood.
A few years earlier, the old man Corona had given way to their marriage,
skeptical if his son was ever going to graduate from law school at all. Now, it
was Tina's turn to give way. "My father-in-law truly deserved the honor of
putting the hood on Rene. On my part, I felt proud, being Rene's wife," says
Tina. That Rene finished his law degree with honors within the prescribed four
years when he was married and had a family was, to their friends and relatives,
the best proof that Tina was a supportive wife who inspired her husband to
succeed in his studies.
Francis, their second child, was born in 1977 at the Makati Medical Center,
with Dr Constantino Manahan attending Tina. By then, Rene had been a lawyer for
three years. "While we were a bit more comfortable by then, we were actually
still in our struggling phase," shares Rene.
In 1978, Charina, the youngest in the family, was born. Their family was
complete – three beautiful, talented and wholesome kids, nurtured by Rene and
Tina who believe strongly in solid family values and a good education. Rene was
doing well and Tina kept at her teaching, respected and admired by her students.
The best compliment Tina received did not come from her colleagues or those
she mentored but her mother-in-law, Eugenia, a summa cum laude accounting
graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, who told her son, "God gave you a
good wife who is also very intelligent," Tina did her mother-in-law proud. They
were very close to each other.
IV
Rene had become accustomed to his wife's caring presence for, despite her job
as a school teacher, she made time to be present for him, whether it meant
seeing him off in the morning or waiting for him at night for dinner. When their
schedules coincided, he took her to Xavier and then reported to work. Between
the two of them, he discussed his days work and Tina, ever smart and sensitive,
always understood what he was saying.
Rene, in the meantime, was reaping early successes in his career. As a young
lawyer, Chief Justice Rene served as special counsel at the Development Bank of
the Philippines. He became senior vice-president and general counsel of the
Commercial Bank of Manila and later, a senior officer of the Tax and Corporate
Counseling Group of the Tax Division of Sycip Gorres and Velayo (SGV & Co).
Tina, all the while, remained steadfast in giving him her unconditional
support, which he once again needed when he believed it was time to Pursue his
dream of earning a Master of Laws degree in the United States.
This was in November, 1980. Tina shares, "Rene sent his application to the
Master of Laws program of Harvard Law School and several other universities.
When he received the response letter from Harvard in March 1981, he became
sullen and looked dejected. I initially thought he did not make it. But when I
read it and saw he had been accepted, I asked 'Aren't you elated by this?' He
answered, 'we don't have enough money. I thought I was not going to be
accepted.' I told him, Kaya natin ito! (we can handle this.) So we borrowed
money not only to pay for his Harvard tuition and expenses but also to take me
and our three young kids in tow, to Harvard. I did not realize then that he was
ready to forgo Harvard if he could not take us with him. It turned out that
Harvard gave him a scholarship the following semester because of his good
grades."
Rene recalls that were it not for his wife's prodding and insistence on
initially getting a loan to be able to bring the whole family to the United
States, he would not have had the courage to do it on his own.
"She encouraged me to continue sending in the requirements for my
admission after I was accepted. She never had any doubt it was for me and the
Lord was going to provide for everything that we needed, including the resources
to bring the family with me to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Indeed the Lord took
care of our every need, shares Rene."
ln the States, Tina did household chores from washing to ironing to cooking.
He loved her cannelloni and adobo. (A chicken and pork dish cooked in garlic,
vinegar and soy sauce.) "He loved roast turkey so I asked around for recipes I
could try," recounts Tina.
The school-year they spent in Harvard in 1981-1982 was one of their happiest
and most memorable years. Practically everyday was family day and they were able
to tour and visit many places in New England together.
Rene seeks and values her opinions. "She can connect with me" says Rene.
*Like my mother, Tina is very strong and confident. Like my mother, she is a
giving tree."
Truly, they are a compatible couple. "We like the same food,"says Tina. They
are not adventurous and, instead, conservative, veering towards Filipino,
American and the usual Hispanic-inspired dishes they grew up with.
"We enjoy romantic music," says Rene. "Our favorite songs are 'Magnificent
Obsession by Nat King Cole, Brenda Lee's version of Edith Piaf's 'If You Love
Me' and the French song 'La Vie En Rose.' The last we particularly like
because it is so full of feeling."
