How Chiz Escudero almost ended up on Pinoy Big Brother
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| “I’ve managed to live through several of these trials simply by letting it pass.” |
Growing up with a dad who was busy with work and a mom who
taught him all household chores, life seemed to be ordinary for this boy who
always wanted to become a lawyer. He went on to become a three-term
congressman, an elected senator with the highest number of votes, and a
consistent leader in public opinion surveys. One of the most talked about
politicians because of his mannerisms, charm, controversial love life, and
future as a leader, here are 10 things you should know about Sen. Francis
“Chiz” Escudero.
1. He never ran for
any position as class or school officer until his days in the UP College of Law. He was supposed to run for
president of the Law Student Government, but says that if he did, he probably
would not have become a lawyer.
He was looking for the “law” option on his UPCAT form, only
to find out that he had to finish a four-year pre-law course before entering
law school. (He chose political science.) A UP boy from kinder all the way to
college, he describes his school days as “a quiet and ordinary existence.” He
and his friends wouldn’t be invited to parties, they wouldn’t throw parties,
they didn’t have girlfriends, they weren’t bullied, neither were they members
of clubs. They were just a “happy” bunch. He admits to just having “okay”
grades, in fact failing an English class in high school. “Masakit man aminin,
nag-aaral naman ako pero hanggang dun lang talaga yung kaya. May mga kaklase ako na hindi nag-aaral pero
natural na magaling.” He also remembers always being at the front of the
line (by height) in class every single year, until he reached his growth spurt
in his senior year in high school. “Baka nadiskubre ko yung sikreto ng buhay,
tumangkad ako ng konti,” he says laughing.
It was in law school that Chiz started to excel because it
was something he was very much interested in. He was juggling many
responsibilities at that time and says that if he had ran and won for the LSG,
“I don’t think I would’ve become a lawyer. Good luck ng malaki, di ako ganun
kagaling.”
2. The first time he
ran for public office, he didn’t ask his dad Salvador Escudero’s permission,
and his dad did not campaign for him either. “I think he wanted to either teach
me a lesson, or make the victory sweeter.”
He was still taking up law when he wanted to run for public
office, but his parents disallowed him and told him to finish law school first.
Upon graduation, he wanted to run again but his parents insisted he take up
further studies. (“Actually my mom didn’t want me to get married yet, that was her
motivation.”) He went to Georgetown University for his masters degree in International
and Comparative Law in 1996, and when he returned to Manila, his dad was appointed Secretary of
Agriculture by President Ramos, leaving the congressional seat vacant. As fate
had it, unknowingly preparing him for his political plans, his roommate in Georgetown was also from
Bicol and taught him how to speak the dialect by giving him a Bible in
Bicolano. During the campaign, he surprised everyone (including his father) by
giving his entire hour-long speech in Bicolano. Thus began the political career
of Chiz, as he was elected Representative of the 1st District of Sorsogon in
1998.
Chiz’s father, Salvador Escudero, was also the Secretary of
Agriculture under the Marcos administration and he recalls how most of the
children of the pro-Marcos officials left school in the years surrounding 1986.
He shares how teachers would say, “Lahat tayo nagkakaisa dito, na ang
gobyernong ito ganito ganyan, maliban sa isa,” and all eyes would zero in on
him. “I took it in stride,” he says, and in fact, had some of his highest
grades ever that semester. That whole chapter in history taught him a lesson
early on: whatever position you are holding will not last forever. “It makes
you keep both feet on the ground, and not to fly too high kasi masakit yun pag
bumagsak ka,” he adds.
3. On his signature
monotone way of speaking: “Pumasok ako sa pulitika, bata ako, hindi ako
sineseryoso. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism when I was starting.”
“Hindi ako pwede mag-crack ng jokes about serious matters
unlike Joker, Miriam, or Enrile, I had to have a serious tone,” Chiz explains.
But it wasn’t always the case, he says. “Hindi ako monotonous dati.” In his law
school years, as part of the debate team, he developed what he calls a
“relatively good memory” and learned how to organize his thoughts. The worst
speeches he’s had were the ones that he read. “Since I began campaigning in ‘98
when I ran for congress, I’ve always done it extemporaneously, so that I can
adjust.”
4. On the status of
his heart after his separation: “Hindi naman ako jaded, parang ang lungkot
naman ng buhay kung jaded ka.”
He says you learn from failed relationships, and you
shouldn’t avoid a new one simply because you’re afraid of repeating mistakes.
But he is clear on where he stands in terms of getting into a new relationship.
“Not yet.”
When asked about what he can say now about his “ex” (his
term), Chiz says: “It’s a sad episode in anyone’s life that you wouldn’t wish
even onto your worst enemies.” Quite the private person, it was on his first
day as guest co-host on Kris TV that Kris Aquino asked him live if his marriage
has been annulled, to which he had no choice but to confirm. His marriage to
wife Christine bore them twins (who are turning five this year). He prefers to
have his meetings in the Quezon City
area or even in his home, so that he can spend as much time as he can with
Chesi and Quino. He admits to memorizing lines from Katy Perry’s Firework and a
few Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus songs because it’s what his kids sing and
dance to.
When asked about dating actress Heart Evangelista (he refers
to it as “meetings,” she refers to it as “dinners”), he says, “I’m not at
liberty to say because perhaps I’ll be violating confidences.” He says that
Sen. Miriam Santiago did not exactly introduce them in person, but instead, she
“introduced (them) using modern technology.. like the cell phone.” He reveals
he has never been “on the prowl” at any point of his life, that he doesn’t know
how to make ligaw, and that even after his breakup he was never “out there
searching.” What is he looking for in a partner, if ever? “Someone I can talk
to. It’s about the conversation before, during, and after.. meals,” he quips.
5. On supporting
candidates and being independent from any party: “I support the person, not the
party.”
He was questioned when he supported the “Noy-Bi” tandem in
the last national elections, and when he was told he couldn’t cross party
lines, he says like any other voter he has the free hand to choose who he will
vote for. “I supported Noynoy cause I was of the firm belief at that time that
he was what the country needed from a corrupt government. I supported Binay
because I thought he would compliment him, Noynoy having served only in
national office, Binay having stayed longer in the LGU. And I would like to
think that they would get along because they’re on the same side.” He chooses
who to support based on who he believes in, and for him, who you are as a
politician should also be who you are as a person. “At the end of the day
parties mean nothing anyway in the Philippines, they all fight for the
same thing,” Chiz explains.
For him, the biggest problem the country is facing right now
is corruption and lack of direction. “We inevitably are doomed to repeat the
mistakes of the past instead of learning from them,” he claims.
When asked about being president, he says that it is
something one can reach only by fate and by faith. “If I’m thrust into it…I
honestly cannot say. It’ll be a lie to say I don’t think about it either.”
6. For Chiz, the very
first rule in politics is: Never underestimate the voter, the voter is always
right.
“Never think for a minute that you are right and he is
wrong. The voter is not stupid, he knows exactly what he wants. If you don’t
fit the bill, that’s what’ll make a candidate lose. If you fit the bill, that’s
what’ll make a candidate win,” he explains.
On political dynasties: “Take whatever it is I say with a
grain of salt because I am a product of that. Why limit the voters’ right to
choose? Many dynasties have failed. The Assistios in Caloocan, the Josons in Nueva Ecija, the Dys
for a time in Isabela. At the end of the day, the question is: Have they done
something for their district?”
On new blood in politics: “Good side is new blood came in.
Bad side is on some occasions naging pampainit lang ng upuan yung pumalit, with
no intention of really serving or doing a great job. You end up having second
stringers instead of your first five, kumbaga sa basketball.” He names some of
his colleagues who he started with in 1998 like Sen. Alan Cayetano, Migz
Zubiri, and President Noynoy Aquino as some of those who have remained, not
just warming the seat for their parents.