Unlike other couples who keep rules in their marriage, Rene and Tina only try
to be sensitive to each other's needs, habits and quirks. Rene clarifies, "She
knows what turns me off so she tries to avoid them. Like when a wet towel is
hung, it should be spread out from one end of the towel rod to the other because
it is the only way to dry it well." Through the years, they have followed a
certain lifestyle and standards of behavior – making sure that the toothpaste
cap is placed back, the toothpaste is pressed from the lowest end and not at the
middle part, and at night, the bed has to be neat with the sheets fresh and
well-ironed, among others.
And most importantly, he insists that his clothes and accessories be always
kept and arranged ever so neatly in his closet. "This way, he knows exactly
where to get whatever he needs," she says. He has a box of medicines he takes
every morning. It has to be returned and arranged the same way it was taken out.
She has since learned,like a good housewife, what pleases and displeases him.
Rene follows very strict rules for himself in almost everything.
"We have fashioned the world we live in," affirms Rene."We are very private
people and we hardly go to parties. we seldom socialize. We would rather just
stay at home together. You will see us in public only when we dine out with the
children and grandchildren or when we bring our grandson to his favorite
bookstore. Tina and I are very family-oriented. All these years, I made sure to
be with my family on weekends until I became Chief ]ustice. Now, I also work on
Saturdays and sometimes also on Sundays and holidays."
Breakfast is sacred to both. "That's our laughing time, says Tina. "I am at
my joking best unlike at night when I am tired," clarifies Rene. Breakfast is
simple, consisting of oatmeal, scrambled eggs and toast with a spread, while
catching up on the previous day's events. He loves fruit juice and soya milk,
and she, coffee.
Their marriage is successful because they do not make unreasonable demands on
each other. "We are very simple people and disdain the high-profile, complicated
life," says Rene. "When we were just starting, Tina always took it in stride
when we could not afford certain things. Later on, I made up for the struggling
years by giving her nice things. When we are in a department store or a
boutique, and she takes time looking at something, I know she likes it. So, if I
can afford it, I buy it and give it to her. or when I am traveling abroad and I
see something I know will look lovely on her, I get it as my pasalubong (gift
from one's travel) to her."
While being a good wife, Tina has done an equally wonderful job as a mother.
Between the two, it was Rene who disciplined the children when they were growing
up. "I just gave them the stern look and they knew I meant business. Or if
necessary, I would give them a tiny bit of a spanking using a calsador (shoe
horn)," relates Rene. As always, Tina was the caring and sympathetic one.
Indeed, the family has come a long way from the years when they were raising
their children. Carla, the eldest child and most analytic of all, is a physical
therapist from the University of the Philippines (UP). She worked in the United
States for almost seven years until she came home to marry her boyfriend, Dr.
Constantino Castillo III, a top surgeon and urologist. She now has three
children, Franco, Anika and Natalia. A psychology graduate of Ateneo, the
second, Francis, is the creative force in the family. He writes poetry, lyrics
and music for patriotic and spiritual songs. Charina, the youngest, graduated
from the Philippine Science High School and is also a physical therapist from
UP. She is connected with a hospital in San Francisco, California where she
resides with her family. she is married to Carlos Salgado. They have two
daughters, Katrina and Caia.
Rene, in time, rose in the legal profession. In 1992, he joined the
administration of then President Fidel V. Ramos as Assistant Executive Secretary
for Legal Affairs, concurrently head of the Malacañang Legal office.
In 1994, he was promoted to Deputy Executive Secretary and later Chief
Presidential Legal Counsel and a member of the cabinet.
IV
He held, in concurrent capacity, the positions of vice chairman of the
Presidential Anti-Crime Commission, member of the Presidential Committee on
Bail, Release and Pardon, the cabinet consultative committee on the Government
of the Republic of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (GRP-NDF) Peace
Talks and the Cabinet Committee on National Security. He also chaired the
Appeals Committee of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board
(MTRCB) as well as various other presidential committees. In 1998, he became the
chief of staff and spokesman of then Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
When she became president, Rene performed a crucial role in her
administration as presidential Chief of Staff presidential Spokesman and later,
Acting Executive Secretary.
A legal scholar, he served as a member of the faculty of the Ateneo Law
School for 17 years, teaching Commercial Law, Taxation and Corporation Law, the
same subjects that became the focus of his many articles and columns in several
newspapers and periodicals. He also wrote for the Ateneo Law Journal. He still
teaches International Law at the University of Sto. Tomas.
On April 9,2002, he was appointed the 50th Associate Justice of the Supreme
Court and on May 17,2010, he became its 23rd Chief Justice. It was a defining
moment in the life of Rene and Tina, as Rene's appointment to the-highest post
in the judiciary did not only affirm his outstanding qualifications, it also
underscored the. role of his parents in forming the character of their son, not
to mention the inspiration that Tina gave him as a wife.
When the distinguished members of the Judicial and Bar Council, which vetted
recommends to vacancies in the Supreme Court, asked him why he wanted to become
Chief Justice, Rene replied, "I am not seeking the position of Chief Justice but
if you think I deserve it, then I will be happy to accept it as a matter of
duty. The two greatest gifts God can give a man in his lifetime are a faithful
and dedicated wife, and a happy family. I already have both. I don't need
anything else to make my life complete, not even to become Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court."
Upon his appointment as Chief Justice, Rene was showered with congratulatory
messages, testimonials, multimedia write-ups and numerous calls from
well-wishers. Through all this, Tina was ever the soft spoken, supportive and
self-effacing wife beside her husband, now the head of one of the three co-equal
branches of government.
As Chief Justice, he has had his share of critical comments coming his way.
"We turn to prayer and ask for strength," says Tina. She points out, "We are
prayerful in the privacy of our home. We never make a public show of our faith.
We leave everything to God, and we bow to His will."
On October 12, 2010, Rene was invited as guest of honor and speaker at the
awarding ceremonies of The Outstanding Women in the Nations service (TOWNS).
Towards the end of his speech, he accorded a special compliment to Tina. He
said, "before I end, I would like to pay my own little tribute to the wind
beneath my wings, my wife Tina, who has given me three beautiful, intelligent
children who are, in turn, contributing their share to the betterment of this
country." He got a standing ovation from the audience.
As he always tells people, "I am successful because of Tina."Almost always,
this compliment is said within the earshot of Tina. "We always attend functions
as a couple and her presence enhances me. She speaks well and can carry on an
intelligent conversation on virtually any topic in any occasion. I am never
worried that she will do or say anything that is embarrassing to me or to the
Court I represent."
Rene can be humorous. During a television guesting one time, the interviewer
asked him,"People have observed that you always take your wife with you to
official functions." Rene quipped with a poker-face, "Because she's the only one
who laughs at my jokes."
The couple are happy because of their constant and strong love, enhanced by
their loyalty and respect for each other. "We are best friends," says Tina. "We
have nothing to ask for as our children and grandchildren complete us," says
Rene. "We have each other, and we are our best gifts to each other."
FOR MORE ARTICLES from Raissa Robles Blog like:
Does the bank secrecy law really protect ALL of Corona's dollars? February
16, 2012 · 33 Comments A commentary By Raïssa Robles, and all about her, go to
her blog INSIDE POLITICS AND BEYOND at http://raissarobles.com/
IN HER BLOG RAISSA ALSO POSTED
THIS:
I become part of the Corona story February 9, 2012
· 864 Comments By Raïssa Robles
Yesterday I was surprised when one of my sources told me there was word going
around that I was the "Little Lady" who had leaked the bank documents of Chief
Justice Corona to a House prosecutor.
I realized then I had just become part of the story.
By the way, for the record, I am NOT the Little Lady and I tweeted this
yesterday.
Anyway as yesterday progressed, I watched in morbid fascination as the story
grew on Twitter, FB and some websites.
For instance, this one which originated from a site that consistently insults
its own name – Getrealphihlippines – said:
AND THIS:
Ninez seems to know better than me where my body was
February 12, 2012 · 621 Comments
Ninez Cacho-Olivares - PHOTO by Raissa Robles
By Raïssa Robles
Friday I phoned Ninez Cacho-Olivares of The Daily Tribune to ask how I was
supposed to have obtained the bank documents of Chief Justice Renato Corona from
a certain Gigi Sawit and handed these personally to Congressman Rey Umali. I had
never met them both, I told her.