On showbiz personalities entering politics: “What I heard
before is may proposal na parang golf, may handicap ka. For every vote, it’ll
be counted as .9 or .8 para may chance yung iba na manalo,” he shares. “Wala
namang harang, walang prohibiiton. There is no great divide.”
7. Chiz in numbers:
1: girlfriend he had (for nine years) before he got married
to his second girlfriend, Christine. “Late bloomer nga ako, di ba?”
6: number of times he went home to the Philippines within the 1 1/2 years he studied in
Georgetown.
“Ang lungkot ko nun, paglanding ko dun tatlong araw ko humahagulgol.” It was
around this time his relationship with Christine was developing, and he admits
to having sent her love letters via snail mail, one of which was a letter in
reverse, which she had to read by looking at a mirror.
23: number of people on his staff
1.91: GPA in UP College
of Law. He was awarded
the Order of the Purple Feather, recognition given to those with a GPA below 2.
60,245: number of followers (as of press time) on his
official twitter account, @SayChiz. “Yes, I answer the tweets myself.”
9.3: millions of pesos in net worth, declared in his SALN
8. He almost became a
housemate in the First Celebrity Edition of Pinoy Big Brother in 2006.
He did the screenings, he did the interviews, and was
seriously considering becoming a housemate. When he told the show’s unit head
Lauren Dyogi that he’ll first consult with his wife, direk Lauren answers
laughing: “Saan ka makakakita ng asawa hindi gugustuhin makita at malaman ang
ginagawa mo 24/7?”
Chiz is uncomfortable with the thought of him being called a
“heartthrob,” often being likened to rockstar Bamboo, but he admits he finds it
flattering when supporters ask to have a picture taken with him. He does
receive fan mail according to his staff, and even once had a kolehiyala sit in
the office and wait for the senator to walk by everyday for two months, and
everyone thought she was an OJT. “You have to understand where it came from.
Lahat ng crush ko sa school, literally, walang crush sa akin,” he says. He even
recalls the time he finally got his crush to dance with him at the JS prom.
“Sweet dance di ba, both her hands were just by her side, it was so
embarrassing.”
9. What Chiz does to
unwind: sleep.
He’s not a DVD person, not into listening to music, not
really into travelling, not into reading. “I don’t read books actually, I don’t
read for fun, if it’s for work I read,” he says. He is a homebody that prefers
to lounge around and play with his kids at home when he has down time. “I’m
learning how to cook,” he proudly says. His pambato dish? “Paella.”
10. How Chiz handles
bashers: “I’ve managed to live through several of these trials simply by
letting it pass.”
“For as long as you’re happy with what you’re doing, you’re
secure, you don’t really have to please everyone and you don’t have to dwell on
it either,” he explains. When there is bad news reported about him, he doesn’t
believe in reading or watching each and every single one. “Parang tino-torture
mo naman sarili mo, hindi mo kailangan yun.” He mentions how today’s headlines
will be pambalot tomorrow, and that tomorrow there will be another headline and
another person to bash. His mantra of the moment seems to be “this too shall
pass,” which he mentioned several times throughout the interview. “Kaya lang
pag maganda yung nangyayari, this too shall come to pass?” he laughs.
* * *
When I interview personalities, I usually set my point of view by
finding one word to describe them or figuring out what stereotype they fall
under. I couldn’t seem to do that with Senator Chiz. He comes off as smart
whenever he speaks, but you can’t say he’s a nerd. He tops all the surveys, but
you can’t say he grew up as a popular kid. Fan girls admit to having a crush on
him, but you really can’t say he’s a ladies’ man. I guess you can’t make any
generalizations about Chiz, and that’s probably the trait unique to him that
keeps people interested in him and keeps him on top of his game. From lawyer to
senator, product endorser to talk show host, what’s next for Chiz? Yes, I guess
we can’t say.