I could hear the surprise in her voice when she found out who I was. It
sounded like I was the last person she expected to get a call from.
I phoned her because I wanted to get to the bottom of the banner story she
had published that day — with her byline — entitled – PSBank's Tiongson leaked
CJ's peso, dollar accounts—source. This was despite my denial the day before.
Ninez had prominently mentioned my name and the newspaper I write for in the
first paragraph of her story. It said:
The claimed "small lady" who supplied the prosecution with the the envelope
that had copies of the Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) documents was none other
than the Katipunan branch manager, Annabelle Tiongson, who had leaked this to a
second "leak," one Gigi Sawit who, in turn, gave the copies to blogger and
stringer of the South China Morning Post, Raissa Robles, who then passed it on
to the prosecutors, a [sic] impeachable source told the Tribune yesterday.
I figured that since I was being framed as having allegedly committed a
crime, I must try to find out as much as I could. I told her as much during our
conversation. I jokingly told her, was I sleep-walking perhaps, which would
explain why I didn't have any recollection of doing those things?
Yesterday I found her paper rehashed the fabrication — under the byline of
someone named Charlie V. Manalo — and said it was "standing by its story." The
latest version removed my name but still described the leak as "a blogger and
stringer of the South China Morning Post who called up the Tribune yesterday to
state that she does not even know Gigi Sawit."
My husband also writes for the SCMP but I don't think he can be described as
a "she".
During our conversation, I told Ninez I was going to write about what she
told me it. As we talked, I typed on my keyboard. This is how our dialogue went.
[UPDATE: Ninez has written in a rejoinder in the comments section of this
post.]
When I asked how I was supposed to have done it, she replied: "I didn't say
how you did it. What I said in my story, it was this branch manager who gave it
to a Gigi Sawit who then passed it on to you. I never said you passed it on to
the congressman."
"I don't know. That's what I was told," she added.
Ninez Cacho-Olivares - PHOTO by Raissa Robles
Then she said:
"The senators have that inkling of where the leak is supposed to be. The
branch manager, Annabelle Tiongson, is the leak. She showed the documents first
to (Congressman Niel) Tupas. And then after Tupas, this. She never gave the
documents to Tupas, I was told by the source. So they would cover their tracks.
It could not have come from anybody else but the bank manager."
"Ibinigay naman daw kay Gigi Sawit. And then I was told by my source it was
passed on to you. Maybe your name cropped up. I just reported what was passed on
to me by the source."
"How did I get into the picture," I asked.
She said: "That is what the source told me. I just reported what the source
told me. I never reported you passed it on to the congressman which are two
different things."
"But you did," I pointed out to her. "It's in the lead of your banner story."
She replied, "I don't think I wrote that."
She then took a copy of her newspaper and read out to me her first paragraph
-
The claimed "small lady" who supplied the prosecution with the the envelope
that had copies of the Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) documents was none other
than the Katipunan branch manager, Annabelle Tiongson, who had leaked this to a
second "leak," one Gigi Sawit who, in turn, gave the copies to blogger and
stringer of the South China Morning Post, Raissa Robles, who then passed it on
to the prosecutors, a impeachable source told the Tribune yesterday.
Then Ninez said: "That was what I was told."
I asked her: "Was it (Francisco) Tatad who told you?" I told her I had been
trying to get in touch with CJ Corona through Tatad because they're quite close.
But Tatad had refused to talk to me. [Both once worked together in Malacañang
Palace for the dictator Ferdinand Marcos.]
"He's not the one," Ninez said.
I told Ninez about how I was wrongly named on the social networking sites
Twitter and Facebook as the "Girl Friday" of Associate Justice Antonio Carpio
who had leaked CJ Corona's bank documents to the prosecution.
Ninez said – "I know who is being linked to Carpio. It's certainly not you."
"But I'm not the leak," I told her.
She replied – "It's my source who said it. This is what was told to me by my
source."
"Your source is wrong," I told her.
"That is what the source told us," she said.
"Us?" I asked. "Someone else was present when the source told it to you?"
"I'm the only one," she said. And she added that she didn't want to use the
word "I" when referring to herself and so she used the word "us".
"How did I do it?" I asked.
Ninez said – "I did not expand on it precisely because I'm not going to
amplify on something that was not told me by the source."
She asked me whether I was asking for an apology. She asked me what I wanted
her to do. She also said, "I'm willing to put it out that you denied you met
Gigi Sawit."
"How did I meet her?" I asked.
"I wasn't told how. I wasn't told how," she said.
"Didn't you ask?" I said.
Ninez Cacho-Olivares - PHOTO by Raissa Robles
Ninez replied – "All I was told, it was shown to Tupas who was also a client
of Tiongson, of the same bank. Ang nangyari, they covered up daw. Tupas was
supposed to be Umali. they were trying to cover up. This Annabelle Tiongson did
not want to be kuwan, siya ang nag-leak. She passed it on to Gigi Sawit. Frankly
I don't know who it is passed it on to you, passed it on to the prosecutor."
She added: "Even before the documents were presented to the Senate. There
were two columnists – I think (Jake) Macasaet was one. I forget the other. They
were talking about this already. They have a copy. Obviously it was already
floating around. I don't know what they said."
Out of the blue, she said her story had an error. It said "a impeachable"
instead of "unimpeachable". She said, "The proofreader made a big mistake there.
It comes out as 'a impeachable source'. It's a stupid mistake. I'm really pissed
with that."
She excused the mistake saying, "I was rushing. I'm so stressed out."
She started coughing.
I told her, "you sound tired."
Ninez said: "My husband is dying of liver cancer and all that personal stuff.
The family's resigned to it anyway. I was particularly busy on that particular
day the column came out."
She said, "I'm not saying you did it or what. I'm saying that's what the
source said. I didn't add or subtract."
She asked me again whether I wanted Tribune to print that I had denied it.
I told her I wasn't asking her to do that. I told her all I wanted to know
was what happened.
Suddenly, she said she didn't get my side of the story although she had my
number. She had just changed phones, she said. "I just changed to an iPhone. I
had to transfer everything. My contact list got lost."
And then, out of nowhere, Ninez told me she didn't like the group of
journalists I ran around with.
I looked at the phone receiver, question marks sprouting over my head.
I asked her who that group might be. I told her my social life was
practically zero. I hardly saw anyone else.
I was flummoxed when she mentioned the late Chit Estella, who had died last
year in a traffic accident. She said Chit had criticized what she had written
about the law firm Villaraza which lawyered for Fraport. [Fraport was the
foreign partner in the construction of the new international airport terminal
which until today is not fully functional because of a legal dispute with the
government.] Ninez said the story was a scoop for Tribune. She said that instead
of defending another journalist, Chit said Ninez should not have done that.
Ninez said: "This Chit Estella and her group even had written really worse
articles than mine. More libelous. That's what I didn't like. Anyway she's dead.
Forget it na lang."
She complained about the difficulties she had interviewing sources. "Normally
my phones are tapped," she said. "I'm not exactly an admin favorite."
"It's difficult," she said, to be seen talking to cabinet officials because
the latter would become a target of suspicion.
After our phone conversation, I thought I had made it clear with Ninez that
her source was wrong in naming me as the leak. I thought she would at least go
back to her source and ask for more details, supporting evidence and proof.
Because that is what I would have done.
I was mistaken. Today she bannered another story which contained the
following paragraph:
The Tribune's Friday issue identified the leak as Annabelle Tiongson, the
branch manager, who was the original person in the subpoena, although the
president of the bank took her place instead, claiming that Tiongson was too
tense and stressed to testify.
The report also stated, quoting the Tribune's unimpeachable source as saying
that the leak came from Tiongson, then passed on to one Gigi Sawit and a blogger
and stringer of the South China Morning Post who called up the Tribune yesterday
to state that she does not even know Gigi Sawit.
The Tribune stands by its story as told by the source.
This means, Ninez, you believe your source who lied about me.
Thank you for enlightening me, Ninez, about your "a impeachable source" in
your Tribune stories.
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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